So we're nearing the close. Hopefully. I'm planning on writing a Glee post-McKinley something or other, but I don't think it's going to run parallel to this as I originally thought it would. But I hope you guys have enjoyed reading this story as I have enjoyed writing it.

Also, funvince: I'm glad you caught me on that, I was wondering if anyone would. You're very perceptive. Yes, Quinn is being less and less discreet about showing Rachel affection. Consciously, Quinn isn't in denial about loving Rachel anymore, but she is in denial about being worthy of her. Unconsciously, Quinn doesn't really realize that her resolve to keep this secret hidden is crumbling, and, because she usually lapses when Rachel is upset, she can't see anything past wanting to comfort her. Basically, Quinn is obliviously getting over herself.

Part XII- I Know Where I've Been

Rachel and Shelby had lunch together, bantering about Broadway and NYADA and the competition. A few times, Rachel slipped and called Shelby 'mom', but her mother only seemed to be fazed by it the first time it happened, and after that it seemed natural.

All the while, Rachel had been texting Quinn, asking her about Santana and Brittany and their fight and what Quinn thought about an 'impromptu' performance at graduation. Rather than being offended by Rachel's divided attention, Shelby seemed amused, if a little strangely apprehensive. Rachel chalked it up to the enigma that was their new and undefined mother-daughter bond.

"What do you think about Chanukah and Christmas in New York?" Rachel asked Shelby as the two women neared the Falmont Hotel.

Shelby looked at her. "You aren't planning to come to Lima for the winter holidays?" Her voice sounded almost as disappointed as the woman felt.

Rachel beamed one of her patented Rachel Berry Mega-Watt Smiles. "Actually, I was thinking… since it seems like you've already got the perfect place to stay and my dads have kind of always dreamed of spending the holidays here… that maybe we could all do them here together this year? Noah's family rarely celebrate the holidays, your teaching status at McKinley gives you the same time off as the students, Beth is old enough to fly."

The older of the two put an arm around her daughter and returned her smile. "I think it's a great idea," she agreed.

They parted ways on the ninth floor as the elevator dinged and Shelby hugged Rachel and told her that she had to call Hiram and Judy about Beth, but that she'd see her later that day. As she watched Shelby disappear with another fond wave, a wave of elation, relief, and contentment rolled through her. Her parents (all three of them) were connecting and agreeing, she and Shelby were on their way to building a relationship, Noah and Quinn were finally playing large parts in Beth's life, her fathers had formed a unique friendship with Judy Fabray, New Directions had won Nationals, she had been accepted into NYADA, graduation was just around the corner, she would be returning to the city of her dreams in three short months, she and Quinn were incredibly close now and Rachel was sure they would remain so as they attended colleges only seventy miles apart. However, Rachel sense of completion was silenced a moment later as she watched a scene unfold in front of her, and she felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach or maybe the heart.

There was Quinn, beautiful and radiant and sporting a newly toned tan, which was extremely visible due to her absence of clothing, save a rather sexy bikini. Was it bad that Rachel's amount of salivation increased by looking her friend half-naked? she wondered. And what was Quinn doing in a bikini anyway? Wasn't she supposed to be off supporting and counseling Santana and Brittany back into their relationship bliss?

The hit to her internal organs didn't even come until she noticed that Quinn was standing next to Noah outside the boy's hotel room. The fact that he was wearing nothing but a pair of khaki shorts and a pair of sandals didn't help the sensation that Rachel's heart was being ripped out of her chest and wrung out like a soggy sponge.

The two were talking and Noah held Quinn's hand in his own large one, the effect being that Quinn's hand was swallowed by his. It didn't go unnoticed by Rachel how close they were standing to each other, and then Noah brought his arms around the blonde and held her against his bare chest and Rachel's throat constricted. She finally forcefully tore her eyes away from the situation when Puck leaned down and placed his lips against Quinn's.

Rachel ran like she had never run before, back to the girls' hotel room, slamming the door behind her and dead bolting it shut. She threw her suitcase, mostly still full, onto the bed and threw her remaining clothes into it. The brunette panicked when she realized she couldn't see and everything was blurry, before she realized that there were tears obstructing her vision and she wiped them away hurriedly. A few items were tossed into her purse and the room was checked to be sure she wasn't leaving anything behind.

She got out a piece of stationary and wrote down a note to the others, apologizing. Rachel left it taped to the bathroom mirror, set her keycard on the bureau, and took her exit.

"I think I burned," Quinn said, checking out her skin and the tanned she'd gotten while on the upper deck with the others.

The others, who had already dispersed. Mercedes had gone to find Tina and Mike elsewhere in the hotel, Blaine and Kurt left to find Mr. Schue and ask permission to leave the hotel and visit the city, Sam had chosen to make his way to the indoor pool where he could swim a few laps in preparation for the swim team's last meet, and Santana and Brittany decided that since they had apparently been fighting that it was time for them to make up.

Quinn had been texting Rachel, who had told her a few minutes ago that mother and daughter were on their way back to the hotel, and Quinn just wanted to be in the smaller girl's presence again. Puck was headed back to the room to shower because he was around chlorine too much and the smell of it was starting to make him 'squirmy', so they decided to walk together. Quinn was especially keen to hear what Noah thought on everything, as he was her best friend next to Rachel, who she couldn't talk to for obvious reasons.

"Nah, you look fine," Puck responded, checking her out. Quinn no longer felt objectified or offended by Puck's leering, as she knew he was joking around and didn't mean anything by it. He was just Puck, and that was oddly comforting. "You look tan, Rachel's gonna go wild."

She couldn't help but scoff as they reached the boys' room. "Right, because it's obvious that she totally likes-"

"Loves," Puck interjected wickedly.

"… me back," Quinn went on as if he hadn't spoken. She put her face in her hands and muttered, "This is all going to go to hell, Noah. I don't know how to woo Rachel Berry! I mean, love ballads and grand gestures aside, what the hell can I do?"

"Treat her like she deserves to be treated, Q. The way that Finn never did," Puck told her seriously. He took her hand and held it in his. "And it is obvious that she loves you back. You're just missing all the signals."

Quinn narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What signals?" she demanded in exasperation. "Seriously, what signals? Because I can't think of any."

Puck squeezed her hand. " Well, for starters, she's always there for you when you're upset, she never holds anything against you, she does whatever she can and goes out of her way to make you feel comfortable."

Rolling her eyes, Quinn answered, "Puck, that's Rachel! That's just how she is."

The man held up his hand. "It's different how she does it with you, and I'm not done," he announced. "In glee, when you sit behind her, she always glances back for your reaction and she only looks for your approval, Q. When you're upset or angry, she always moves closer to you and her hand twitches like she wants to take yours. When she sings songs, sometimes she sings them right to you. When you walk through the door, her whole face lights up like a menorah. And she looks at you like you're the only one in the room, she has for years." Quinn still looked unconvinced, so Puck added with an eye roll, "Dude, she looks at you like Tina looks at Mike, Sam looks at Mercedes, Brittany and Santana look at each other, Mr. and Mr. Berry, Mr. Schue and Ms. P. …"

"Okay, okay!" Quinn yelled. She huffed and blew her blonde bangs out of her eyes, "I get the point. And I want to believe you, Puck. I really do. But this is Rachel Berry. Beautiful, heart-rendering, kind, determined, strong Rachel, with those enormous soulful brown eyes and adorable mouth that never stops moving and the voice that could move angels to tears." Quinn looked down, scuffing her bare toe against the sparse carpet. "And I'm the girl who tormented and terrorized her relentlessly."

"Because you grew up brainwashed by the most narrow-minded Bible-pounder in Ohio and you felt threatened by everything she and her family stood for and the way she made you feel," Puck reasoned. "And, no, it's not an excuse," he said before she could voice this thought. "But it is the truth.

"And you know what else is the truth?" Puck went on forcefully. "That you screwed up—we screwed up—and your entire life got thrown into a new perspective because of it. That you grew up and you became independent and you started thinking for yourself, and when you did, you changed the way you treated her and you grew to the point where you weren't too afraid of how you felt about her to be her friend." The Jewish boy looked down at her with the faintest tug at the corner of his lips. "The truth is, Q, that you can't change what went down with you two in the past, but Rachel's let go of all that, so that now you guys can change your future."

Quinn stepped into Puck's arms and held him with sigh. "You can be smart sometimes, you know?" She breathed in his sun block and pool water smell and imagined a future when Puck was commonly this insightful and understanding.

Quinn had made a lot of mistakes with Puck, but finally admitting that Puck was Beth's real father was not one of them, and she was thankful that Shelby had allowed them the opportunity to be in Beth and each other's lives for a long time.

"I love you," she told him, feeling safe and comfortable in his embrace. She felt him tense and she laughed out loud. "I'm not in love with you. I just love you. You're my family, Noah."

After a brief sigh of relief, she heard Puck laugh with her. "Yeah, you're my family too, Q," he replied with a chuckle.

She lifted her head to meet his gaze and smiled as he leaned down to kiss the corner of her lips. It was intimate, but in an amicable way rather than romantic. There was a rush of happiness, but Quinn didn't feel anything close to the electrifying, butterflies-in-belly, whirlwind of emotions and responses that were triggered when she so much as brushed her skin against Rachel.

"I'm in love with her," Quinn said as she stepped away, like she was just now realizing it for the first time.

Puck laughed. "Better go find her and tell her that," he reminded her. "Does no good telling me."

Quinn pecked a kiss onto Puck's cheek and turned around and started running back toward the girls' room.

She felt liberated, euphoric, and amazed. Maybe she wouldn't end up killing Santana later; for once, the girl's rarely good intentions weren't paving the road to hell, so what was the point? Quinn felt as if she had waited three long, stressful years for this. This one moment which could either be the happiness moment of her life thus far or could shatter her heart into a zillion irreparable fragments.

But, for once, the risk wasn't deterring her. She wasn't afraid or nervous or unsure. Because, for as long as Quinn had known her, Rachel was the only thing in her life that made any sense. The only constant and genuine person in her life. She was ready for this.

The card swiped through the door, and the knob turned in her jittery hand as she opened it with a bit more gusto than originally intended. "Hey, Rach!" she called out, searching around the suite for the tiny brunette. "Rach!" Long, silence moment stretched on, and Quinn scoured the hotel room for her girl. "Rachel?"

Then, she noticed it. On the reflective surface of the bureau mirror, slightly left off dead center. Quinn walked over and plucked the white parchment from the glass just as Santana and Brittany came giggling through the door. Quinn didn't even notice. She couldn't process anything past the way her heart dropped into her stomach and settled there like a lead weight.

"Q?"

She was never sure which girl the sound came from, because it brought her back to reality and soon she was racing around the room, throwing on a skirt that she wasn't even sure was hers and a most likely mismatching top. Quinn bolted out the door, leaving her friends behind without answering their calls.

The elevator wasn't fast enough, and she gave up on it after only a second, choosing to take the nine flights of stairs three steps at a time. She hadn't run this fast since Zizes put up those Lucy Caboosey posters to ruin her prom campaign. Her heart still seemed to be beating rather strongly, wherever it now was in her body, but Quinn could feel nothing but sheer panic and heartbreak.

If there were people looking at her when she reached the lobby, Quinn never registered it. She looked around wildly for a small-statured brunette with a hot pink, gold star-bedazzled suitcase. How hard could she possibly be to pick out?

Dammit, she's gone, Quinn thought angrily. I never should have lied to her! Stupid Santana. If Rachel gets on a train or a plane, I'm going to kill her. I bet she thinks she's being dramatic and clever, if she thinks that this is funny—

Quinn froze mid-thought. Train. Dramatic. Funny.

"Oh my God, I am going to kill HER!" Quinn screamed out loud.

The objective part of her mind that was still thinking rationally reasoned that at least she now knew where Rachel was. The wild, emotional, uncontrolled part of her mind was telling her reason to shut the hell up because this wasn't remotely acceptable.

Grand Central, Quinn thought. I've got to get to Grand Central Station.

….

Part XIII— I'll Go Wherever You Will Go

Rachel was waiting for her train to take her back to Ohio when someone caught her in a strong grip and she nearly screamed. Her eyes followed the arm up to a shoulder, a neck, a familiar face, and then to a pair of glaring gold eyes. She didn't think she'd ever seen Quinn so riled.

"Quinn," she choked in shock. "What—?"

Quinn's panicked angry eyes bore deeper into hers. "If you thought that I was going to let you get on a train alone, without telling me where you were going, you were dead wrong, Rachel Berry!" she snapped loudly. Rachel thought she saw tears in Quinn's eyes.

Anger and resentment bubbled up inside of the brunette, and hell hath no fury like Rachel Berry's scorn. She jerked her arm from Quinn's grasp and pushed the girl away. "I didn't know I needed your permission, Fabray!" she sniped. "But, just for the record, why the hell do you even care?"

The blonde took a half-step back like Rachel had slapped her across the face, which was exactly what those words had felt like. "What do I care?" she demanded affrontedly. "What do I care. Hmm, let's see…"—Quinn paused in mock-thought—"Oh yeah! I care about you, you crazy person! And I understand that this whole coming-to-Grand-Central-Station-in-defiance is very 'Don't Rain On My Parade' and all that, but why? Why would you run away?

"If you wanted to see Grand Central Station, all you had to do was say, 'hey, Quinn, I wanna go sing Barbra in Grand Central Station!', and I would have been all 'cool! Let's do it!', so I know it isn't that."

"When would you have had time for that in between lying to me and sleeping with Noah Puckerman?" Rachel accused loudly.

Quinn was silent for a moment, trying to process Rachel's allegation. She knew that Quinn hadn't been with Santana and Brittany. Okay, Rachel was incredibly intelligent and could have easily figured it out all on her own, much less if Shelby had let slip. But sleeping with Puck? What. The. Actual. Hell?

Rachel was about to turn away, but Quinn grabbed her again. Rachel angrily shook her arm off and Quinn held her hands up in a placating way.

"I admit to lying to you, but I can easily give you a reason for it," Quinn stated carefully. "But where did you get the idea that I slept with Puck?"

The brunette's eyes burned into hers, but Quinn simply wouldn't back down or turn away. "I saw the two of you kissing outside his hotel room! Despite popular misconception, I'm not incompetent, Quinn."

"You saw that?" Quinn cried. A million gears were shifting in her head. Oh God. "Did you hear the conversation? Is that why you're angry? Or… why else would you be angry? Unless… oh jeez. Please tell me you don't have feelings for Puckerman."

Rachel pushed Quinn away again as the blonde came toward her with pleading eyes. "No! But apparently you do!"

They were beginning to attract attention, and Quinn motioned for Rachel to follow her into an alcove of the station where fewer people could look at them oddly. She gently pulled Rachel to sit down beside her on a bench.

"Rachel…" Quinn couldn't even be sure of what to say. Of course Rachel was wrong, how could she be when it was her that Quinn had feelings for?
She dropped her head back and groaned. "Rachel…. You just said so many things that I now have to clarify." Quinn paused, steeling herself for a slew of explanations. "First of all, I am truly, deeply sorry for lying to you and for breaking your trust, but I did not lie to you to have sex with Puck and I was with Santana and Brittany. Ask them, they'll tell you. As will Blaine and Kurt and Mercedes and Sam. Secondly, I really do need to know how much you heard of my conversation with Puck, because it's really important because I just can not have you finding out by overhearing that discussion." Seeing that Rachel has sufficiently settled down, Quinn chanced taking the brunette's hand and was happy when Rachel didn't pull away. "And I absolutely do not think that you're incompetent, I think you're the smartest person I've ever met and I never should have underestimated you. My feelings aren't for Puck either. Anything else I need to clarify?"

A guilty feeling settled in Rachel's stomach and she tried unsuccessfully not to start crying. She only felt worse when Quinn drew her into her and whispered reassurances in her ear, cradling her against her chest like she was the most precious thing in the world. Rachel finally managed to shake her head no in response to Quinn's last question.

"Good. Don't ever do that to me again," Quinn told her firmly. "Don't you ever run away from me like that without telling me where you're going." Rachel could feel the blonde shudder out an uneven breath. "I was so afraid of what could have happened to you. You know me better than anyone, Rachel, why would you ever think that I would sleep with Puck again?"

Rachel sniffled embarrassedly. "He's Beth's father—"

"Which should have been your first indicator that I would never sleep with him again," Quinn put in.

"You two have a connection, one that we don't," Rachel admitted. "You're always going to be tied to him, to be close to him in a way that no one else can be."

Quinn pulled Rachel into another hug and breathed in her soothing scent. "Rachel," she half-sighed with a breathless laugh. "You never have to worry about my 'connection' to Puck. Trust me, what I have with Puck is purely platonic these days. He's like family." The next part took everything Quinn had not to cry. "So, if you have feelings for him… it's okay."

Rachel pulled back and laughed, running her fingers through her hair. "I told you, I don't have feelings for Puck…. And you said neither do you?"

Quinn smiled, still keeping hold on Rachel's hands. "He's my friend. And my daughter's father. That's all he is to me."

"And I didn't hear any of it," Rachel admitted. "None of your conversation with Puck. But why does that matter so much?"

As much as Quinn wanted to tell Rachel everything then and there, Rachel was undoubtedly a hopeless romantic and, although Grand Central Station was the perfect place for Funny Girl reenactments, the same didn't hold true for declarations of love. If Quinn was going to do this, she needed to start thinking about the girl in front of her. She had one shot, and she'd be damned if she let herself screw this up too.

She stood and offered a hand out to the brunette. "If you don't get on that train to Ohio, I promise to tell you everything. No half-truths or evasive answers or ignoring questions, just the explanation that you deserve," Quinn bargained, her hand still outstretched. "All you have to do is stay here, in New York, with me."

A smile worthy of its own applause spread across Rachel's coy lips, and Quinn was momentarily lost in the depths of those brown orbs. "You're not a good negotiator, Quinn Fabray. Giving me what I want in exchange for making me do what I actually want to do?" Rachel teased, taking Quinn's hand.

Quinn shrugged simply. "Maybe I like giving you what you want," she replied with an equally wide smile. "You deserve to be happy." She picked up Rachel's suitcase in her free hand and led the brunette from the train station. She felt relieved when Rachel wrapped two small but surprisingly strong arms around hers.

….

Part XIV— Take My Breath Away

Rachel smiled as she watched Quinn pick up a stone on the edge of the vast pond and send it skipping across the surface of the water, leaving ripples in the hues of pink and gold and blue that reflected the dusky sky. Almost no one was around at this time of day, it was nearly dinner time and most families and couples had gone home for the night.

They were laughing even harder when Rachel had to vault forward and grab Quinn to keep her from falling into the pond. Quinn turned her head to look at Rachel and all laughter ceased when the blonde realized just how close Rachel's face was to hers.

"You're beautiful," Quinn murmured before she could think it through. A gasp got caught in her throat when she realized her faux pas.

The brunette smiled dreamily. "So are you," Rachel replied heavily. "The most beautiful girl I've ever met." She cleared her throat and stepped away slightly, but Quinn still held her hand fast and she had no objections to it. "Are you ready to tell me now?"

Quinn gulped and nodded, looking vulnerable for maybe the first time ever. Rachel allowed the blonde to pull her down onto the grass and they sat facing each other. She could tell this was difficult for Quinn, and Rachel squeezed her hand to reassure her.

"Um, do you remember this morning…"—God was it really only this morning? A lot really had happened today—"… when I told you that Santana… knew something about me that you didn't know only because she figured it out for herself?" Quinn asked nervously. Rachel only nodded with a rare show of patience. "Well, as it actually turns out,"- the blonde stopped to laugh nervously—"apparently everyone kind of knew before even I did. So… it was actually Blaine who called me this morning, and told me to come to the rooftop pool, but not to tell you what was going on. And I got there… after having to lie to you, which I hated by the way… and I figured out why."

"Okay…" Rachel coaxed after a moment of silence. "So… why?"

The blonde sighed. "I was so angry at them for all intervening on me," Quinn declared. "It was like… like when you're having a really good day and people just feel the need to screw it all up. But then we all talked, and at first I still wasn't convinced. Meeting adjourned, everybody kind of dispersed, Puck and I were headed the same way—I was gonna go see you and he was going back to his room—so we walked together." Quinn paused, biting her lower lip tantalizingly, replaying their conversation in her head. "He talked to me about it, all mature and insightful and he put things into perspective for me; And I realized that… Beth being conceived was obviously a mistake, but it's not one I especially regret. Because yes, I had a baby at sixteen, but I had that baby with a great guy who remained my best friend, by my side even when I didn't treat him the way he deserved."

Quinn looked at Rachel with contented eyes. "Rachel, I don't deserve you forgiveness for what I've put you through any more than I deserved for Puck to stand by me while I was pregnant with his child and pretending she was Finn's." Quinn smiled with chagrin. "But apparently it doesn't matter, because you're willing to forgive me whether I think I deserve it or not,… because, ultimately, it isn't my choice—it's yours. And that just makes you even more incredible than you already are."

Rachel narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You still haven't told me what all of you were talking about."

"I'm getting to that," Quinn teased. "Just give me a minute." Quinn looked down at her hands, which were holding Rachel's as they sat cross-legged with their knees touching each other's. She was terrified suddenly and it brought tears to her eyes.
"What I'm about to tell you… Please, please, promise me you won't stop being in my life. Please, Rachel, because you make it better every single day with your sometimes annoying optimism and your amusing competitiveness and you… always being there whenever I need you. Just, please. Promise me."

A hand cupped her chin and lifted her face to meet Rachel's eyes. "Hey," Rachel laughed softly. "What's going on in that head of yours, huh? You know you can tell me anything, I love you no matter what."

Quinn's heart stopped about the time that Rachel's eyes widened dramatically as she realized the implications of what she had just said.

"You… love me?" Quinn asked breathlessly, hope evident in her voice.

Rachel squeezed her eyes shut and nodded quickly, tears seeping from her closed eyelids and streaming down her face. Quinn wiped some of them away quickly.

She couldn't help the soft laugh that escaped her mouth. "Rach, you have no idea how easy you just made this on me," she whispered, leaning forward and kissing away a few more of Rachel's tears as the girl's eyes fluttered open.

"What?" she asked in confusion. Shouldn't Quinn be running right about now? Laughing at her? Pushing her into the pond? Call her a freak?

But while Quinn was laughing, it wasn't at her, but more to herself. "Rachel," Quinn literally couldn't stop smiling, "Oh, God. Ha. The thing that I've been keeping from you, what I was talking with Santana and Puck about?" Quinn gathered Rachel's face into her hands, "Rachel, I am in love with you. So, so, incredibly crazy in love with you, and I have been for awhile."

Rachel seemed frozen in shock. "You're in love? With me. You're in love with me?" It seemed like the brunette couldn't wrap her mind around the thought.

Quinn took Rachel hands and forced her to look into her hazel eyes. "I'm in love with you, Rachel Berry," she chuckled. "I love you. More than anything, and it's okay if you don't love me back in that way. You loving me at all is really enough for me now, as long as you keep loving me and you don't go anywhere."

The smile that spread across Rachel's lips was breathtaking. "I-I don't know… if I'm in love with you yet, Quinn. But there's something here, between us. I like you a lot, more than a friend, but I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to scare you away." She met Quinn's eyes again. "Is that alright?"

Quinn was crying even as she was laughing, happy joyous tears of relief and excitement. "It's more than I dared to hope for, Rachel. Of course it's alright." Settling down, Quinn caressed Rachel's soft cheek. "Because now? I get to make you fall in love with me."

"Trust me, that won't be hard for you, Quinn," Rachel laughed. "But I know you like a challenge…" Rachel batted her eyes flirtatiously.

"Just don't play too hard to get, okay? I'm going to want to be with you the second you say yes," the blonde told her.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Well, then eventually you're going to have to ask me the question, genius," she taunted. "Keep a girl waiting forever and she won't have to play hard to get."

There, in the middle of Central Park in New York City, as the sky grew dark and the sun was setting, there was no debate that this time, they'd finally gotten it right. All except for one thing.

Quinn sat back and Rachel crawled over to sit in Quinn's embrace, resting her back against the blonde's chest and pulling Quinn's arms around her. She felt Quinn kiss the top of her head and then her cheek.

"I have two questions," Quinn told her.

"First question," Rachel responded, turning slightly to face the blonde.

"Okay, Rachel Barbra Berry, future Broadway star and legend, will you go on a date with me?"

Rachel laughed and kissed Quinn's jaw line. "Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to consider this as our first date. Seeing as how it's kind of my dream to have someone- um, kind of especially you- declare love for me in Central Park at sunset."

Quinn nodded. "If that's what you want, then this is our first date," she decided. "Next question: Be with me."

"That's not a question," Rachel pointed out.

"No, it's not, you're right," Quinn replied. "It's a plea, for the girl I can't live without to allow me to be hers. And for you to be mine. Exclusively. No secret behind-closed-doors relationship, no casual dating, no half-friends half-something else. Just us; me as yours and you as mine."

Rachel snuggled further into Quinn, tucking her head under the blonde's chin. "Quinn Fabray as mine and no one else's? When am I ever going to get an offer like that again?" She placed her hand on the side of Quinn's neck. "Yes. And now I have something to ask you."

"Okay?" Quinn questioned.

"Are you gonna kiss me or not?" Rachel demanded impatiently. " 'Cause, if you're not, the deal is of— Mmm…"

Rachel sighed into Quinn's lips, which were now pressed against hers in the most earth shattering, phenomenal, heavenly kiss ever. Their lips moved together perfectly, like they'd been kissing each other all their lives and yet it still felt like a first kiss. There was heat and adrenaline and emotions swirling as they pressed into each other as much as the laws of physics would allow.

The End.