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Fic: From this day forward (Or Five Ways Quinn Fabray Proposed to Rachel Berry) (Glee, Rachel/Quinn)
TITLE: From this day forward (Or Five Ways Quinn Fabray Proposed to Rachel Berry)
FANDOM: Glee
PAIRING: Rachel/Quinn
RATING: PG-13
WORD COUNT: ~5,200
DISCLAIMER: Don't own 'em. They're Ryan Murphy's.
SPOILERS: All aired episodes
AUTHOR'S NOTES: OK, bear with me here...this is a sequel of sorts to this fic: For better or worse in which Quinn asked Rachel's Dads for Rachel's hand in marriage. Only I couldn't decide how I wanted the proposal to go. So there are five different versions of it. Obviously they are unrelated to each other, but each one follows the original fic. Got it? Good.
VERSION 1
Quinn opened the apartment door, her heart hammering in her chest. Almost immediately, a small body attached itself to her legs.
"Mommy! You're home!"
She stooped to pick up the little girl, groaning slightly under her weight.
"I sure am, button," she said, rubbing her nose against her daughter's. "Your mom told me that Uncle Finn is taking you to play video games?"
"Yep, Daddy says I've to kick his ass on the driving ones," Eliza said, her smile wide and guileless.
"Your Daddy needs to watch his mouth," Quinn said, raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah, and you're so not gonna kick my ass!" Finn protested, swooping in and grabbing Eliza, lifting her up above his head as she squealed and giggled.
“It’s cold out, do you have your scarf and mittens,” Quinn asked, standing back slightly as Finn swung Eliza around in a circle before putting her back down on the floor.
“Yeah, they’re in my pocket,” Finn replied.
Off Quinn’s look, he turned to Eliza.
“And do you have your mittens and scarf,” he asked, blushing.
Once they were both wrapped up to Quinn’s satisfaction, she stood aside and opened the door for them.
“How long will you be?” she asked Finn, in what she hoped was a casual way.
“Couple of hours probably, if that’s OK?”
“That’s fine, great,” Quinn said, nodding. “You, kiss, now.”
Eliza stretched up on her tiptoes to kiss her mother goodbye.
“Hey, me too!” Rachel said, coming out into the hallway in time to receive a kiss from her daughter.
Quinn’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of her, hair tied up in a messy ponytail, wearing old faded jeans and an apron stained with something red. She was gorgeous.
“Bye Mom, bye Mommy!” Eliza shouted, dragging Finn out of the door.
“Bye sweetie,” Rachel called after them. “Behave for your Uncle Finn!”
She closed the door and turned to Quinn with a smile.
“Well, hello there,” she said, smiling gently. “Just couldn’t stay away from me, huh?”
“What are you talking about? This conference wasn’t even anything to do with my job, I just wanted a night away from you,” Quinn teased, moving closer to Rachel. “Then they had to go and cancel the damn thing and ruin my plan!”
“Poor baby,” Rachel cooed, stretching up for a kiss.
Before their lips made contact, Rachel’s eyes went wide and she ducked out of the embrace, running in the direction of the kitchen.
“The sauce will be burning!” she called over her shoulder at a bewildered Quinn.
Quinn followed in her wake, smiling at the animated reaction. When Quinn reached the kitchen, Rachel was vigorously stirring something on the stove. She turned to look at Quinn.
“I think I saved it,” she said.
“Honey, you cooked for me?” Quinn asked, surprised.
“Well, I put on some pasta and I heated some sauce out of a jar. So...yes, I cooked for you,” Rachel agreed.
Quinn walked up behind Rachel and slid her arms around her waist, bending so that her chin was resting on Rachel’s shoulder.
“How domestic,” Quinn mumbled, her lips brushing against Rachel’s jaw as she spoke.
This, just being with Rachel, had alleviated the nerves that had plagued her all the way back in the car. This was her life and it was exactly as she wanted it.
“Yes, I am a domestic goddess,” Rachel was saying. “I’ll make someone an excellent little wife one day.”
And before she could stop herself, Quinn replied.
“You wanna be mine?”
She felt Rachel tense in her arms, even as her own stomach plummeted to her feet.
“Quinn Fabray,” Rachel started, her voice low and calm. It terrified Quinn. “I know I didn’t just hear you propose to me as I was cooking store bought pasta sauce while you groped me from behind. That is not a story I want to be telling my grandchildren.”
“I...I...” Quinn stuttered, unable to formulate a sentence, or move.
Rachel turned off the stove burners and gently pushed Quinn’s arms away from her waist. She turned so that Quinn could absorb the full force of the pout she was wearing. Quinn let her arms hang at her sides as her shoulders slumped.
“Now, I’m going to take off this apron and go and fix my hair and make-up. Then I’m going to come back in here and you’re going to have another go. Properly. OK?” Rachel asked, already heading for the door.
Quinn nodded. Rachel paused and turned around. She walked back to Quinn and hooked a hand under her chin, lifting it from her chest. Then she leaned in and placed a kiss on Quinn’s lips.
“Just so you know, the answer is going to be ‘yes’,” she said, her voice soft.
Then she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.
Quinn grinned.
VERSION 2
Quinn fumbled in her pocket for the key to the apartment, but before she had a chance to locate it, the door opened to reveal Rachel, grinning in quite a disconcerting manner. She was dressed to the nines in a form fitting black dress that dipped low into her cleavage and rode high up on her thigh. Quinn felt a jolt of arousal pulse through her and blushed. She loved that Rachel could still do that to her.
“Uh, hey!” Quinn said.
“Hey!” Rachel replied, looking at her with adoring eyes.
Quinn tried to glance past her girlfriend into the apartment.
“Where are Eliza and Finn?” Quinn asked, unnerved by the fact that the expression on Rachel’s face had not changed at all since she’d opened the door.
“Oh, I pulled in a favour and got them tickets to ‘Rock of Ages’,” Rachel said, waving a hand as if it was completely unimportant.
Quinn frowned.
“Theatre tickets? I thought they were going to play video games? How did you manage to arrange all this since I spoke to you?” Quinn asked. “And do you think I could maybe come in?”
“Oh, yes, of course!” Rachel exclaimed, standing to the side to let Quinn enter the apartment. “Yes, Finn was thrilled with the tickets, he was already regaling Eliza with a history lesson on 80s rock as they were heading out.”
Rachel closed the door and leaned back against it, staring at Quinn in silent rapture. Quinn’s nerves had started to reappear on the drive down from Connecticut and Rachel’s strange behaviour was only making them worse. She dropped her overnight bag and leaned in to brush a quick kiss across Rachel’s lips.
“You’re gorgeous,” Quinn said, her hands finding Rachel’s hips, thumbs rubbing the hip bones protruding slightly through the tight fabric. “I didn’t expect to find you all dressed up.”
“What? This old thing?” Rachel asked, her hands on either side of Quinn’s neck. “I just threw on the first thing I came to after Finn and Eliza left.”
“Mmmhmm,” Quinn mumbled.
She pressed her forehead against Rachel’s rubbing their noses together, trying to calm herself down slightly. She’d practised her speech coming down in the car, but felt like she needed to go over it one more time. Maybe a bath would help?
“Listen, I was thinking that I wo-“ she started but was cut off by Rachel.
“Wait! Let’s not do this here!” she all but shrieked, grabbing Quinn’s hand and dragging her into the living room.
The lights were low and there were candles on every available flat surface. Music was playing quietly. Quinn’s ears pricked up. ‘Blame it on the Bossa Nova’. Their song. She turned to see Rachel perched on the edge of one of the chairs, legs crossed at the ankles, hands on one of her knees, looking at her, expectantly.
It looked like Rachel had some sort of seduction planned, which would normally be fine by Quinn. But there were bigger plans afoot and Quinn had to get the upper-hand back, which she couldn’t do with Rachel staring at her like that. She sighed and stooped to take her shoes off. Rachel actually squealed.
Quinn looked up to see Rachel with her hand over her heart and tears in her eyes. Then she looked down at herself and noticed that she had one knee on the floor. Another glance at Rachel and everything clicked into place.
Quinn stood up abruptly and Rachel’s face fell into one of confusion.
“Rachel?”
“Yes, Quinn?”
“Have you spoken to either of your fathers this evening?” Quinn asked, unsure whether to be annoyed or amused at the elaborate preparations Rachel had made.
“My...fathers? Uh...no.”
For such an accomplished actress, Rachel Berry was a terrible liar.
“Rachel...” Quinn started, her voice carrying a clear warning.
Then suddenly Rachel was in her arms, all wide eyes and desperate clinging.
“OK, yes, but it wasn’t Daddy’s fault. I called to ask for guidance on a pasta dish and he really just couldn’t hold it in but he made me promise to act surprised and I would have and I still will if that’s what you want...oh God, you are still going to ask me, aren’t you?”
Quinn dipped her head to hide her smile and shook it slightly. She pushed Rachel back a step and took her hand. Then she went down on one knee.
Rachel gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.
“Well, I had a whole thing planned that I was going to say to you with references to several significant events during our time together and incorporating a recurring theatre metaphor...but that seems silly now,” Quinn said, holding her free hand up to silence Rachel’s protest. “So how about this?” Quinn took a deep breath. “Rachel Berry, I love you and I can’t imagine ever being without you, so will marry me?”
A sob escaped Rachel’s throat. She looked down at Quinn with tears streaming down her face, but she still hadn’t answered.
“Rachel, this may the one time in your life that I’m going to actually beg you to speak...”
“Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you! Of course I’ll marry you,” Rachel said, pulling Quinn to her feet and kissing her deeply.
Quinn reached into her pocket and pulled out a small box. She opened it and took out the ring, slipping it onto Rachel’s finger and prompting a fresh round of tears and more kissing. When they parted both of their faces were wet with tears, Quinn would later insist that they were all Rachel’s, but Rachel knew better.
“So, can I call your dad and yell at him?” Quinn asked, her arms still tight around Rachel’s waist.
“It’s not his fault,” Rachel said, still mesmerised by the sparkling jewel adorning her left hand. “You should never dangle a wedding in front of a gay man and expect him to keep quiet about it.”
“I expected him to keep quiet for two hours, maybe three,” Quinn protested, kissing the side of Rachel’s mouth.
“He probably would’ve managed if I hadn’t called, he’s not fully to blame,” Rachel said, turning into the kiss.
“Well, I have to have some fun with him...can I tell him we’re going to get married at City Hall, in pant-suits?” Quinn murmured against Rachel’s cheek.
“You’ve still got that cruel streak, Fabray,” Rachel replied, rubbing her thumb along Quinn’s jaw-line.
“Only on special occasions,” Quinn replied.
“Fine, but if he passes out I’m telling Dad that it was your fault.”
“Deal,” Quinn agreed. “But that can wait, right now I think I should make love to my fiancée.”
Rachel’s eyes seemed to turn jet-black and she pulled Quinn into a searing kiss which left both of them breathless. Quinn made a mental note of the reaction that word appeared to elicit before she was dragged down the hallway to the bedroom.
VERSION 3
Quinn looked at the clock. It was almost nine o’clock. Dinner had taken forever. Now Rachel was stacking the dishes in the dishwasher and Quinn really had to hurry things along if she was going to get this done before Finn came back with Eliza.
“Rach, you nearly done?” she called, checking for the millionth time that the ring was still in her pocket.
“Nearly. Why?” Rachel yelled back.
“Uh...no reason, I was...just asking,” Quinn answered, rolling her eyes at her own lameness.
Rachel came into the living room, wiping her hands on a dishcloth. Instead of sitting down she carried on towards the hallway.
“Where are you going now?” Quinn demanded.
“I’m going to draw a bath for Eliza, they’ll be back soon and it’s freezing outside,” Rachel said, pausing in the doorway.
“Just...can you come and...sit, just for a minute?” Quinn asked, trying not to let her frustration show in her voice.
“Well...I wanted to...”
“Please!” Quinn shouted, immediately regretting her tone.
Rachel complied with the overly vehement request. She sat down on the couch and Quinn sat next to her. She reached out and took Rachel’s hand between both of her own, bringing a confused smile to Rachel’s face. She played with the skin between Rachel’s index finger and her thumb, looking at their joined hands.
“Quinn?” Rachel’s gentle query brought her eyes up to meet deep brown ones.
“Rachel, I want to talk to you ab-“
She got no further than that before the buzzer sounded obnoxiously and Rachel sprang up to let Finn and Eliza in.
“I’ll be back in a sec...I do want to talk about...whatever it is you want to talk about,” Rachel said over her shoulder, giving Quinn a concerned look.
Quinn sighed and slumped back onto the couch. The door opened and Eliza barrelled into her arms, talking at a hundred miles an hour.
“I beat Uncle Finn at almost everything! And he was totally trying! Don’t let him tell you he wasn’t! But I was too good for him!”
“That’s my girl,” Rachel said, grinning and holding her arms open for a hug, which Eliza willingly provided.
“Finn, can I see you in the kitchen for a second?” Quinn said, standing suddenly.
“Sure,” Finn said, in his usual amiable way. “And I wonder where she gets that competitive spirit from.”
He directed the last part at Rachel, with an accusing glare.
“No-one likes a sore loser, Finn,” Rachel said, beaming with pride.
Quinn pulled the door closed and turned to Finn, using her best plaintive expression, which used to work on him all the time.
“Finn, I need you to go back out with Eliza,” she said, without preamble.
“Back...out?” Finn said, scrunching his brow up. “But it’s nearly her bedtime, and I’m cold. And I’m out of quarters.”
“I’ll give you money, just...take her for hot chocolate or...something, anything,” Quinn said, digging in her purse for her wallet. “I just need a half hour alone with Rachel.”
Realisation broke over Finn’s face and he shook his head at Quinn.
“Quinn, we’re going away overnight tomorrow, I think you’ll have enough ‘alone time’ with Rachel then, don’t you?” he said, making the quote marks with his fingers. “Or just wait until you guys go to bed, jeez.”
She grabbed the front of his shirt and drew his face in close to hers.
“That’s not what I’m talking about, dummy,” she hissed. “I need you to take Eliza back out so that I can ask Rachel to marry me.”
“You’re asking Mom to marry you?”
She froze at the voice behind her, then turned around to be met with the delighted face of her daughter. A second later, Rachel practically skidded to a halt behind Eliza.
“Yo...you’re asking me to marry you?” Rachel whispered, her facial expression spookily identical to Eliza’s.
Quinn rolled her eyes.
“Well, I’d kinda hoped we’d be alone and it would be slightly more romantic than this...and, you know, not in the kitchen, but what the hell?”
Quinn pulled the box out of her pocket and opened it. She reached out and took Rachel’s hand in hers and held it. Then something unexpected happened. Eliza added her hand to their joined ones. Quinn looked down at her daughter. She was grinning, looking between her and Rachel. And suddenly Quinn couldn’t think of anything more perfect than this.
Quinn brought her eyes back up to meet Rachel’s, which were now brimming with tears. Quinn felt her own throat start to get thick with emotion and she swallowed hard, she had to get this out.
“Rachel Berry, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” Rachel said, her emotions preventing her from saying anything further.
Quinn laughed in relief and Eliza threw her arms around both of her parents, squeezing them together as Quinn slipped the ring onto Rachel’s finger with shaking hands. Rachel looked at the ring, then down at their daughter and finally into Quinn’s eyes. She reached out and cupped Quinn’s cheek, drawing her in and kissing her chastely. Quinn’s right arm wrapped around Rachel, her left hand resting on the top of Eliza’s head where she remained entwined with them.
“Uh...so...congratulations, guys,” Finn said, quietly from his place behind Quinn.
Quinn pulled away from the kiss, giving Rachel a final squeeze and dipping to kiss Eliza’s forehead. Rachel bent down and wrapped her arms around the little girl, holding her tightly. Quinn turned and was enveloped in Finn’s arms. He lifted her off the ground and she giggled and told him to put her down. Which he did, but he held on to her.
“I knew you guys would get here, even in high school, we could all see it. Even dumb old me!” he whispered.
She drew back slightly.
“Hey, that’s my daughter’s favourite uncle you’re talking about,” she joked, before kissing him on the cheek and hugging him again. “Thank you, Finn. For always supporting us.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, finally letting her go, only for Rachel to throw herself into his arms and squeal excitedly in his ear.
Quinn watched them for a moment before turning to her daughter.
“So, squirt,” she began. “Are you happy about all this?”
“Do I get to be in the wedding?” Eliza asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course you do!” Rachel said, coming over and taking Quinn’s hand.
“A big part?” Eliza continued.
“Practically the starring role,” Rachel assured her.
“Then I’m happy,” Eliza decided. “Because it’s not like anything is going to be different, is it?”
Quinn and Rachel looked at each other. Quinn smiled.
“No, I guess it isn’t,” she said, squeezing Rachel’s fingers.
Rachel leaned in and kissed Quinn’s cheek and then nuzzled her face into her neck.
“OK, they’re getting gross, Uncle Finn, will you read me a story before bed?” Eliza said, giving her parents a ‘what am I going to do with you?’ look on her way out the door.
“Sure kiddo, you go get into your jammies,” Finn yelled after her. “Guess you guys can have that ‘alone time’ now.”
Quinn looked at him and grinned.
“I think we’ll take you up on that,” she said, winking at Finn.
When they were finally alone, Quinn turned to Rachel and smiled.
“Was this all OK? I mean, I know it wasn’t exactly...”
“I can’t think of anything more perfect for us,” Rachel interrupted. “We’ve never been conventional, in any sense.”
“Yeah, but I wanted to make it romantic and sweet and...”
“Quinn, you asked me to marry you...that’s more than enough for me,” Rachel said, simply.
Quinn leaned in and kissed her again, pulling away to whisper ‘I love you’ against her lips.
“I love you too, so much,” Rachel murmured. “But before we get to our ‘alone time’, I really, really have to call my dads. Just for a second.”
Quinn laughed.
“Of course you do,” she said. “Oh, and be sure to tell Jacob that I’m still on bended knee.”
VERSION 4
Quinn closed the apartment door and let a shiver run right through her body. The temperature had dropped considerably on the drive back home and she was freezing. She opened the thermos in her hand and drank down the last of the coffee Jacob had so thoughtfully provided as he was bundling her out of his house to go and propose to his daughter already.
She smiled as she remembered his reaction to her news and hoped that Rachel would even be half as happy as her dads seemed to be. Quinn dumped her overnight bag in the hallway, took her coat off and headed through to the kitchen, where she could hear Rachel singing softly to herself.
She pushed open the door quietly to find Rachel stirring something on the stove. She loved to hear Rachel sing. She always had. Even when she’d claimed to hate the girl, she’d always, always adored Rachel’s singing voice. The door creaked and Rachel stopped singing and turned around, a grin splitting her face when she saw who it was.
“Hey!” Rachel said, coming closer and lifting her head to receive a kiss.
“Hey yourself,” Quinn said, accepting a taste of whatever was on the spoon Rachel was holding out to her. “Mmmm, nice.”
“Uh huh, I made it...from scratch,” Rachel said, turning back to the stove.
“So you poured it directly from the jar all by yourself?” Quinn teased.
Rachel turned around abruptly, ready to lambast Quinn’s lack of belief in her cooking abilities, when her eyes landed on something else.
“Is that my Barbie thermos?” she asked, her brow crinkling.
Quinn looked at the thermos in her hand, then back at Rachel.
“What? No! Why would...I mean...I think it’s Eliza’s, isn’t it?” Quinn said, cursing the nerves that had clearly crippled her brain cells as she’d been exiting the car.
Rachel held her hand out.
“Let me see it,” she said.
Quinn put the thing behind her back.
“No.”
“If it’s not mine, you’ll have no problem letting me see it...will you?” Rachel reasoned.
Quinn slowly brought her hand round, trying desperately to think of some logical reason she would have Rachel’s thermos. Rachel took the item and turned it upside down.
“Aha! It is mine!” she exclaimed, triumphantly.
She held it out so that Quinn could clearly see that on the bottom, in permanent marker were the letters RB, and a drawing of a star. She shook her head in disgust at herself.
“Quinn, why do you have the thermos I used when I was seven?” Rachel asked, her face a mixture between curious and worried.
Quinn wracked her brain but could come up with no plausible excuse. She sighed deeply.
“OK, look, I wasn’t really going to a conference,” Quinn admitted.
Rachel’s expression was growing more worried by the second.
“You weren’t? You lied to me?” she asked, her voice so small and hurt that Quinn wanted to grab her and hold her and not let go.
“Yes, but it was fo-“
“No, Quinn. You lied! To me! We promised each other we’d never do that,” Rachel ranted, her eyes becoming watery. “So where were you really? Because now I feel like I don’t even know anything about you...you could have been telling me anything all these years and I’d have believed it because I trust you, Quinn and you li-“
“Rachel!” Quinn shouted, grabbing her by both shoulders and holding on tight.
This was turning out even worse than asking her dads had been. Rachel didn’t fight the hold, nor did she look Quinn in the eye.
“Think about it, I have your thermos, where is the only place on earth I could possibly have been?” Quinn pushed, dipping her head, trying to catch Rachel’s eye.
Rachel looked up, her brow furrowed.
“You were at my Dads’ house?” she asked.
“Yes,” Quinn said.
Rachel opened her mouth to query further but Quinn cut her off, reluctant to invite any further misunderstandings.
“I have never lied to you before. The reason I lied to you about this was that I had to go to visit your Dads without you knowing about it, because I had to ask them something,” Quinn explained, looking into Rachel’s eyes.
She reached into her pocket as realisation was dawning.
“You went to ask my...” Rachel said, her voice trailing off as Quinn dropped to one knee.
“I asked your Dads for their blessing,” Quinn said. “So that I could do this properly.”
She popped open the box and held it up to a seemingly speechless Rachel.
“Will you...marry me?” Quinn asked, her voice and her hands shaking far more than she would have liked.
Rachel dropped to her knees in front of Quinn and took her face in her hands.
“I am so sorry for those things I said...I just...I was so...”
“Rach, never mind that...yes or no?” Quinn prompted.
Rachel leaned in and kissed her softly.
“Yes, if you’ll still have me after my disgusting display of mistrust and parano-“
“Of course I’ll still have you, you idiot,” Quinn admonished, slipping the ring onto the correct finger. “I don’t have the time or the patience to break in somebody new, so you’re stuck with me and I’m stuck with you.”
“Forever,” Rachel breathed out.
“Forever. Dork.”
VERSION 5
The remnants of dinner had been cleared away and the dishwasher started. Quinn poured the last of the wine into glasses and handed Rachel hers.
“Shall we retire to the living room, ma’am?” Quinn suggested.
“We shall indeed,” Rachel said, linking her arm through Quinn’s for the walk of ten steps or so.
Quinn took Rachel’s wine glass from her and placed it on the coffee table, along with her own. Then she took Rachel’s hand and pulled her down so they were sitting facing each other on the couch.
She rehearsed this speech in her head ad nauseum on the drive home and she just wanted to get it started. She was still holding Rachel’s hand and Rachel was looking at her curiously. Quinn smiled and got a smile in return. Then she drew in a breath and started talking.
“Rachel, I’m going to speak now, and I want you to wait until I’m finished before you speak, OK?” Quinn said, waiting for Rachel to nod before continuing.
“OK, we’ve known each other a long time...almost our whole lives. And while we weren’t always friends, I like to think that we always had a connection of some sort that made us matter to one another. I wasn’t always great at showing people how I felt, so I was awful to you for a long time. But you always got under my skin...I just didn’t realise that was a good thing immediately.”
Quinn felt tears prick at her eyes as she remembered the way she’d treated Rachel at school. Rachel squeezed her hand encouragingly and she continued.
“You were amazing to me when I was pregnant, and that’s when I started to see you. Really see you. I think I was in love with you for a long time before I even knew I was. Because when I finally kissed you, it felt like I’d been doing it for years. We fit each other...even though you’re a midget.”
Rachel swatted her knee, but to her credit, she kept quiet. Quinn could see the beginnings of tears in Rachel’s eyes and she rushed to continue.
“When Eliza was born I was such a mess and you were my rock. You knew I could do the mother thing when I thought there was no way. But you know what? I’m still sure I was only able to do it because you were there with me. God only knows how we made it through the rest of high school, never mind college! But we did it, with the help of your dads. And now we’re here in the Big Apple, and we’re the best family ever.”
Quinn looked down at their joined hands, she was getting to the important bit now and she wanted to keep her composure. She looked back up into Rachel’s eyes.
“I love you, Rachel. I love how you push me to be better at everything. I love how you hold me when work’s kicking my ass. I love how you still bake me cookies whenever we have a fight. I love how you don’t read to Eliza, you act out the whole book. I love every little thing about you...even the really annoying things. And I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
Quinn slipped her hand into her pocket and drew out the ring, which she’d taken out of the box earlier. Tears were openly running down Rachel’s face now and Quinn desperately needed to see her smile.
“So...how about it, Man-Hands? You wanna make an honest woman out of me?”
Rachel laughed and wiped at her face. She looked at Quinn, affection dancing in her eyes.
“I was beginning to think you’d never ask,” she said, her voice catching in a sob on the last word.
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” Quinn said, sliding the ring onto Rachel’s finger and gathering the crying woman in her arms.
They sat that way for long minutes, holding each other. Quinn felt Rachel’s crying ease and she allowed her to sit up.
“Those things you said were beautiful, Quinn, really lovely,” Rachel said, rubbing her thumb over Quinn’s lower lip. “But I’m slightly worried that you’ve used all of your best material. What on earth are you going to say in your vows?”
Quinn laughed.
“I’m sure I’ll think of something...there’s plenty of time to worry about vows,” she said, leaning in for a kiss, only to meet with empty air.
Rachel was up out of her seat and pacing.
“Plenty of time? I don’t think so. We’ve got so much to organise! I think a fall wedding would be lovely, don’t you? Which means we’ve only got ten months to get everything organised. We need a venue, and we need to pick a designer, and bridesmaids...do we both have bridesmaids? We can figure that one out...then there’s flowers and the cake and the-“
“Rach!” Quinn yelled, to get her attention. “Yes, there’s a lot to do. But right now, you need to kiss me, then you need to call your dads, then we need to tell our daughter. We can worry about all the other stuff tomorrow.”
Rachel smiled. She reached down and pulled Quinn to her feet, winding her arms around her waist and fitting their bodies together. She tilted her head back and welcomed Quinn’s lips as they descended. They parted reluctantly, nipping and sucking at each other’s lips to prolong the contact.
“Oh, I meant to say,” Rachel said, softly. “I don’t think we should sleep together between now and the wedding. So it’ll make it special on the wedding night, you know?”
Quinn nearly choked. Rachel grinned.
“Just kidding.”
Quinn grabbed Rachel’s left hand and tried to pull the ring off.
“You know all that stuff I said earlier? I take it back, you’re a horrible person! Gimme this!”
Rachel ducked out of her grasp and ran away.
“Too late now, Fabray! You made it official!”
Quinn smiled to herself as Rachel grabbed the phone and ran into the kitchen.
“Yep, and I should have done it years ago,” she whispered to the empty room.
FANDOM: Glee
PAIRING: Rachel/Quinn
RATING: PG-13
WORD COUNT: ~5,200
DISCLAIMER: Don't own 'em. They're Ryan Murphy's.
SPOILERS: All aired episodes
AUTHOR'S NOTES: OK, bear with me here...this is a sequel of sorts to this fic: For better or worse in which Quinn asked Rachel's Dads for Rachel's hand in marriage. Only I couldn't decide how I wanted the proposal to go. So there are five different versions of it. Obviously they are unrelated to each other, but each one follows the original fic. Got it? Good.
VERSION 1
Quinn opened the apartment door, her heart hammering in her chest. Almost immediately, a small body attached itself to her legs.
"Mommy! You're home!"
She stooped to pick up the little girl, groaning slightly under her weight.
"I sure am, button," she said, rubbing her nose against her daughter's. "Your mom told me that Uncle Finn is taking you to play video games?"
"Yep, Daddy says I've to kick his ass on the driving ones," Eliza said, her smile wide and guileless.
"Your Daddy needs to watch his mouth," Quinn said, raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah, and you're so not gonna kick my ass!" Finn protested, swooping in and grabbing Eliza, lifting her up above his head as she squealed and giggled.
“It’s cold out, do you have your scarf and mittens,” Quinn asked, standing back slightly as Finn swung Eliza around in a circle before putting her back down on the floor.
“Yeah, they’re in my pocket,” Finn replied.
Off Quinn’s look, he turned to Eliza.
“And do you have your mittens and scarf,” he asked, blushing.
Once they were both wrapped up to Quinn’s satisfaction, she stood aside and opened the door for them.
“How long will you be?” she asked Finn, in what she hoped was a casual way.
“Couple of hours probably, if that’s OK?”
“That’s fine, great,” Quinn said, nodding. “You, kiss, now.”
Eliza stretched up on her tiptoes to kiss her mother goodbye.
“Hey, me too!” Rachel said, coming out into the hallway in time to receive a kiss from her daughter.
Quinn’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of her, hair tied up in a messy ponytail, wearing old faded jeans and an apron stained with something red. She was gorgeous.
“Bye Mom, bye Mommy!” Eliza shouted, dragging Finn out of the door.
“Bye sweetie,” Rachel called after them. “Behave for your Uncle Finn!”
She closed the door and turned to Quinn with a smile.
“Well, hello there,” she said, smiling gently. “Just couldn’t stay away from me, huh?”
“What are you talking about? This conference wasn’t even anything to do with my job, I just wanted a night away from you,” Quinn teased, moving closer to Rachel. “Then they had to go and cancel the damn thing and ruin my plan!”
“Poor baby,” Rachel cooed, stretching up for a kiss.
Before their lips made contact, Rachel’s eyes went wide and she ducked out of the embrace, running in the direction of the kitchen.
“The sauce will be burning!” she called over her shoulder at a bewildered Quinn.
Quinn followed in her wake, smiling at the animated reaction. When Quinn reached the kitchen, Rachel was vigorously stirring something on the stove. She turned to look at Quinn.
“I think I saved it,” she said.
“Honey, you cooked for me?” Quinn asked, surprised.
“Well, I put on some pasta and I heated some sauce out of a jar. So...yes, I cooked for you,” Rachel agreed.
Quinn walked up behind Rachel and slid her arms around her waist, bending so that her chin was resting on Rachel’s shoulder.
“How domestic,” Quinn mumbled, her lips brushing against Rachel’s jaw as she spoke.
This, just being with Rachel, had alleviated the nerves that had plagued her all the way back in the car. This was her life and it was exactly as she wanted it.
“Yes, I am a domestic goddess,” Rachel was saying. “I’ll make someone an excellent little wife one day.”
And before she could stop herself, Quinn replied.
“You wanna be mine?”
She felt Rachel tense in her arms, even as her own stomach plummeted to her feet.
“Quinn Fabray,” Rachel started, her voice low and calm. It terrified Quinn. “I know I didn’t just hear you propose to me as I was cooking store bought pasta sauce while you groped me from behind. That is not a story I want to be telling my grandchildren.”
“I...I...” Quinn stuttered, unable to formulate a sentence, or move.
Rachel turned off the stove burners and gently pushed Quinn’s arms away from her waist. She turned so that Quinn could absorb the full force of the pout she was wearing. Quinn let her arms hang at her sides as her shoulders slumped.
“Now, I’m going to take off this apron and go and fix my hair and make-up. Then I’m going to come back in here and you’re going to have another go. Properly. OK?” Rachel asked, already heading for the door.
Quinn nodded. Rachel paused and turned around. She walked back to Quinn and hooked a hand under her chin, lifting it from her chest. Then she leaned in and placed a kiss on Quinn’s lips.
“Just so you know, the answer is going to be ‘yes’,” she said, her voice soft.
Then she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.
Quinn grinned.
VERSION 2
Quinn fumbled in her pocket for the key to the apartment, but before she had a chance to locate it, the door opened to reveal Rachel, grinning in quite a disconcerting manner. She was dressed to the nines in a form fitting black dress that dipped low into her cleavage and rode high up on her thigh. Quinn felt a jolt of arousal pulse through her and blushed. She loved that Rachel could still do that to her.
“Uh, hey!” Quinn said.
“Hey!” Rachel replied, looking at her with adoring eyes.
Quinn tried to glance past her girlfriend into the apartment.
“Where are Eliza and Finn?” Quinn asked, unnerved by the fact that the expression on Rachel’s face had not changed at all since she’d opened the door.
“Oh, I pulled in a favour and got them tickets to ‘Rock of Ages’,” Rachel said, waving a hand as if it was completely unimportant.
Quinn frowned.
“Theatre tickets? I thought they were going to play video games? How did you manage to arrange all this since I spoke to you?” Quinn asked. “And do you think I could maybe come in?”
“Oh, yes, of course!” Rachel exclaimed, standing to the side to let Quinn enter the apartment. “Yes, Finn was thrilled with the tickets, he was already regaling Eliza with a history lesson on 80s rock as they were heading out.”
Rachel closed the door and leaned back against it, staring at Quinn in silent rapture. Quinn’s nerves had started to reappear on the drive down from Connecticut and Rachel’s strange behaviour was only making them worse. She dropped her overnight bag and leaned in to brush a quick kiss across Rachel’s lips.
“You’re gorgeous,” Quinn said, her hands finding Rachel’s hips, thumbs rubbing the hip bones protruding slightly through the tight fabric. “I didn’t expect to find you all dressed up.”
“What? This old thing?” Rachel asked, her hands on either side of Quinn’s neck. “I just threw on the first thing I came to after Finn and Eliza left.”
“Mmmhmm,” Quinn mumbled.
She pressed her forehead against Rachel’s rubbing their noses together, trying to calm herself down slightly. She’d practised her speech coming down in the car, but felt like she needed to go over it one more time. Maybe a bath would help?
“Listen, I was thinking that I wo-“ she started but was cut off by Rachel.
“Wait! Let’s not do this here!” she all but shrieked, grabbing Quinn’s hand and dragging her into the living room.
The lights were low and there were candles on every available flat surface. Music was playing quietly. Quinn’s ears pricked up. ‘Blame it on the Bossa Nova’. Their song. She turned to see Rachel perched on the edge of one of the chairs, legs crossed at the ankles, hands on one of her knees, looking at her, expectantly.
It looked like Rachel had some sort of seduction planned, which would normally be fine by Quinn. But there were bigger plans afoot and Quinn had to get the upper-hand back, which she couldn’t do with Rachel staring at her like that. She sighed and stooped to take her shoes off. Rachel actually squealed.
Quinn looked up to see Rachel with her hand over her heart and tears in her eyes. Then she looked down at herself and noticed that she had one knee on the floor. Another glance at Rachel and everything clicked into place.
Quinn stood up abruptly and Rachel’s face fell into one of confusion.
“Rachel?”
“Yes, Quinn?”
“Have you spoken to either of your fathers this evening?” Quinn asked, unsure whether to be annoyed or amused at the elaborate preparations Rachel had made.
“My...fathers? Uh...no.”
For such an accomplished actress, Rachel Berry was a terrible liar.
“Rachel...” Quinn started, her voice carrying a clear warning.
Then suddenly Rachel was in her arms, all wide eyes and desperate clinging.
“OK, yes, but it wasn’t Daddy’s fault. I called to ask for guidance on a pasta dish and he really just couldn’t hold it in but he made me promise to act surprised and I would have and I still will if that’s what you want...oh God, you are still going to ask me, aren’t you?”
Quinn dipped her head to hide her smile and shook it slightly. She pushed Rachel back a step and took her hand. Then she went down on one knee.
Rachel gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.
“Well, I had a whole thing planned that I was going to say to you with references to several significant events during our time together and incorporating a recurring theatre metaphor...but that seems silly now,” Quinn said, holding her free hand up to silence Rachel’s protest. “So how about this?” Quinn took a deep breath. “Rachel Berry, I love you and I can’t imagine ever being without you, so will marry me?”
A sob escaped Rachel’s throat. She looked down at Quinn with tears streaming down her face, but she still hadn’t answered.
“Rachel, this may the one time in your life that I’m going to actually beg you to speak...”
“Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you! Of course I’ll marry you,” Rachel said, pulling Quinn to her feet and kissing her deeply.
Quinn reached into her pocket and pulled out a small box. She opened it and took out the ring, slipping it onto Rachel’s finger and prompting a fresh round of tears and more kissing. When they parted both of their faces were wet with tears, Quinn would later insist that they were all Rachel’s, but Rachel knew better.
“So, can I call your dad and yell at him?” Quinn asked, her arms still tight around Rachel’s waist.
“It’s not his fault,” Rachel said, still mesmerised by the sparkling jewel adorning her left hand. “You should never dangle a wedding in front of a gay man and expect him to keep quiet about it.”
“I expected him to keep quiet for two hours, maybe three,” Quinn protested, kissing the side of Rachel’s mouth.
“He probably would’ve managed if I hadn’t called, he’s not fully to blame,” Rachel said, turning into the kiss.
“Well, I have to have some fun with him...can I tell him we’re going to get married at City Hall, in pant-suits?” Quinn murmured against Rachel’s cheek.
“You’ve still got that cruel streak, Fabray,” Rachel replied, rubbing her thumb along Quinn’s jaw-line.
“Only on special occasions,” Quinn replied.
“Fine, but if he passes out I’m telling Dad that it was your fault.”
“Deal,” Quinn agreed. “But that can wait, right now I think I should make love to my fiancée.”
Rachel’s eyes seemed to turn jet-black and she pulled Quinn into a searing kiss which left both of them breathless. Quinn made a mental note of the reaction that word appeared to elicit before she was dragged down the hallway to the bedroom.
VERSION 3
Quinn looked at the clock. It was almost nine o’clock. Dinner had taken forever. Now Rachel was stacking the dishes in the dishwasher and Quinn really had to hurry things along if she was going to get this done before Finn came back with Eliza.
“Rach, you nearly done?” she called, checking for the millionth time that the ring was still in her pocket.
“Nearly. Why?” Rachel yelled back.
“Uh...no reason, I was...just asking,” Quinn answered, rolling her eyes at her own lameness.
Rachel came into the living room, wiping her hands on a dishcloth. Instead of sitting down she carried on towards the hallway.
“Where are you going now?” Quinn demanded.
“I’m going to draw a bath for Eliza, they’ll be back soon and it’s freezing outside,” Rachel said, pausing in the doorway.
“Just...can you come and...sit, just for a minute?” Quinn asked, trying not to let her frustration show in her voice.
“Well...I wanted to...”
“Please!” Quinn shouted, immediately regretting her tone.
Rachel complied with the overly vehement request. She sat down on the couch and Quinn sat next to her. She reached out and took Rachel’s hand between both of her own, bringing a confused smile to Rachel’s face. She played with the skin between Rachel’s index finger and her thumb, looking at their joined hands.
“Quinn?” Rachel’s gentle query brought her eyes up to meet deep brown ones.
“Rachel, I want to talk to you ab-“
She got no further than that before the buzzer sounded obnoxiously and Rachel sprang up to let Finn and Eliza in.
“I’ll be back in a sec...I do want to talk about...whatever it is you want to talk about,” Rachel said over her shoulder, giving Quinn a concerned look.
Quinn sighed and slumped back onto the couch. The door opened and Eliza barrelled into her arms, talking at a hundred miles an hour.
“I beat Uncle Finn at almost everything! And he was totally trying! Don’t let him tell you he wasn’t! But I was too good for him!”
“That’s my girl,” Rachel said, grinning and holding her arms open for a hug, which Eliza willingly provided.
“Finn, can I see you in the kitchen for a second?” Quinn said, standing suddenly.
“Sure,” Finn said, in his usual amiable way. “And I wonder where she gets that competitive spirit from.”
He directed the last part at Rachel, with an accusing glare.
“No-one likes a sore loser, Finn,” Rachel said, beaming with pride.
Quinn pulled the door closed and turned to Finn, using her best plaintive expression, which used to work on him all the time.
“Finn, I need you to go back out with Eliza,” she said, without preamble.
“Back...out?” Finn said, scrunching his brow up. “But it’s nearly her bedtime, and I’m cold. And I’m out of quarters.”
“I’ll give you money, just...take her for hot chocolate or...something, anything,” Quinn said, digging in her purse for her wallet. “I just need a half hour alone with Rachel.”
Realisation broke over Finn’s face and he shook his head at Quinn.
“Quinn, we’re going away overnight tomorrow, I think you’ll have enough ‘alone time’ with Rachel then, don’t you?” he said, making the quote marks with his fingers. “Or just wait until you guys go to bed, jeez.”
She grabbed the front of his shirt and drew his face in close to hers.
“That’s not what I’m talking about, dummy,” she hissed. “I need you to take Eliza back out so that I can ask Rachel to marry me.”
“You’re asking Mom to marry you?”
She froze at the voice behind her, then turned around to be met with the delighted face of her daughter. A second later, Rachel practically skidded to a halt behind Eliza.
“Yo...you’re asking me to marry you?” Rachel whispered, her facial expression spookily identical to Eliza’s.
Quinn rolled her eyes.
“Well, I’d kinda hoped we’d be alone and it would be slightly more romantic than this...and, you know, not in the kitchen, but what the hell?”
Quinn pulled the box out of her pocket and opened it. She reached out and took Rachel’s hand in hers and held it. Then something unexpected happened. Eliza added her hand to their joined ones. Quinn looked down at her daughter. She was grinning, looking between her and Rachel. And suddenly Quinn couldn’t think of anything more perfect than this.
Quinn brought her eyes back up to meet Rachel’s, which were now brimming with tears. Quinn felt her own throat start to get thick with emotion and she swallowed hard, she had to get this out.
“Rachel Berry, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” Rachel said, her emotions preventing her from saying anything further.
Quinn laughed in relief and Eliza threw her arms around both of her parents, squeezing them together as Quinn slipped the ring onto Rachel’s finger with shaking hands. Rachel looked at the ring, then down at their daughter and finally into Quinn’s eyes. She reached out and cupped Quinn’s cheek, drawing her in and kissing her chastely. Quinn’s right arm wrapped around Rachel, her left hand resting on the top of Eliza’s head where she remained entwined with them.
“Uh...so...congratulations, guys,” Finn said, quietly from his place behind Quinn.
Quinn pulled away from the kiss, giving Rachel a final squeeze and dipping to kiss Eliza’s forehead. Rachel bent down and wrapped her arms around the little girl, holding her tightly. Quinn turned and was enveloped in Finn’s arms. He lifted her off the ground and she giggled and told him to put her down. Which he did, but he held on to her.
“I knew you guys would get here, even in high school, we could all see it. Even dumb old me!” he whispered.
She drew back slightly.
“Hey, that’s my daughter’s favourite uncle you’re talking about,” she joked, before kissing him on the cheek and hugging him again. “Thank you, Finn. For always supporting us.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, finally letting her go, only for Rachel to throw herself into his arms and squeal excitedly in his ear.
Quinn watched them for a moment before turning to her daughter.
“So, squirt,” she began. “Are you happy about all this?”
“Do I get to be in the wedding?” Eliza asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course you do!” Rachel said, coming over and taking Quinn’s hand.
“A big part?” Eliza continued.
“Practically the starring role,” Rachel assured her.
“Then I’m happy,” Eliza decided. “Because it’s not like anything is going to be different, is it?”
Quinn and Rachel looked at each other. Quinn smiled.
“No, I guess it isn’t,” she said, squeezing Rachel’s fingers.
Rachel leaned in and kissed Quinn’s cheek and then nuzzled her face into her neck.
“OK, they’re getting gross, Uncle Finn, will you read me a story before bed?” Eliza said, giving her parents a ‘what am I going to do with you?’ look on her way out the door.
“Sure kiddo, you go get into your jammies,” Finn yelled after her. “Guess you guys can have that ‘alone time’ now.”
Quinn looked at him and grinned.
“I think we’ll take you up on that,” she said, winking at Finn.
When they were finally alone, Quinn turned to Rachel and smiled.
“Was this all OK? I mean, I know it wasn’t exactly...”
“I can’t think of anything more perfect for us,” Rachel interrupted. “We’ve never been conventional, in any sense.”
“Yeah, but I wanted to make it romantic and sweet and...”
“Quinn, you asked me to marry you...that’s more than enough for me,” Rachel said, simply.
Quinn leaned in and kissed her again, pulling away to whisper ‘I love you’ against her lips.
“I love you too, so much,” Rachel murmured. “But before we get to our ‘alone time’, I really, really have to call my dads. Just for a second.”
Quinn laughed.
“Of course you do,” she said. “Oh, and be sure to tell Jacob that I’m still on bended knee.”
VERSION 4
Quinn closed the apartment door and let a shiver run right through her body. The temperature had dropped considerably on the drive back home and she was freezing. She opened the thermos in her hand and drank down the last of the coffee Jacob had so thoughtfully provided as he was bundling her out of his house to go and propose to his daughter already.
She smiled as she remembered his reaction to her news and hoped that Rachel would even be half as happy as her dads seemed to be. Quinn dumped her overnight bag in the hallway, took her coat off and headed through to the kitchen, where she could hear Rachel singing softly to herself.
She pushed open the door quietly to find Rachel stirring something on the stove. She loved to hear Rachel sing. She always had. Even when she’d claimed to hate the girl, she’d always, always adored Rachel’s singing voice. The door creaked and Rachel stopped singing and turned around, a grin splitting her face when she saw who it was.
“Hey!” Rachel said, coming closer and lifting her head to receive a kiss.
“Hey yourself,” Quinn said, accepting a taste of whatever was on the spoon Rachel was holding out to her. “Mmmm, nice.”
“Uh huh, I made it...from scratch,” Rachel said, turning back to the stove.
“So you poured it directly from the jar all by yourself?” Quinn teased.
Rachel turned around abruptly, ready to lambast Quinn’s lack of belief in her cooking abilities, when her eyes landed on something else.
“Is that my Barbie thermos?” she asked, her brow crinkling.
Quinn looked at the thermos in her hand, then back at Rachel.
“What? No! Why would...I mean...I think it’s Eliza’s, isn’t it?” Quinn said, cursing the nerves that had clearly crippled her brain cells as she’d been exiting the car.
Rachel held her hand out.
“Let me see it,” she said.
Quinn put the thing behind her back.
“No.”
“If it’s not mine, you’ll have no problem letting me see it...will you?” Rachel reasoned.
Quinn slowly brought her hand round, trying desperately to think of some logical reason she would have Rachel’s thermos. Rachel took the item and turned it upside down.
“Aha! It is mine!” she exclaimed, triumphantly.
She held it out so that Quinn could clearly see that on the bottom, in permanent marker were the letters RB, and a drawing of a star. She shook her head in disgust at herself.
“Quinn, why do you have the thermos I used when I was seven?” Rachel asked, her face a mixture between curious and worried.
Quinn wracked her brain but could come up with no plausible excuse. She sighed deeply.
“OK, look, I wasn’t really going to a conference,” Quinn admitted.
Rachel’s expression was growing more worried by the second.
“You weren’t? You lied to me?” she asked, her voice so small and hurt that Quinn wanted to grab her and hold her and not let go.
“Yes, but it was fo-“
“No, Quinn. You lied! To me! We promised each other we’d never do that,” Rachel ranted, her eyes becoming watery. “So where were you really? Because now I feel like I don’t even know anything about you...you could have been telling me anything all these years and I’d have believed it because I trust you, Quinn and you li-“
“Rachel!” Quinn shouted, grabbing her by both shoulders and holding on tight.
This was turning out even worse than asking her dads had been. Rachel didn’t fight the hold, nor did she look Quinn in the eye.
“Think about it, I have your thermos, where is the only place on earth I could possibly have been?” Quinn pushed, dipping her head, trying to catch Rachel’s eye.
Rachel looked up, her brow furrowed.
“You were at my Dads’ house?” she asked.
“Yes,” Quinn said.
Rachel opened her mouth to query further but Quinn cut her off, reluctant to invite any further misunderstandings.
“I have never lied to you before. The reason I lied to you about this was that I had to go to visit your Dads without you knowing about it, because I had to ask them something,” Quinn explained, looking into Rachel’s eyes.
She reached into her pocket as realisation was dawning.
“You went to ask my...” Rachel said, her voice trailing off as Quinn dropped to one knee.
“I asked your Dads for their blessing,” Quinn said. “So that I could do this properly.”
She popped open the box and held it up to a seemingly speechless Rachel.
“Will you...marry me?” Quinn asked, her voice and her hands shaking far more than she would have liked.
Rachel dropped to her knees in front of Quinn and took her face in her hands.
“I am so sorry for those things I said...I just...I was so...”
“Rach, never mind that...yes or no?” Quinn prompted.
Rachel leaned in and kissed her softly.
“Yes, if you’ll still have me after my disgusting display of mistrust and parano-“
“Of course I’ll still have you, you idiot,” Quinn admonished, slipping the ring onto the correct finger. “I don’t have the time or the patience to break in somebody new, so you’re stuck with me and I’m stuck with you.”
“Forever,” Rachel breathed out.
“Forever. Dork.”
VERSION 5
The remnants of dinner had been cleared away and the dishwasher started. Quinn poured the last of the wine into glasses and handed Rachel hers.
“Shall we retire to the living room, ma’am?” Quinn suggested.
“We shall indeed,” Rachel said, linking her arm through Quinn’s for the walk of ten steps or so.
Quinn took Rachel’s wine glass from her and placed it on the coffee table, along with her own. Then she took Rachel’s hand and pulled her down so they were sitting facing each other on the couch.
She rehearsed this speech in her head ad nauseum on the drive home and she just wanted to get it started. She was still holding Rachel’s hand and Rachel was looking at her curiously. Quinn smiled and got a smile in return. Then she drew in a breath and started talking.
“Rachel, I’m going to speak now, and I want you to wait until I’m finished before you speak, OK?” Quinn said, waiting for Rachel to nod before continuing.
“OK, we’ve known each other a long time...almost our whole lives. And while we weren’t always friends, I like to think that we always had a connection of some sort that made us matter to one another. I wasn’t always great at showing people how I felt, so I was awful to you for a long time. But you always got under my skin...I just didn’t realise that was a good thing immediately.”
Quinn felt tears prick at her eyes as she remembered the way she’d treated Rachel at school. Rachel squeezed her hand encouragingly and she continued.
“You were amazing to me when I was pregnant, and that’s when I started to see you. Really see you. I think I was in love with you for a long time before I even knew I was. Because when I finally kissed you, it felt like I’d been doing it for years. We fit each other...even though you’re a midget.”
Rachel swatted her knee, but to her credit, she kept quiet. Quinn could see the beginnings of tears in Rachel’s eyes and she rushed to continue.
“When Eliza was born I was such a mess and you were my rock. You knew I could do the mother thing when I thought there was no way. But you know what? I’m still sure I was only able to do it because you were there with me. God only knows how we made it through the rest of high school, never mind college! But we did it, with the help of your dads. And now we’re here in the Big Apple, and we’re the best family ever.”
Quinn looked down at their joined hands, she was getting to the important bit now and she wanted to keep her composure. She looked back up into Rachel’s eyes.
“I love you, Rachel. I love how you push me to be better at everything. I love how you hold me when work’s kicking my ass. I love how you still bake me cookies whenever we have a fight. I love how you don’t read to Eliza, you act out the whole book. I love every little thing about you...even the really annoying things. And I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
Quinn slipped her hand into her pocket and drew out the ring, which she’d taken out of the box earlier. Tears were openly running down Rachel’s face now and Quinn desperately needed to see her smile.
“So...how about it, Man-Hands? You wanna make an honest woman out of me?”
Rachel laughed and wiped at her face. She looked at Quinn, affection dancing in her eyes.
“I was beginning to think you’d never ask,” she said, her voice catching in a sob on the last word.
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” Quinn said, sliding the ring onto Rachel’s finger and gathering the crying woman in her arms.
They sat that way for long minutes, holding each other. Quinn felt Rachel’s crying ease and she allowed her to sit up.
“Those things you said were beautiful, Quinn, really lovely,” Rachel said, rubbing her thumb over Quinn’s lower lip. “But I’m slightly worried that you’ve used all of your best material. What on earth are you going to say in your vows?”
Quinn laughed.
“I’m sure I’ll think of something...there’s plenty of time to worry about vows,” she said, leaning in for a kiss, only to meet with empty air.
Rachel was up out of her seat and pacing.
“Plenty of time? I don’t think so. We’ve got so much to organise! I think a fall wedding would be lovely, don’t you? Which means we’ve only got ten months to get everything organised. We need a venue, and we need to pick a designer, and bridesmaids...do we both have bridesmaids? We can figure that one out...then there’s flowers and the cake and the-“
“Rach!” Quinn yelled, to get her attention. “Yes, there’s a lot to do. But right now, you need to kiss me, then you need to call your dads, then we need to tell our daughter. We can worry about all the other stuff tomorrow.”
Rachel smiled. She reached down and pulled Quinn to her feet, winding her arms around her waist and fitting their bodies together. She tilted her head back and welcomed Quinn’s lips as they descended. They parted reluctantly, nipping and sucking at each other’s lips to prolong the contact.
“Oh, I meant to say,” Rachel said, softly. “I don’t think we should sleep together between now and the wedding. So it’ll make it special on the wedding night, you know?”
Quinn nearly choked. Rachel grinned.
“Just kidding.”
Quinn grabbed Rachel’s left hand and tried to pull the ring off.
“You know all that stuff I said earlier? I take it back, you’re a horrible person! Gimme this!”
Rachel ducked out of her grasp and ran away.
“Too late now, Fabray! You made it official!”
Quinn smiled to herself as Rachel grabbed the phone and ran into the kitchen.
“Yep, and I should have done it years ago,” she whispered to the empty room.