A Different Kind of Shine

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Fox and Ryan Murphy, unfortunately.

A/N: AU Faberry. Spoilers for the first season. The characters are pretty much the same, I've just altered their storylines. Also, this has not gone through a beta so all mistakes are mine. I apologize in advance for any errors in grammer, tense, or spelling. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Fic is based on prompt from RQ_Meme.

Rachel Berry did not like sand. It was grainy and uncomfortable and always ended up in the most unfortunate places. Her intense dislike of the granular substance was quite the paradox, considering she had ended up at a university where sand was as plentiful as it was irritating. In fact, the entire city of Los Angeles seemed incongruent with her meticulous personality and detailed life maps.

And yet, here she sat.

Her therapist had suggested she indulge in some of the city's pleasurable attractions in an attempt to become more engaged in her life outside of her studies and vocal exercises. It seemed Rachel had a problem 'letting loose' as Dr. Mason had put it. Of course, Rachel had tried to explain that between her coursework at UCLA and maintaining her voice for a future on Broadway, 'letting loose' was simply a distraction and not feasible.

But Rachel had to concede some defeat. In the ten months since she had moved to LA, she could honestly say her only friend was her quirky yet loveable roommate. Brittany was a dancer and Rachel greatly admired her talent. In the beginning, the girl's seeming lack of intelligence had deterred the singer from forging a friendship but soon enough, Brittany's 'simple mindedness' gave way to a perceptive and genuinely honest young woman that Rachel came to value immensely.

So now Rachel sat on a deserted beach at the behest of her therapist in an attempt to just 'relax and enjoy the beauty of a sunset'. The sight was rather beautiful. Splays of orange and red and yellow glittered across the rolling waves as the sun rose higher in the sky.

Rachel pulled her jacket closer to her body to ward off the cool March air. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply through her nose, the smell of salt and remnants of sun tan lotion filling her senses. The scent was not all together unpleasant.

A soft breeze rustled her long, dark hair and she scrunched her nose when the ends brushed across her face. Opening her eyes, Rachel realized she was no longer alone on her stretch of beach. Making their way out of the glistening waves, a woman shook out her long blonde hair and tucked a green and black striped board under her arm.

Rachel watched as she made her way up the beach. She walked with a smooth, easy gait and the lines of her wet suit accentuated her lean form. Rachel found herself enthralled.

The tall blonde was nearly parallel to the singer when she turned and caught the brunette's gaze. Rachel's breath hitched when she looked into sparkling hazel eyes, framed by the wet strands of her tousled hair. The girl tossed her a smile and Rachel had to blink at its brilliance.

"Really takes your breath away, doesn't it?"

It took several moments for Rachel to realize the girl had meant the sunrise. Nodding, she was surprised when she had the ability to respond. "Almost beats the lights of Broadway."

The blonde angel quirked an eyebrow but didn't lose her smile as she held the other girl's gaze. Finally, she nodded and chuckled lightly. "I suppose you're right; it's just a different kind of shine."

Rachel didn't have time to respond before the beautiful girl winked casually and strolled away, quickly disappearing over the hill. An inexplicable chill ran through her once the girl had gone and the singer frowned. She had the sudden urge to leap to her feet and chase after the gorgeous stranger but ignored it and tried to make sense of the encounter. In the end, Rachel found herself unable to place the feelings she'd just experienced and the whole thing left her quite unsettled. Still staring in the direction she'd disappeared, the singer sighed.

Well, that had certainly been unexpected.

Several days had passed since Rachel had seen the beautiful girl on the beach. She was still shaking the image form her head when she opened the door to her dorm. A blonde ball of energy tackled her at the door.

"Hi, Rach!"

Rachel smiled warmly and hugged the girl tight. "Hey, Britt."

Brittany released her and moved to her bed where an amused Latina was watching. Rachel nodded and smiled at the other girl. "Hello, Santana."

Santana offered a half smile and returned the greeting. "Rachel."

The singer moved to her desk but discretely watched the two girls on the bed. Brittany was smiling happily as they shared a magazine while Santana gently ran her fingers through the blonde's hair. Shaking her head, she returned to her task of gathering her book. Brittany had befriended the Latina a few months ago and it was clear they both had feelings for one another. Brittany was afraid to make her feelings know for fear of losing the girl. It was obvious to Rachel, however, that Santana was just as involved as Brittany was, so she had taken it upon herself to warn the fiery Latina against harming her best friend, or else. Santana had fought a smirk but regarded Rachel carefully for a moment before nodding seriously. From that point on, it seemed Santana had come to respect and actually enjoy Rachel's company instead of tolerating her for Brittany's sake.

"Britt, have you seen the purple spiral I had on my bed?"

The blonde nodded and jumped up to remove it from the shelf above the brunette's head. "It fell under your bed this morning and I picked it up. A bunch of little notes fell out. I'm sorry if I messed it up."

Brittany's face fell and she looked contrite until Rachel smiled and pinched her nose. "You didn't mess anything up, Britt. I was just doodling. Thank you for picking it up for me!"

The dancer's face lit up and she pulled Rachel into an impulsive hug that the singer was quite familiar with. "So, S was saying we should go with her to this dance place this Friday. Can we go, Rach? Please?"

Rachel knew Brittany wasn't asking for permission but rather inviting her to join and despite the practice schedule she had made for this weekend, she couldn't say no to the tall blonde's pouting face. "Sure, Britt. That sounds like fun."

Brittany squealed and bounced over to the bed where she jumped into Santana's arms. The Latina laughed and wrapped her in a hug. Rachel smiled at the pair and then gathered her books, telling the two girls goodbye, and heading to class.

Brittany was twirling and skipping ahead of them as they walked and Rachel took the opportunity to turn to Santana. "If you have feelings for her, you should just tell her so."

The Latina's eyes widened and she whipped her head to look at the shorter girl. "Are you telling me to ask out your roommate?"

Rachel shook her head. "I'm telling you that if you have feelings for Britt, whom I know you care about a great deal, I believe she would be receptive to the idea of dating you."

Santana frowned. "You barely know me, Rachel, and I've given you more than enough reason to dislike me; why would you want me to date your best friend?"

"Brittany is my best friend, she's my only friend, Santana, and while I would do whatever possible to keep her from getting hurt, I believe you make her happy. Am I incorrect in assuming that you would not hurt her?"

Santana shook her head emphatically. "I don't think I could ever hurt her intentionally. I just want to make her smile."

Rachel smiled softly and nodded. "Then make her smile. Ask her out."

The Latina lifted an eyebrow at the command but then smiled, turning her eyes back to the blonde who was bouncing happily at the door, waiting on them. "I might just do that."

As they approached the dance club, the trio was immediately ushered past the line and through the doors. Rachel looked at Santana who nodded toward the large bouncer. The Latina just shrugged and casually reached for Brittany's hand, causing the blonde to beam happily. "I know people."

Walking through the crowds of people, Rachel felt the bass vibrating through her chest and quickly made the decision that she wouldn't stay here all that long in fear of damaging her hearing. One does not have near perfect pitch without excellent auditory functions.

Santana led them to the curved end of the bar where it met the wall and the three girls sat down. Brittany was bouncing in her seat, watching the mass of people on the dance floor. Rachel noticed Santana wave at someone but found herself too distracted with the forebodingly sticky surface of the bar. A svelte voice broke her focus, however.

"Hey, Broadway!"

The singer's head snapped up and she winced at the protest her neck made with the action. Striking hazel eyes bore into her own and suddenly she'd lost the ability to speak. Luckily, Brittany did it for her. "Hey, Rachel is going to be on Broadway one day!"

The blonde's lips quirked upwards in a half smile as she studied the brunette in front of her. "Is that right?"

Rachel still found it incredibly difficult to speak so she was once again grateful for her friends.

Santana's eyes flicked between the two women. "You guys know each other?"

Finally, the singer regained her power of speech. "We met briefly on the beach a few mornings ago."

Shaking her head, the Latina smirked. "Figures. Is that the only place you are capable of meeting women, Q?"

Rachel's head was clearing rapidly and she frowned at the implication in Santana's words. "You two are acquainted?"

Quinn quirked an eyebrow and tossed a rag over her shoulder. "Acquainted?"

Santana chuckled. "I'm sure the bitch wishes we weren't. Unfortunately, Q is my best friend."

"Q?"

The blonde turned and looked at Rachel. The brunette found her mouth suddenly dry at the intense stare she was receiving that faded into a sultry smile when she finally spoke. "Quinn. My name is Quinn."

Brittany clapped happily. "Hi, Quinn! I'm Brittany and this is my best friend and roommate, Rachel."

Quinn laughs and accepts the other blonde's handshake, engaging her in conversation while Rachel watches, slightly awestruck. The slender blonde had her hair pulled up in a high ponytail though several golden tendrils had fallen free and now framed her face. Tracing the long column of a pale throat, Rachel stopped to survey the outline of a star inked in black over the girl's pulse point. The shape moved as the blonde swallowed and Rachel found herself swallowing reflexively as she watched. Continuing her assessment of the bartender, Rachel took in the dark denim jeans that hugged the blonde's body low on her hips leaving a sliver of pale skin between the top of her pants and the hem of her casual v-neck shirt.

Rachel let her eyes wander back up and blushed deeply when her chocolate gaze found hazel. Quinn's lips lifted in a half smile as she caught the brunette checking her out. Before either girl could speak, someone called Quinn's name and the blonde tossed Rachel a wink before turning to tend to the bar's patrons.

Rachel turned from the bar and lifted her eyes to the ceiling and heaved a breath, willing the color from her cheeks. Brittany watched her friend and grinned knowingly.

"She's hot. Don't you think, Rach?"

Santana chuckled and shook her head. "Try not to hyperventilate, Berry."

The singer took a fortifying breath and then faced her friends, her face a mask of cool indifference. "I don't have any idea what the two of you are talking about. Brittany, didn't you say this was your favorite song?"

Brittany perked up and then nodded enthusiastically, even though her favorite song changed nearly every day. Santana caught the diversion but turned to the blonde anyway and asked her to dance. Brittany took her hand and skipped after the Latina happily. Rachel watched them go until she lost sight of them in the mass of bodies on the dance floor.

Quinn filled orders and flirted with customers, as per usual, but kept her eye on the brunette at the end of the bar. She moved closer and listened as a drunk college boy hit on her. She bit back a smile as the brunette shut him down effectively, sending him limping back to a table full of laughing frat boys. After watching another pour soul get shot down, Quinn slipped back to the corner and leaned over the bar.

"Can I get you a drink?"

Rachel turned on her stool and fought back another blush. What was this girl doing to her? "Just a water, please."

Quinn lifted an eyebrow but filled a glass with water and tossed a lime in with flourish before sliding it toward the brunette. "Really hitting it hard tonight, hm?"

Rachel nodded in thanks and then shrugged. "I don't actually drink alcohol."

The blonde nodded but didn't inquire any further, surprising Rachel. Quinn seemed to consider her for a moment before speaking again. "So do you go to UCLA with San?"

Rachel swallowed her water and nodded. "Yes I do."

Quinn took note of the brunette's stiff posture and briefly wondered what it would take for her to relax. The blonde found herself intrigued by Rachel's controlled answers and movements; everything about this girl screamed 'uptight'. This was a shame, really; because with her deep brown eyes and mocha locks paired with the girl's tan skin and tiny frame, Quinn thought she was gorgeous. Normally, Quinn didn't exert a lot of effort when it came to engaging people simply because she never needed to; if they weren't open to Quinn's advances, the blonde saw no point in pushing an interaction. With Rachel, she felt the urge to coax a few more answers from the girl.

"Are you a design major too?"

Rachel shook her head. "No, I'm a theater major."

Quinn smiled and bobbed her head. "Right. Broadway."

The brunette returned her smile. "Broadway."

Neither girl can say anything else before Santana and Brittany make their way back to the bar, smiling and sweating slightly. Brittany pulls Rachel away to the bathroom and Quinn takes the opportunity to talk to her best friend. "What's the deal with Rachel?"

Santana smirked and shook her head. "Don't bother, Q, she's not your type."

Quinn scoffed and looked ready to argue before the Latina held up her hand. "I don't mean physically, I mean she is definitely a commitment type of person and your free loving ways won't sit well with her."

Quinn glared. "You make me sound like some kind of hippie slut."

Santana grinned and shrugged. "If the shoe fits."

"Bitch."

The Latina laughed and then smiled happily when Brittany returned and slid an arm around her waist. "Hey you."

Brittany smiled and rested her chin on her shoulder. "Hi. What's funny?"

Rachel looked curious as well when Quinn shot the Latina a stern look. Santana just shrugged. "Quinn thinks she's a badass."

Quinn is saved from responding when a pair or guys call for her attention. Rachel watches her grin and laugh at the men before tossing a wink in their direction. The brunette's throat tightens slightly at the action and then she immediately feels stupid for being affected by the blonde's care free attitude. Still, the ease with which Quinn flirts puts her off and suddenly the music is too loud and her head hurts. Turning to her friends, she steps closer and tells them she's calling it a night.

Brittany pouts but hugs her and Santana asks if she can make it home alright. Rachel nods and waves goodbye. She turns and catches Quinn's eye as she's leaving so she offers a nod before weaving through the crowd and making her way toward the exit.

Quinn watches her go and smiles when the brunette nods. As she walked away, Quinn let herself take in the curve of her hips and her impossibly long legs. Smiling, she watched her disappear and decided she would definitely be seeing the brunette again.

"Come on San, it's been forever since you've had a party."

Santana rolled her eyes and turned her focus back to the text Brittany had sent her. "Why do you think Rachel would come anway?"

Quinn shrugged as she painted her toe nails. "All you have to do is get Brittany to ask her. Just by watching them interact last weekend, I know she can't say no to your girlfriend."

Santana smirked. "Britt does have her wrapped around her finger."

The blonde scoffed. "She's not the only one."

The Latina turned and fixed her best friend with a steady stare. "Says the girl organizing a party just to see Rachel again."

Quinn capped the nail polish and flexed her toes, admiring her handy work. "I don't want to date the girl, Santana. I just want to see her unwind, maybe see if she's interested in a little fun for one night."

Shaking her head at the blonde's casual tone, she reached for the bottle of polish. "She's not like that Quinn. Plus, if you make her one of your conquests and she gets hurt, Brittany is going to be pissed which does not bode well for me. So watch yourself, Fabray."

"Fuck, San. I don't sleep around with every person I meet. If Rachel says no, that will be that. I won't force her anything."

Santana sighed and nodded slightly. "Alright, Q. Party at mine this Saturday."

Quinn grinned and leaned forward to hug her friend but was stopped with a glare from the brunette. "Don't push it, Q."

Rachel was not entirely sure why she was here or how Britt had managed to convince her to accompany her. Santana's apartment is filled with people she's never met and some unidentifiable rap song is pumping through the walls in the living room. She'd been there for almost an hour now, and while Brittany had made it a point to check on her every few minutes, Rachel had spent most of her time on the balcony.

The air was still slightly chilled, so the rest of the party goers only ventured outside to smoke or occasionally engage in promiscuous activities. Rachel had gone mostly unnoticed and was grateful. She'd already spoken to two guys who had both slurred their way through a proposition. When Rachel had responded, both of them had seemed put off by her vocabulary and retreated back into the apartment.

Rachel thought another thirty minutes would qualify as a polite amount of time to spend at her friend's party before saying goodnight. She had decided to spend her last half hour out on the balcony in hopes of avoiding Quinn. So far she'd been successful.

The blonde had left Rachel in a state of unease. Her casual attitude and somewhat arrogant confidence both intrigued and distressed her. Finding the blonde attractive added to her state of confusion and Rachel felt the need to be cautious. Quinn was very well the type of person who could lead Rachel down a path she had no intention of going. Her life followed a well thought out map and it would not be in her best interest to lose focus to some gorgeous, hazel eyed distraction.

As if on cue, said distraction opened the backdoor and joined Rachel on the balcony.

"There you are."

Rachel found herself tongue tied once again but managed to push through the haze. "Here I am."

Quinn grinned and moved closer to the brunette. "Why are you hiding out here in the shadows?"

The blonde settled her weight on the railing where Rachel was leaning. Their shoulders pressed lightly against one another and Rachel felt a jolt of something at the touch. She fought urge to sigh. Her body had never had this, visceral, of a reaction to another person before meeting Quinn.

"I'm not really the party type."

Quinn turned her head and tucked her chin on her own shoulder, smiling at Rachel. "So what kind of type are you, Broadway?"

Rachel fought her own smile at the demure expression on the other girl's face. "I don't think I'm any one kind of type, Hollywood."

Quinn smiled again and it felt more genuine than the seductive ones she'd been using so far. Rachel was refreshing. But she had a game to play, so she continued. "I bet you're lots of people's type."

The brunette flushed at the subtle line and ducked her head. "You'd be surprised."

Quinn faltered at the slight insecurity in her tone but Rachel lifted her eyes and all traces of it were gone. She was impressed.

Rachel tilted her head slightly. "What kind of type do you think I am?"

Quinn did a little mental fist pump. Rachel was flirting back. "Well, if I have to choose, I'd say: gorgeous, smart, opinionated, an over achiever on occasion, in control, a list maker, polite to a fault, kind, maybe slightly over confident, and talented."

The brunette listened to her tick off characteristics. As she went on, Rachel found herself growing tenser as Quinn listed every personality trait that had ever been used to describe her, just in different words. Rachel heard things like, over bearing, grating, controlling, and anal. Turning her eyes back to the scene beyond the balcony, she nodded tightly and stayed quiet.

Quinn frowned and studied the girl beside her. She'd obviously said something wrong and was trying to come up with a way to fix it when Rachel spoke quietly.

"You don't know me, Quinn."

The tone wasn't defensive or angry, just matter of fact and maybe a little resigned. Quinn felt remorseful that she'd upset Rachel but thinks about her next play. "But I'd like too."

Rachel was quiet so Quinn tried again, angling her body to face the brunette. "Have dinner with me."

Rachel shook her head and dropped her chin, chuckling. "It would never work."

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Eating together? Maybe a little conversation?"

"That's not why you're asking me."

Quinn felt a bit of irritation swell in her chest. Why did Rachel think she had her figured out? She certainly wasn't used to being dismissed so easily, so she didn't really think about her next response much. "I'm not proposing marriage, Rachel, just one dinner."

"I'm just being realistic, Quinn. I am not going to sleep with you and you don't want to commit so there's no gain for either of us."

Quinn shook her head incredulously. "Why does it have to be about commitment? Can't we just have fun?"

Rachel looked at her and bit her lip before looking away. "I don't operate that way, Quinn."

Quinn leaned away from the rail and turned back to the view in front of them, sighing. "Are you always this controlling?"

The brunette blanched and turned to look at the blonde, her voice small when she spoke. "What?"

Quinn seemed to notice and turned back to face her, shrugging lightly. "That just seems really uptight, I guess."

Controlling. Uptight. Rachel mentally tallied the number of times she'd been called those two things, not surprised when the majority seemed to stem from her ex boyfriend Finn. For whatever reason, it stung coming from Quinn. She wasn't sure why, but she had hoped the beautiful blonde would think differently of her. She really shouldn't be surprised.

Rachel caught her gaze and offered a polite smile and nodded slightly in agreement. "Yes, I've been told that before. I should be going, it's getting colder. It was nice seeing you again, Quinn."

The blonde frowned at the glint in the brunette's eyes, hoping it wasn't actually tears. Before she could even think about apologizing, Rachel moved inside and headed toward the door.

Brittany saw her in the entry and made her way over. Quinn watched Brittany frown before hugging her roommate and waving Santana over. The dancer pressed a kiss to the Latina's lips before wrapping an arm around Rachel's waist and moving out the front door. Santana watched them go and then Quinn winced when her best friend found her across the room and began to make her way over, a scowl on her face.

Shit.

Quinn Fabray is not above apologizing. She's just not fond of it. After everything she'd been through, she had decided to live the way she wanted and say what she thought without ever having to be sorry. The thing is…she was sorry.

Almost immediately after she had said what she did to Rachel, she regretted it. Not because it put a wrench in her plans to lure Rachel into her game, but because she found herself not wanting to see those big brown eyes fill with tears, like ever. The whole concept was strange to her, considering she hardly ever let her feelings get involved in these kind of situations.

She didn't need the scathing lecture she'd received from Santana to know that she wanted to fix this thing with Rachel. The truth was, Rachel intrigued the hell out of her. She wanted to know why she'd been sitting on the beach that morning, watching the sun rise. She wanted to know why she felt the need to be so in control of everything and who it was that had made the same mistake Quinn had by calling her on it. And heaven help her, Quinn wanted to know what made Broadway so damn special.

She wanted to know Rachel.

She still didn't want to date Rachel, because Quinn Fabray did not see that kind of commitment in her future any time soon. But she wouldn't mind befriending the brunette. And if Rachel eventually wanted to sleep with her, well that was a benefit she would relish.

Rachel was tired, bordering on exhausted actually and she hadn't eaten anything since last night. So the idea that she was hallucinating when she saw Quinn Fabray leaning against the door of her dorm room wasn't quite an impossibility.

"Quinn."

The blonde straightened immediately and stepped aside for Rachel to access her door. "Hi."

Rachel frowned and stared at the other girl in confusion. "Can I help you?"

Quinn stuck her hands in the pockets of her jeans and looked at Rachel imploringly. "Could I talk to you?"

Pulling her keys from her purse, she sighed. "I'm not sure there's anything else to say."

Watching Rachel unlock the door and enter her room, she took the open door as an invitation and followed her inside. "I'm sorry, Rachel. I really am. I get a little overconfident in my ability to read people and it was unfair of me to judge you that way, especially since I hardly know you."

Rachel turned and found her hazel eyes, searching for any sign of insincerity. Finding none, she sighed and gestured for Quinn to sit down. "I accept your apology, Quinn."

Quinn smiled and took the spot next to Rachel on her bed. "Look, I know we're different and we lead different lives, but I'd still like to know you."

The brunette looked unsure so Quinn forged on. "I respect your decision about seeing each other outside of a friendship, I truly do. But I think we could actually work as friends and our best friends are now joined at the hip so it's beneficial to us both that we get along."

Rachel looked at her carefully. "Can I be blunt?"

Quinn smirked slightly. "I kind of assumed that was you default setting."

Rachel returned a small smile and then held her gaze. "I didn't figure you as the type of person who would put so much effort into something that offers so little gain."

Quinn shrugged. "Honestly, beside Santana, I don't have many close friends. By many, read none. I'd like to work at it because I think you'd be a pretty great one. Plus I think you are one of the most interesting people I've met in awhile, if not slightly strange."

Rachel watched the teasing smile form on the blonde's lips and shook her head. "Do you often insult the people you're trying o befriend?"

"Actually, I do."

The brunette chuckled and Quinn smiled at the sound and held her hand out. "So what do you say? Friends?"

Rachel looked at her hand for a moment and then back into her hazel eyes. She knew this was probably a dangerous idea, considering the way the blonde made her feel. Quinn was totally new territory and it was a bit terrifying.

And exhilarating.

Extending her hand, she grasped Quinn's softly and smiled. "Friends."