Disclaimer: I do not own any of these incredible characters. I'm just playing with them ;)
Hello, my lovely readers! It's been awhile, hasn't it? Thanks for taking the time to read this little story. I really hope you enjoy it. I must thank my incredible betas, Tori and Charlie, who worked tirelessly to make sure this had no typos and made sense. I love them both more than than ever know. Please, please review. I really really love hearing from you guys! Expect a new chapter every Monday Wednesday and Friday. Happy Reading!

Chapter 1

July 16th, 2010

Summer into Junior year

"Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?"

This is a bad idea.

A light pink one-piece bathing suit dangled off of the desk chair. It taunted her.

Such a bad idea.

She tilted her head.

Okay not only is this a bad idea, it is incredibly irrational. This simply will not work.

Rachel Berry was a runner. Every morning, after a song of her iPod's choice woke her up gently from a lengthy slumber, she got up from her bed, threw on her work-out clothing, and hopped onto her elliptical. It was natural and helped shape the woman, on the outside at least, she was today. Her toned legs and sharpened arms had been single-handedly created by the custom piece of plastic to the right of her closet.

However today, at 5:30am, the pool seemed to be calling her. She knew where the pool was. How could she forget? Her bike was in good enough condition to get her there. The bathing suit she was currently staring at had never been worn before. To the left of the garment was a pair of matching goggles and a neon pink bathing cap. Essentially, Rachel had everything that she needed to go to the 6:30am adult lap swim session offered at the community swimming pool; she simply lacked the courage.

It wasn't because she couldn't swim. Her fathers' money spent on swim lessons were proof enough that she could stay afloat and then some. She just hadn't been to that pool in years, at least five years if she were to estimate. Who was she kidding, she had kept an exact count. It had been five years and seven months since she had been inside the Lima Community Center swimming pool. It had been five years and seven months since she had padded down the tiled hallways to the locker room, past the naked baby boys and their frustrated mothers, and into the hellishly hot pool deck.

Why the sudden change? Rachel sighed. It felt like her mind was playing games with her. There was no legitimate reason for the change. It wasn't because she needed a change in aerobic exercise or because she had blisters from running. It was because lately her past had begun to haunt her. Daydreams and the regular night kind had invaded her normally tidy mind and made a messy emotional permanent home.

She had to at least see if they had done any renovations. Maybe they finally installed some windows into the pool or added televisions to the ellipticals in the gym. Or maybe they finally replaced the deteriorating lap lanes in the outdoor pool that she cut her foot on when she was eight.

Okay now I'm just making petty excuses.

She just needed one final act of closure before she returned her attention to singing and preparing for college. Rachel took a deep breath and got up from her perch on the bed. With small steps she dramatically picked up the suit and held it to her frame. It would fit. She slid out of her clothing and into the bathing suit before walking into the hallway to get a towel from the linen closet.

Tiptoeing past her fathers' bedroom, Rachel proceeded to stealthily descend to the kitchen and grab an apple. The rising sun peeked through the handpicked curtains her fathers chose sixteen years ago and illuminated the kitchen. She smiled at the yellow swirls of color painted on the light material and the small light pink dots scattered throughout. They reminded her of sunshine. Those curtains have a story, Leroy always told her. They hadn't yet told her said story but she knew it was one of those things perhaps only the pair would understand.

She still couldn't believe she was going through with this. As her bathing suit rode up, Rachel grabbed her house keys and as quietly as possible left through the kitchen door into the garage. The air was cool and refreshing. The brunette inhaled contently, reveling in the blissfully quiet summer morning.

All she heard were a few birds singing softly and the bugs buzzing while she searched for her helmet and pulled out her bike. It was a birthday gift she had received for thirteenth birthday. Luckily, Rachel hadn't grown an inch. She had checked persistently with her father to see if anything had changed. It never ended well. The bike was light pink with white stripes and a white basket on the front handlebar. She threw her bag into the basket and hopped up onto the seat.

Minutes later she was on the road. Well, she was on the sidewalk, safety first, but with the wind blowing through her hair Rachel felt free. It was exhilarating. The roads were deserted. It was almost as if she could hear peace. Her legs began to pump harder just to feel the breeze.

As she neared the center, her shadow grew with the rising sun. After a left on Park Street, she slowed down, heart racing in her chest, and rode into the parking lot. A few stray cars littered the lot.

Member card in hand, Rachel entered the facility and greeted the secretary warmly, remembering her from her younger years.

"Hello, Mrs. Edmonton," she approached with a smile as she scanned her card.

Mrs. Edmonton stared at her with that Holycrap,girl.It'swaytoearlytobesmilinglikethatgaze. Rachel's smile never wavered. The secretary hadn't changed a bit.

"Have a nice day, Mrs. Edmonton."

An elderly man held the door for her, and Rachel thanked him before jogging down the steps to the locker room. She paused before entering the familiar place. Was she ready for this?

The basement lobby was practically empty. She looked over her shoulder once more before going inside. The walls were covered in dark yellow tile. Blue lockers lined the walls. To her right, several changing stalls lay dormant. Nothing had changed.

She walked to the back of the room and found her old locker, number four hundred and forty-four. Her fingers traced the cool metal, making their way to the lock to enter the combination.

10-22-10

Rachel grinned when it popped open easily. Within seconds all of her belongings were tucked neatly inside. No one seemed to have used the locker. She had left the lock on ever since she was eleven. Just as she was about to shut the door, a slip of paper caught her eye. Her body froze. Turning it over delicately, Rachel read the childish, swirly yet sloppy handwriting, trying to contain the moisture forming in her eyes, the memories rushing back. Suddenly, she couldn't breathe and swiftly slammed the locker door shut, thankful that the room was practically empty.

Nothing had changed.

It was just a swimming pool, she tried to tell herself. Still, the memories she had made here awakened something inside of her. The instant she said hello to Mrs. Edmonton the young brunette in a pink bathing suit with matching pink flip flops came to life. She was hopeful back then. Nothing was impossible. Everyone was nice and deserved a second chance. There was never a more innocent time in her life. The world was her oyster and she was its pearl, as her Daddy used to tell her. Now she felt like she was drowning.

Slowly she walked towards the entrance, flip-flops catching beneath her feet, and placed a hand to the door with her eyes closed. Why she was getting her hopes up for something that wouldn't happen was beyond her, but a voice inside of her was screaming at her to open it already. So she decided to listen.

And it was the best decision she could have made because as soon as she entered the pool her eyes met the tired gaze of one Quinn Fabray.

Hazel eyes held her still, her feet refusing to move, as her jaw dropped to the floor. Was that really her? Her blonde locks were pulled in a loose ponytail but those eyes gave her away. It was most definitely Quinn, and judging by the look on her face she wasn't expecting the brunette either. Hoping, but certainly not expecting

Rachel finally, after what felt like a century of standing still, she began to make her way down the ramp towards the pool, eyes burning holes into the ground.

Oh my God. Oh my God. She's here. Oh my God she's actually here.

She hoped Quinn couldn't hear her heart beating. Why was it beating so hard? Though she tried her best to ignore it, she felt the blonde's steel gaze on her body and suddenly she felt completely naked. Wait...was she even wearing a suit? As discretely as possible Rachel peered down and let out a sigh of relief when she reaffirmed that she was indeed clothed.

Without raising her gaze, Rachel plopped her towel onto the bleachers, shook off her flip-flops, and then slid into the empty lane closest to Quinn's stand. Why did it have to be the only open one? Quinn was smiling at the nervous brunette but equally nervous herself. She simply watched Rachel try her best not to make eye contact.

She failed almost instantly. Just as she was about to start her laps, Rachel raised her head up and met Quinn's eyes. A flush of heat ran through her body. Without warning, she pulled the goggles over her eyes and plunged into the cool water.

The water rushed past her bare arms and legs, immediately cooling her down. She focused on her breathing. One, two, three, breathe. One, two, three, breathe. Flip. And then she was off to the other side once more. Though it had been years since she had swam, Rachel felt at home in the water. She relished in how slick the water felt all around her and how smoothly she glided through the water.

Fifteen laps later, Rachel slowed to the wall. She needed a kick board. Reluctantly, she stopped at the wall and rose out of the water. The water glistened on her already tanned skin. Although it was only the first week of July, her skin had darkened faithfully.

Her eyes darted upwards, still concealed by the goggles, and landed on Quinn. They trailed down her long legs dangling over the lifeguard stand. A pair of short red shorts peeked out from behind her legs, and as her eyes moved up she realized that she was blatantly staring. Rachel quickly grabbed her kick board, keeping her eyes straight ahead as she kicked, even though she knew that someone was staring at her the entire time.

Her legs pumped up and down for fifteen more laps until she needed to stop. The waves crashing behind her turned into bubbles trailing at her feet as she approached the wall. She looked to the clock. It was 7:15am. Her parents would be up but she had scribbled a note. She decided to stay until the end of the session.

The next fifteen minutes were spent sprinting freestyle back and forth, back and forth, until she was breathing heavily in and out, heaving air into her hungry lungs. Rachel hopped out of the pool once she regained feeling in her now sore legs and sauntered over to her towel.

As soon as Rachel turned around, towel firmly around her waist, Quinn was right in front of her.

"Hey," she said almost kindly.

Rachel jumped, startled, and then proceeded to gawk. What should she do? What should she say? God, she hoped she didn't ramble.

"Uh," she scrambled for words. What were words? "Good morning, Quinn."

Okay that was fine.

Quinn smirked. "Come here often?" she asked cooly.

"First time," Rachel replied, still unable to process that this conversation was happening, "I mean I am more of an elliptical girl myself because of the instant gratification of the post-workout sweat but I decided it was time for a change in my aerobic workout and the pool seemed like an ideal place to get that. Plus swimming leaves no room for those dreadful blisters I have from running."

And there was the rambling.

Rachel refrained from curling up into the fetal position then and there. Did she seriously just mention her post-workout sweat and her blisters to Quinn Fabray?

What were the odds that the one time she decided to act upon her fantasy of meeting Quinn at the pool her wish was granted? She had no idea what to do. The fantasy always stopped when she opened the door and there sat Quinn in all of her lifeguard short shorts glory.

The blonde giggled at her nervous babbling. "Well, I need to go take the lanes out but there's a gym right next to the locker room if you are in need of a...how did you put it? A post-workout sweat?"

Rachel blushed profusely. All she could do was nod until she eventually took her cue to leave.

"Oh, yes I may need to check that out," she began picking up her goggles, "It was...nice running into you, Quinn."

Quinn smiled as she watched the girl turn towards the ramp, beginning her walk of shame to the locker room shower.

"See you around, Rachel."

Rachel froze as a wide grin invisible to Quinn pervaded her already flushed cheeks. Finding refuge in the locker room, Rachel headed straight for the showers, blasting the water immediately. As the water beat down on her, she replayed the encounter. She really did a number on herself. In a literally two-minute conversation, Rachel had managed to completely humiliate herself.

Though she was normally extremely verbose, Rachel always had trouble fighting off those incessant rambles. It was just a consequence of her busy mind. She sighed into the hot water as she washed off the chlorine from her body. Her hands massaged her shampoo into her hair gently. She was in no hurry.

After her shower, with a towel wrapped tightly around her torso, Rachel padded back to her locker and changed into a pair shorts and T-shirt. It was a bit casual, she had to admit, but for right now it was perfectly comfortable. With all of her belongings packed into her bag, she closed the locker slowly, eyes wandering to that small note. She couldn't take it with her. It belonged there. It held something she couldn't afford to forget.

So she left it behind, along with the memories she had buried long ago on the day that swim lessons, and pink flip flops, and swimming one lap across the pool wasn't enough to keep her happy. It was time to grow up.