Author's Note: Happy Hanukkah to all of my Jewish

readers! =)

There was a brief, flickering moment right before

sectionals her junior year in which Quinn Fabray
contemplated dropping out of glee club. If things like
Babygate '09 and Finchelgate '10 were going to keep
happening then it really, really wasn't worth the
headache to stay in. It had been leaked that Finn
slept with Santana the previous school year and then
lied to Rachel, repeatedly, about the entire ordeal. It's
not like it was a huge secret or anything; anyone
Santana approached always gave in. Rachel was just
too oblivious to see it.

Quinn obviously stayed in glee club; she and Sam

performed the duet that was supposed to be Finn and
Rachel's and they got a standing ovation, as did
Santana for her solo. She again contemplated quitting
after the judges results when she found Sam pressed
up against one of the Dalton Warblers with way too
much tongue action happening for almost anyone's
liking. It's not like she was attracted to him in the first
place but she was still pretty pissed; he was good for
her reputation and she really didn't want to be labeled
as the girl who went from two extremes of getting
knocked up and then unknowingly dating a gay guy.
They split and created the story that it just wasn't right
timing or something like that.

One good thing, Quinn thought at first, was that

Rachel was finally quiet in glee club. She didn't
interject her over-the-top ideas or demand to have all
of the solos. Mostly she just sat in the front row with
her eyes cast downward and scuffing her shoes on
the linoleum tiles. It was fine for a few days until
everyone realized that the silence was creating really
awkward tension and no one could get through
rehearsal because they'd all become accustomed to
being criticized and now everyone was off key and out
of step because no one bothered to correct them.

It was suggested at one point that someone go talk to

Rachel to pull her out of her misery. Unfortunately, no
one really knew what to say beyond, "Sorry your
boyfriend slept with the school bicycle." And no one
dared to repeat it after Santana almost punched
Mercedes for suggesting it.

Quinn didn't intentionally sign up for the job; it was a

complete accident. She skipped third period
(because, really, any idiot with half a brain could pass
Creative Writing without even going to class) and
found herself wandering into the auditorium and up on
stage. She ran her fingers across the keys of the
upright piano and again over the strings of the
acoustic guitar on its stand before settling on center
stage and pulling out a book.

"Quinn?" A small, raspy voice snapped Quinn's

attention from her book to stage left where Rachel
was standing with her fingers clasped in front of her
and eyes red.

"Yeah?"

"Am I interrupting?"

Quinn shook her head and held up To Kill a

Mockingbird. "Just reading ahead."

"Oh."

"Are you just going to stand there and watch me or do

you want to sit down, Berry?"

Rachel timidly shuffled to center stage and sat

gracefully in front of Quinn. She wiped her eyes and
sniffled a few times before clasping her hands in her
lap and looking down at the stage.

"How have you been?" Rachel asked quietly.

"Fine. You?"

"I've been better."

"You're still mad about Finn? It's been like, a week."

"I loved him and all he ever did was lie to me. Forgive
me for not immediately bouncing back."

Quinn shrugged and looked back down at her book. If

Rachel was going to be a downer then that was her
problem.

"I was going to have him meet my family for

Hanukkah. He's met my dads, of course, but the
remainder of my family is scheduled to be in Lima for
the last few days of the holiday and I had planned for
an extra guest."

"Mmm."

"It was a very large step. The next, of course, being

intercour-"

"Whoa," Quinn snapped her head up and held up a

silencing hand, "Just…stop. Stop right there and don't
say anything else."

"I apologize."

There was silence as Quinn went back to her book,

looking at the words but not really focusing, and
Rachel reached down to pick at the tape peeling up
from the stage. Quinn darted up to look at the girl
across from her and sighed. Rachel was broken.
Completely and utterly broken. Quinn remembered
what it was like to be there: the feeling of being alone,
of having no one to talk to, no one that seemed to
care. Even though Rachel was annoying and harsh,
no one deserved to feel alone like that.
Quinn shut her book and tucked it away in her bag.

"Is there like…anything I can do?"

Rachel shrugged. "All I've ever really wanted was a

friend, you know?"

"Okay."

"I used to ask my dads for one for Hanukkah and

Christmas."

"That's…" 'pathetic' was on the tip of Quinn's tongue

but she bit it back. "I used to ask for a unicorn."

"Both mythical beings," Rachel snorted.

"That's not…it's not true."

"I didn't see anyone flock to me in my time of need

like they did for you, Quinn. You think I didn't noticed
how everyone banded together for you and Finn to
present you with a ballad when all I've ever gotten is a
half-hearted attempt at revenge against Vocal
Adrenaline for egging me? An attempt that was
preceded with being told that being humiliated is only
allowed by one's own team members?"

There wasn't an argument against that and they both

knew it. Quinn could only sigh and reluctantly extend
an olive branch.
"I'll do Hanukkah with you."

Rachel's head snapped up and she stared into

Quinn's eyes in complete disbelief. Quinn nodded a
little to assure the other girl that she was completely
serious in her offer. She had almost no idea what
Hanukkah was about thanks to her very closed-off
Catholic upbringing and Puck's family not really doing
much of anything for the holiday while she was living
there but she figured that as long as there wasn't a
human sacrifice or anything that it couldn't be that
hard.

"You're serious?"

"Sure."

"I…I don't know what to say."

"That's a first."

"This honestly means a lot to me, Quinn. Thank you."

"You're not going to, like, sacrifice me or anything are

you?"

"Not until the eighth night."

Quinn's mouth went dry and she pushed away a little

before Rachel burst into laughter and went almost
limp. The blonde crossed her arms over her chest and
scowled, not finding the joke funny in the slightest.

"You should've seen the look on your face,

Quinn," Rachel gasped. She giggled a few more times

before sitting up and smiling widely. "I haven't
laughed that hard in quite some time. I thank you for
the entertainment."

"Not funny."

"It was quite funny."

"Whatever." The corners of Quinn's mouth twitched

and she looked away to try to hide the beginnings of a
smile. The bell rang signaling it was time for fourth
period and Quinn gathered her things and walked with
Rachel off stage to the auditorium doors.

"Hanukkah begins tomorrow at sundown," Rachel

said before they parted ways. "You can come home
with me after school if you like. It won't be anything
formal. We can plan the remainder of the details this
afternoon."

Quinn nodded. "Alright. See you later."

***

It simultaneously shocked and worried Quinn that

Rachel didn't have an entire spreadsheet or timetable
set up by glee club practice that afternoon. There was
merely a comment of, "I'll wait for you after Cheerios
practice before we go to my house tomorrow. If I
remember correctly, you get out at precisely 4:46."

Quinn almost asked how Rachel knew exactly what

time she finished showering but thought better of it
when she remembered that when she finished she
usually yelled into the auditorium while Rachel was
practicing for the dying cat to be shot. The memory
made her cringe a little. Instead she just nodded and
smiled and, going against every single unwritten rule,
she pulled a chair close to her own and motioned for
Rachel to sit.

That night, Quinn put her Google skills to work and

looked up anything and everything she could about
Hanukkah. It wasn't overly complicated but this was
Rachel Berry and things were always complicated
with that girl. It also required a midnight trip to Wal-
Mart.

XXXXXXXXXX

In true Rachel Berry style, she was waiting outside

the Cheerios locker room when Quinn stepped out.
The Cheerios that followed gave looks of disgust but
nothing was said after Quinn glared at each one of
them, daring them to speak.
"I'm dressed alright, right?" Quinn asked before
pulling on her Cheerios jacket. Her outfit was simple:
a long-sleeved white blouse and dressy jeans. Rachel
had said it was casual but a little bit of dress couldn't
hurt at all.

Rachel gave a soft smile and a little nod. "You look

lovely, Quinn."

She wasn't sure what she was expecting but Quinn

was slightly shocked at the normalness of Rachel's
house. With how flamboyant and extravagant Kurt
was (practically her only exposure to a gay guy in her
life) she was half-expecting completely immaculate
and outlandish decorations. There were, of course,
pictures of Rachel everywhere but other than that, the
décor was minimal. She spotted the menorah on the
fireplace mantle (with a picture of Rachel on each
side, go figure) and a Star of David hanging above it.

"Quinn?"

Quinn snapped her attention back to Rachel and

nodded absentmindedly.

"I asked if you wanted something to eat."

"Oh…sure."

Rachel nodded and gestured toward the kitchen.

Quinn hopped up on a barstool at the kitchen island
while Rachel pulled out various containers of fresh
fruit and two bottles of Vitamin Water.

"Thanks."

Rachel nodded. "So…"

"Yeah."

There was an awkward silence while the pair picked

through the containers of fruit and a small giggle
when they both realized they were both picking out
the red grapes and leaving the green ones.

"I hope you like pizza," Rachel finally said. "It's our
first night tradition to have pizza and watch a movie; I
do believe it's my turn to choose this year. I hope you
like Funny Girl."

Quinn shrugged. "I've never seen it."

It looked as though someone had just kicked Rachel's

puppy when Quinn confessed what was, apparently,
the ultimate sin in the book of Rachel. "That's
incredibly tragic, Quinn."

"I'm…sorry?"

"No worries!" Rachel stashed the remainder of the

fruit back in the refrigerator and bounced out of the
kitchen. "I'm certain that you'll thoroughly enjoy it."
Rachel's dads, Leroy and Hiram, arrived with pizza
shortly thereafter. After formal introductions were
made and Quinn was welcomed into the Berry home
they put the pizza in the oven to keep warm and
Rachel retrieved a brand new box of candles to light
for the menorah. Of course, Quinn didn't understand a
word of any of the prayers but she stood silently next
to Rachel and watched Hiram light the candle on the
right with the shammus (she was proud of herself for
remembering that) and smiled at the pictures of baby
Rachel on the mantle.

After the lighting and the prayers Quinn settled on the

couch next to Rachel and, as promised, Rachel put
Funny Girl in the DVD player.

They were halfway through the movie when the

doorbell rang; Rachel paused the movie while Leroy
answered the door. A tall figure stepped inside and
Quinn immediately rolled her eyes. Rachel whimpered
a bit and dropped her pizza on the coffee table.

"We'll leave you alone," Hiram said as he stood to

follow his husband to the kitchen.

"What are you doing here, Finn?" Rachel snapped.

"You invited me over, remember?"

"I invited you before I found out you lied to me for the
better part of a year."

"So…like…I'm not invited anymore?"

"You're that dense?" Quinn growled. "No, you're not

invited. Leave."

"That's kinda harsh."

Quinn rolled her eyes at how incredibly dimwitted Finn

really was. She'd seen Rachel broken already, she
didn't want to see salt rubbed in that wound. Quinn
stood from her position on the couch and marched to
the foyer, grabbed Finn's shirt collar, and dragged him
back to the front door.

"You broke her, you ass. Leave her alone."

"What, you guys are all friends now?"

"She needs one."

"Like anything you did to her wasn't as bad as what I

did or worse?"

"You think I don't know that? The difference between

you and me is that I won't do it again. You will."

"Whatever."

"Yeah, go whatever yourself."

Quinn didn't wait for the front door to slam before she
returned to the living room and dropped back down on
the couch. She jumped a little when Rachel's hand
touched her knee and an appreciative smile was
flashed at her.

"You didn't have to do that."

"I was enjoying the movie and he interrupted it. And

he's just irritating."

"Thank you." Rachel's eyes were soft and bright,

genuinely thanking Quinn with every piece of her.
Quinn smiled at the intensity of the emotion in
Rachel's eyes, noticing for the first time how incredibly
expressive they were. The chocolate orbs were
almost literally windows to Rachel's soul. They were
beautiful.

Quinn tore her gaze away from Rachel and shook her
head a few times to get those thoughts out of her
mind. It was normal, though, right? Eyes were
completely normal to get lost in, especially ones as
expressive as Rachel's. Completely normal.

"Why are you giving me a chance?" Quinn asked

softly, Rachel's eyes fading from her mind and Finn's
accusation returning.

"You know what it's like to be me, at the bottom of

everything. You understand what it's like to be broken
and walked on. You extended your friendship and,
while I do have mild concerns that this is some
elaborate prank, I'm willing to take what friendship I
can get at the moment."

"It's not a prank."

"That's very good to hear. Now, you've been

interrupted from the movie for far too long." Rachel
turned her attention back to the screen and called for
her dads to rejoin them to finish the movie.

Quinn did genuinely like the movie and wanted to tell

Rachel that she did "Don't Rain on My Parade" even
better than Barbra but she feared that the brunette
would either be so ecstatic that she'd run into
something and hurt herself or be livid that anyone
thought there was a person on Earth better than
Barbra Streisand.

Rachel's dads, after taking the dishes to the kitchen,

returned with a neatly wrapped box and handed it to
Rachel. Rachel, in turn, reached under the couch and
presented one envelope to her dads and an envelope
to Quinn.

"Hold on!" Quinn hopped up and ran to her purse to

retrieve a small card out of it and presented it to
Rachel.
"Quinn, you didn't have to…"

"I wanted to. And you didn't have to, either."

Quinn carefully opened her envelope while Rachel

opened her card and the blonde couldn't help but
laugh at the $15 iTunes gift card that fell out;
completely identical to the one she'd bought for
Rachel.

"Great minds think alike," Rachel said with a grin.

"Thank you very much, Quinn."

"You're welcome. And thanks."

Rachel's gift from her dads was a book of sheet music

from various Disney classics and Rachel had given
her dads a gift certificate to Breadstix. Quinn sat,
minorly uncomfortable, as Rachel exchanged hugs
with her dads but stopped seconds before wrapping
her arms around Quinn and settling for a smile and
another "thank you". The blonde tried to remember
the last time she'd hugged either of her parents. She
drew a blank.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I can pick you up tomorrow if you want," Quinn said

after she'd grabbed her jacket. The Berry men had
asked if she wanted to stay a little longer but Quinn
politely declined stating she had homework and two
tests to study for. "It's kind of on my way."

"That's very nice of you. And eco-friendly. I'm always

looking for new ways to be green." Rachel grinned
and bounced a few times.

"So that's a yes?"

"It is. I'll see you in the morning, Quinn."

Quinn nodded and her arms twitched a little, trying to

figure out if it was appropriate to hug Rachel or not.
She didn't.

"Yeah, see you in the morning."

****

Quinn sat in the Berry driveway for three minutes,

honking her horn, before finally getting out of her car
and grumbling all the way to the front door. It was
flung open before she had a chance to touch the
doorbell and Rachel was dragging her to the kitchen
despite Quinn's protests that they would be late for
school.

"Blueberry waffles?" Rachel shoved a plate of waffles

at Quinn, complete with powdered sugar, whipped
cream, and a fork. "I sent you a text last night
requesting that you arrive early for breakfast."
Quinn furrowed her eyebrows and took out her phone.
It was on silent and there were six missed texts. Four
from Rachel and two from Santana (aav;dkaeia and
sorry. me n B were making out & i had my phone n
my pocket).

"Sorry. Phone was on silent."

Rachel nodded and continued eating her own already

half-eaten plate of waffles as Quinn started in on hers.
They were pretty delicious considering that, in all
likelyhood, they were completely vegan aside from
the whipped cream.

"These are really good, Rachel."

"Thank you!" Rachel smiled. "I found a wonderful

vegan cooking website that has been very helpful in
making sure I receive the proper nutrition whilst also
saving the lives of innocent animals. I did, however,
make an exception for you with the whipped cream."

Quinn nodded. "Thanks. You have, um, powdered

sugar," Quinn gestured to Rachel's cheek, "right
there."

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows and wiped around her

mouth with her sleeve; Quinn shook her head.

"No," Quinn said. Without thinking she reached

forward and brushed her thumb against Rachel's
cheek, removing the white dust. "Right there."
Rachel's skin was soft, so very soft. The light blush on
her cheeks grew a little darker as Quinn's thumb
lingered for a few seconds more until she jerked her
hand away.

"Thank you," Rachel whispered.

Quinn only nodded.

The ride to school was silent until both girls reached

for the radio at the same time and their hands
brushed together. After an awkward giggle, Quinn
gave up control of the radio to Rachel who selected a
Christmas station and hummed along to "Sleigh
Ride".

"I've put in a request for the station to play more

Hanukkah-themed music," Rachel said when 'Merry
Christmas, Darling' started playing. "I have yet to hear
a response."

"Is there a lot of it? Hanukkah music?"

"It has to be searched for. I suspect that the DJs

simply don't want to take the time to search for
something other than Adam Sandler's Hanukkah
Songs. They are entertaining, I'll admit, but there are
others."

"Oh."
"I've amassed a good collection of them over the
years. If you're interested we could listen to a few
tonight."

Quinn nodded. "Sounds great."

The school day passed in a blur. Quinn knew she did

well on her tests, she always did. She said hello to
Rachel in passing between fifth and sixth period and
again pulled a chair close for glee club practice. Mr.
Schuester handed out Christmas music and told the
club they were going to be performing for the school
and a few places around town the next week and they
needed to get practicing.

Surprisingly, it was Puck that spoke up about the very

distinct lack of Hanukkah songs in their repertoire.

"I couldn't find anything, Puck," Mr. Schuester said.

"Maybe next year."

"That's bull, Mr. Schue. I know a ton of songs."

"We don't have time. Like I said, next year."

"Mr. Schuester," Rachel cut in, "I would be more than

happy to assist Noah in helping the glee club learn a
Hanukkah oriented musical number. I believe it's
important for the club to show our diversity in culture
and-"
"That's enough, you guys! We're doing these songs
and that's it."

Quinn growled when Rachel shrank down in her seat

and Puck crossed his arms over his chest. It was the
third time in less than a week that Schuester had
yelled at them, the second directed almost specifically
at Rachel, and it was rather infuriating. She had no
idea how to fix the situation, though, so she went
along with rehearsal and sang her harmonies and a
tiny bit of solo she was given for "God Rest Ye Merry
Gentlemen".

Schuester ran out of practice early when the newly

married Ms. Pillsbury-Howell walked by and there
were grumbles of displeasure as the club packed up
their things.

"We should let Puck and Rachel teach us a number,"

Quinn piped up before everyone left. "Look, Schue
will get over it."

"Hanukkah's a bird, right?"

After a brief moment of silence to stare at Brittany

with their heads cocked to the side, the club turned
their attention back to Puck and Rachel.

"We could do a kickass rendition of 'I Have a Little

Dreidel'," Puck suggested.
"I can work on the arrangement tonight and I'll e-mail
it to all of you so you may practice before tomorrow."

There was a murmured agreement before every

shuffled out of the choir room. Quinn slung her bag
over her shoulder then jumped when Rachel's hand
gripped onto her arm.

"Thank you for that," Rachel said. "You're a good

friend, Quinn."

"It's important to you and Schuester needs to get his

head out of his ass."

In a move that shocked even her, Quinn offered her

arm to Rachel as they walked out of the choir room
and to the parking lot. Rachel took it and held on tight.

The Berry tradition for the second night of Hanukkah

was to load up into their sedan and go to dinner then
drive around Lima to see the lights put up and the
park display that went up after Thanksgiving each
year. Rachel brought a CD of her favorite Hanukkah
songs to play on the ride.

Quinn felt about seven years old as she and Rachel

pointed at the various light displays. At one point,
Rachel ended up practically on top of Quinn when
they drove by a rather elaborate display complete with
nativity scene, reindeer, "PEACE ON EARTH" on the
roof, a giant menorah on a tree, and about thirty other
things littering the lawn and hanging from the trees.
Rachel scrambled back to her seat after they passed
the house and clasped her hands in her lap.

"I apologize for any injury you might have sustained in

my few moments of excitement."

"It's alright," Quinn assured her. "I guess in this case

it's good that you're a midget." She elbowed Rachel's
arm and giggled bringing a bright smile back to the
diva's face.

Leroy lit a roaring fire when they returned back to the

Berry house and Rachel got water boiling for hot
chocolate and tea while they recited the prayers and
lit the candles for the second night. When Quinn
stood next to Rachel their hands brushed and Quinn
noticed a distinct crack in Rachel's voice. They settled
with their respective drinks in the living room to
exchange gifts; Rachel sitting a few inches closer to
Quinn on the couch than the night before. Not that
Quinn noticed or anything.

Quinn gave Rachel a mix CD and received a

handmade gift certificate for ten free vocal lessons,
complete with spaces to use a hole punch for each
lesson. Rachel's dads gave her a two-year
subscription to Playbill Magazine.

"I'm only allowed to present them with gifts on the first

and last nights," Rachel said. "They're rather firm on
that."

"You need to save your money, sweetie," Leroy said.

"New York is an expensive place to live."

Rachel nodded and thanked her fathers and Quinn

yet again before announcing that she needed to get
working on their arrangement for glee club. Quinn,
taking what she thought was a hint, smiled and said
her goodbyes to Leroy and Hiram, grabbed her jacket,
and headed toward the door.

"You're welcome to help, Quinn," Rachel said. "I

apologize if I led you to believe that you weren't
welcome."

"No, it's fine," Quinn assured her. "I've got a test

tomorrow over To Kill a Mockingbird, anyways, and I
need to finish it."

"Of course, studies come first!"

"Do you want me to pick you up again tomorrow?"

"I'd be absolutely thrilled. Come earlier this time, I'll

make breakfast burritos."

Quinn nodded. "See you tomorrow morning, then?"

"Yes, tomorrow morning."

This time when Quinn's arms twitched to go in for a
hug she did it. Obviously, Rachel had the same idea
and her forehead ended up hitting Quinn's chin. The
blonde stumbled back and held onto her mouth,
Rachel onto her forehead.

"Are you okay? I didn't bite you or anything, did I?"

Rachel shook her head. "I don't believe so. I'm not
bleeding, neither are you."

"Good…sorry. I…yeah, sorry."

"Me too."

Quinn stuck out her hand and Rachel arched an

eyebrow but took it in a firm handshake.
"See you tomorrow, Quinn."

"Bye, Rachel."

Quinn quickly turned and headed out the front door;

muttering insults to herself as she walked down the
sidewalk to get to her car.

"A handshake, Fabray? Really? God, you might as

well have just bowed or something. Her hand was
pretty soft, though…What? No. No. You so did not
just say that." Quinn unlocked her car and looked
back up at the Berry house. Rachel was standing in
the front window watching with a smile and Quinn
immediately forgot about humiliating herself and gave
a little wave goodbye; Rachel returned it
enthusiastically and it made Quinn's heart jump a
little.

"I'm in so much trouble."

***

Quinn stood at the Berry front door, staring at the

semi-transparent window, for a good five minutes
before she dared move to ring the doorbell. She had a
plan. It was simple, really: Don't look at or touch
Rachel. That was it. Because nothing good (nausea,
dizziness, aches in the pit of her stomach that were
reminiscent of the agonizing pregnancy hormones
that she absolutely had to release or else she'd go
insane and then prayed like there was no tomorrow
that God would forgive her…) was coming out of the
reoccurring thoughts of how amazing Rachel's eyes
were or how soft and so very touchable her skin was.

"Great," Quinn murmured, shifting uncomfortably as

that evil, familiar tension sparked, "just breathe. Don't
look at her, don't touch her. Just breathe deep
breaths."

"You can come in anytime you like, Quinn!" A muffled

voice from the other side of the door called out and
Quinn shook a little before reaching out to open the
front door and step inside. Leroy was standing on the
other side of the door with a smile, ready to take
Quinn's Cheerios jacket.

"Good morning," Quinn greeted him.

"Good morning, Quinn. Rachel's in the kitchen."

Quinn kept her eyes locked on the far wall of the

kitchen as she entered, only seeing Rachel out of the
corner of her eye standing at the stove flipping tortilla
shell over the gas burner.

"Good morning, Quinn!"

"Morning."

"Breakfast should be done momentarily, the peppers

just need to finish. Help yourself to a beverage."

Quinn retrieved a bottle of vitamin water out of the

refrigerator and sat at the kitchen counter while
Rachel finished breakfast and talked about the
arrangement she'd come up with for "I Have a Little
Dreidel". Quinn had, of course, seen the sheet music
that Rachel e-mailed out the night before and had
actually looked over it and practiced a few times
before going to bed.

"It won't be too incredibly difficult to learn," Rachel

said, sliding a plate with a very large burrito in front of
the blonde. "For example, your part is-"

"I looked at it last night. I think I've got it." Quinn

smiled down at her burrito, still avoiding eye contact
with Rachel. "Burrito looks great, Rachel." It tasted
just as good when Quinn shoved a rather large bite
into her mouth to keep from saying anymore.

"You…you actually looked at the music?"

"Yemph."

"And practiced?"

Quinn nodded.

"That's wonderful! You…you're dripping salsa down

your chin."

Before Quinn could do anything, Rachel's fingers

were underneath her chin and pulling her head up,
forcing her to look at Rachel as she wiped the salsa
away. Quinn's first full-on look at Rachel of the
morning didn't disappoint: Rachel's hair was in perfect
soft curls, the minimal makeup she put on highlighted
her gorgeous eyes and the natural blush of her
cheeks and the lip gloss…she had to stop this. She
tore her gaze back to the burrito and sighed.

"Thanks."
"Are you feeling alright, Quinn?"

"Yeah, fine. Just…big chem test today."

"A healthy breakfast is essential to high achievement,

you know?"

"Yeah."

Rachel quietly went back to the stove and returned to

the counter with her own burrito and glass of orange
juice. The remainder of breakfast was silent.

XXXXXXXXXX

Puck walked into glee club with a triumphant smirk on

his face and a guitar in hand that afternoon and Quinn
immediately wondered exactly what illegal thing he'd
done this time.

"Schuester won't be here today," he said, putting

sheet music on a stand and grabbing a stool. "Let's
get up on this dreidel."

"What'd you do to him?"

"Relax, Baby Mama. Nothing that violates my parole."

"First of all, stop calling me that. Second, what did you

do?"
"I told him that Ms. Pillsbury told me to tell him to
meet her in Columbus because there was a Journey
cover band playing and she broke it off with that
dentist guy. He said practice was canceled."

There was a quiet giggle from the club and Quinn

didn't even care about what was going to happen
when Schuester found out Puck was lying, the man
kind of deserved it for what an ass he'd been.

"Alright, fellow glee clubbers, we have work to do!"

Quinn watched Rachel take charge and hand out

sheet music to those who claimed to have forgotten
theirs at home which was everyone aside from
herself, Quinn, and Puck. The arrangement was
simple enough, Rachel and Puck of course took the
leads, alternated the verses, with Puck on guitar. The
chorus brought all the voices together in a simple two-
part harmony. By the end of practice they had the
song almost perfected and Rachel called practice to
an end.

The pair parted ways momentarily after glee club,

Rachel to go to her locker to get a few books she'd
lost and Quinn went out to start her car and get it
warmed up for the drive to the Berry house. Rachel
literally bounced out of the school and skipped to
where Quinn had pulled up to the sidewalk. As she
had done all day, Quinn tried desperately hard not to
look at her friend but one of her other senses was
assaulted as soon as Rachel shut the door.

Citrus was it? Maybe a hint of strawberry? Something.

There was something that wafted through the air that
caught Quinn's attention and made her squirm a little.
She couldn't put her finger on it other than it was
purely the scent of Rachel.

"Damn it."

"Is everything alright, Quinn?"

"Oh…" Quinn swallowed hard and stretched her neck.

"I…just remembered a problem I messed up on in
chem. No big deal."

"Perhaps you can request extra credit."

"Yeah. Yeah, maybe I'll do that." Quinn tightened her

grip on the steering wheel and took a daring glance at
Rachel, eyebrows furrowed and deep in thought. "You
keep thinking that hard and you'll hurt yourself, Berry."

"I was just trying to think of the best way to inform you
that if you don't wish to spend Hanukkah with me that
you don't have to."

Quinn felt her shoulders tense and she shifted in her

seat a little. "What? What are you talking about?"

"You've been rather avoidant today. I thought perhaps

you were growing bored of your act of charity."

"That's not it."

"Do you find the selected activities unfulfilling?

Tonight, in lieu of going to Temple due to the fact that
I didn't want you to be uncomfortable, we were
planning on going to the local food bank and serving a
meal to those less fortunate. We can do an activity of
your choosing if you'd rather."

"No, that sounds great. Don't worry about it, okay?"

"If there's anything you need to talk about I'm always

willing to listen. Believe it or not, despite my knack for
talking - sometimes too much - I'm a very good
listener."

"Thanks, Rachel."

Quinn had served meals at the food bank before, with

her church youth group, but Rachel made it feel more
like an act of kindness rather than an obligation.
Quinn's father had always gone on and on about
God's work and the importance of doing it not only for
Him but to make the family look good in the eyes of
the church. He needed the support of the fellowship
for his position on the city council and his children
were always the way to get there. This night, though,
with Rachel beside her serving up large spoonfuls of
mashed potatoes, each one with a signature Rachel
Berry smile, it all felt like a genuine act of kindness.
Quinn ladled on gravy and each passing face, some
she'd seen before, gave a "thank you" and a smile for
helping out in their time of need.

The children going by with red cheeks and noses from

standing in the cold for what could have quite possibly
been their only warm meal of the day completely
melted Quinn's heart. She wished she could take
each one home to her house with more than enough
room for just her and her mother. It made her
appreciate having the gigantic space, even if it did
feel empty.

The three Berrys and Quinn ate their dinner in the

kitchen of the food bank with the rest of the
volunteers. They helped wash dishes afterward and
headed back to the Berry house to light the menorah.
Rachel suggested a board game; Quinn selected
Pictionary from the Berry's extensive selection.

"We could've gone to your services tonight, Rachel,"

Quinn said, coming back downstairs from the game
closet. "I wouldn't have minded."

"I spoke with Rabbi Greenburg about the situation and

he fully understood. If you'd like to attend with us
another night I'd be more than happy to have you."

"I'd like to."

Rachel and Quinn teamed up to beat Rachel's dads
quite thoroughly at Pictionary, twice. The pair sat on
the living room floor, shoulders touching, throughout
the entirety of both games. Quinn moved as little as
possible to keep the contact there, giving up on
avoiding what was happening in her brain and her
heart. There were five more nights of Hanukkah plus
the probability of the friendship continuing for a while
after and it was completely pointless to try to fight
anything off. She couldn't stop it, only hope to contain
it.

They exchanged gifts: a mix CD for Quinn from

Rachel, literally a thousand gold star stickers for
Rachel from Quinn, a necklace with a pendant of a
treble clef carved into a quarter for Rachel from her
dads and, the biggest shock of Quinn's life, a
matching necklace for her only a cross carved into the
coin rather than the clef.

"You didn't have to," Quinn gasped, running her

fingers over the quarter.

"We thought you might like it," Hiram said with a

smile.

"It's beautiful."

"I fear that I'll be reprimanded for destroying

government property," Rachel said. "Is this legal?"
"It's considered art, sweetie," Leroy said. "The shop
owner said it's perfectly legal, don't worry."

"Well in that case, I agree with Quinn's sentiment. It's

beautiful and I absolutely adore it!"

"Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," came in unison from the Berry

men.

Quinn's watch chimed, signaling 10:00 and she

sighed unhappily, knowing she needed to get home.

"I have to go. Thank you again for a wonderful

evening," she said to Rachel's dads. They each
offered a smile and a wave as Quinn stood and
headed toward the door, Rachel following close
behind.

"I found this evening incredibly enjoyable, Quinn."

"Me too." Quinn shrugged her jacket on and buttoned

it up tight before looking up to meet Rachel's gaze. It
was useless to resist being drawn in to the dark
brown eyes and so Quinn let herself be captivated by
them.

"You know you're welcome to go to your house to

gather what you might need to spend the night."
Quinn smiled and although she really, really wanted
to she knew she had to decline. "My mom is leaving
for the weekend tomorrow morning. I should be there
to say goodbye."

"That's unfortunate. You're welcome to stay tomorrow

night if you like."

"Sure. That'd be great."

"I hope the rest of your night is satisfactory and come

over anytime tomorrow; I wake precisely at six-thirty
for my morning workout."

"You're crazy."

"So I've been told."

Trying for a second time, Quinn went in for a hug. The

effort was infinitely better than the previous night in
that the pair didn't crash into each other but instead
met in a tight embrace, probably tighter than Quinn
would ever hug any of her other friends, and no one
was injured. Rachel nuzzled into her shoulder a little
and Quinn sighed at being assaulted, yet again, with
the intoxicating scent of whatever it was Rachel wore.
Rachel's cheek brushed against hers as they pulled
apart and her hands lingered on Quinn's biceps for a
few moments before dropping to her sides.

"Goodnight, Quinn."
"Goodnight, Rachel."

***

When Quinn got home that night she tip-toed in

quietly, noting that every single light in the house was
off and she was probably too late to spend any time
with her mother. Soft music coming from the master
suite told her that her mother was in bed; she always
slept with music on, songs that Quinn vaguely
recognized but could never place.

The next morning Quinn was awoken by the alarm

she'd set on her phone ensuring she'd be awake for
her mother's departure. The smell of coffee led her to
the kitchen where Judy Fabray stood with a lidded
mug and her suitcase, ready to drive to Cincinnati for
the weekend to visit some sorority sisters and no
doubt drink enough bottles of wine to keep any one
winery in business for a year or so.

"Did I wake you, Quinn?"

Quinn shook her head and fidgeted with the

drawstring on her pajama bottoms. "I set my alarm. I
wanted to be awake when you left."

"That's nice of you, sweetie. How's that…thing? The

thing you're doing with your friend from school."
"Hanukkah?"

"Yes. How's that going?"

"It's fine. Her dads gave me a necklace last night."

"That's thoughtful of them."

"Yeah. Is it alright if I stay there tonight?"

"Of course. Just leave me their number." Quinn's

mother handed her phone over and Quinn entered
Rachel's cell phone number. "I should get going. It's
supposed to snow."

"Yeah. Yeah, be careful."

"If there's an emergency and you need something

right away, call your father."

"I'd rather trust the Berrys."

"Whatever you're most comfortable with. I'll be back

Sunday night."

Judy grabbed her phone from the countertop,

checked that the screen was locked, and tucked it
safely in her pocket. She grabbed her suitcase handle
with her free hand and walked out of the kitchen with
only a kiss on the forehead as a goodbye. Quinn had
readied herself to try at least half of a hug but her
mother was out the garage door before she could say
anything.

Quinn helped herself to a cup of coffee before

packing for Rachel's house, making sure to tuck the
number of where her mother would be staying into her
bag as she locked up the house and set the alarm. It
was 8:30 when she left, she knew Rachel would be
awake and probably doing something way too
productive for it being a Saturday. She was right.

The entire Berry family was on the front lawn in their

winter gear: Leroy up on a ladder nailing strands of
lights all around the edge of the house, Rachel and
Hiram setting up a giant inflatable snowglobe. There
were light-up reindeer placed around and two wreaths
on the garage door.

"Good morning, Quinn!" Rachel squealed. "We're

almost finished, Daddy and I. You're welcome to take
your things to my room and help yourself to the
leftover quiche in the kitchen while we finish up."

"Thanks." Quinn quickly made her way into the house,

saying good morning to Leroy as she went around
him. She didn't mean to be rude but it was absolutely
freezing and she was only in sweatpants, a
sweatshirt, and her Cheerios jacket.

It hit her that she hadn't been up to Rachel's room,

only to the game closet, but it was apparent which
room the diva slept in considering the copious
amounts of Broadway memorabilia plastering the
walls. Quinn dropped her duffel bag at the foot of
Rachel's bed and looked around a little; she ran her
fingertips over the meticulously made bed covered by
what looked to be a handmade quilt, looked at the
various body sprays and lotions lining the vanity
(Strawberry Lemonade!) , and peeked into the
bathroom.

"Quinn?"

Quinn jumped and spun, shrieking at the sudden

appearance of Rachel right behind her. She wasn't
doing anything wrong but she immediately felt the
need to apologize profusely.

"I wasn't snooping, I swear."

Rachel chuckled. "I'm afraid I have nothing

incriminating for you to snoop upon, if that were the
case. I wanted to make sure you found everything
alright. Daddy said he would finish with the snowglobe
so I could keep you company."

"Oh, that's…thanks."

"Will the accommodations be sufficient? I would offer

you the den but I wouldn't subject even Santana to
sleeping on that pull-out couch."
"It's fine."

"My bed is extremely comfortable. Future stars can't

be plagued with back problems."
Quinn nodded. "Yeah it looks…nice. I like the quilt."

"I won it in a raffle for a fundraiser the Jewish Quilter

League had to raise funds for a new embroidery
machine."

"Cool."

"Yes."

Quinn chewed on her lower lip and looked around the

room a bit more, noticing the bright pink electric guitar
in the corner for the first time. She smiled at exactly
how "Rachel" it was.

"Noah has offered to give me lessons," Rachel said.

"Make sure there aren't wine coolers involved."

"Of course." Rachel nodded slowly. Quinn saw the

girl's eyes swimming with questions of how she was
doing on a more personal level. How she was coping
with Beth spending her first holidays with Shelby. How
was she coping? She honestly made every attempt
possible to shove the thoughts out of her mind.

"Quiche?" Quinn asked, once again putting her

coping mechanism to use.

The quiche, made with vegan-friendly egg substitute

of course, was probably Quinn's favorite breakfast
she'd ever had. She had to stop herself after the third
helping, fearing Coach Sylvester showing up at
Rachel's house and making both of their lives a living
hell - Rachel for offering the food and Quinn for taking
it.

The pair settled on the couch with cups of hot coffee

and Rachel turned on Food Network; Quinn half-
watched the TV and half-zoned out until Rachel
started talking. Their conversation went from weather
to childhood memories to when everything around
them seemed to change in middle school. It stopped
just before freshman year and Quinn immediately
brought her cup to her lips to silence herself.

"Can I ask one question, Quinn?"

Quinn nodded.

"Why target me?"

"I was supposed to. My whole life has been about

knowing who to please and being a Cheerio meant
making sure Coach Sylvester was happy. I wanted to
get to the top the first day I ever put on the uniform so
I did whatever it took."
"I don't understand where I fit into that equation."

"I had to make them all afraid to bring me down and

you were just…there. I never actually hated you. I
was just stupid and shallow." Quinn set her empty
mug on the coffee table and took a deep breath
before turning to Rachel and reaching out to put a
hand on her knee. "I'm so sorry, Rachel."

"We're…f-friends, correct? I mean…after Hanukkah it

won't go back?"

"We are. And it won't."

"Good."

It wasn't until 30 Minute Meals and a six minute

conversation on how it was possible for Rachael Ray
to be so damn chipper all the time that Quinn realized
her hand was still on Rachel's knee. And Rachel's
hand was on top of it. She must've twitched because
Rachel's thumb immediately started caressing the
back of her hand as her eyes stayed glued to the TV.
Quinn wouldn't have moved if a bomb went off three
feet away from her but the sudden presence of the
Leroy coming in through the kitchen made her jump.
She was unable to pull her hand away, though,
because when Rachel jumped she gripped onto
Quinn's hand and kept it where it was.

"Christmas lights are all up," Leroy said. "We've got to

pick up a patch for the snowglobe, though. Your dad
accidentally tore a hole in it. We're going to pick up
lunch, is there anything you girls want?"

Quinn shrugged. "Anything is fine with me."

"Our usual Chinese?" Rachel suggested. "We usually

get enough to have leftovers for a while."

Quinn nodded.

"Alright. We'll be back in a-" Leroy stopped and Quinn

watched his eyes travel to Rachel's hand clasped
over her own. She felt her cheeks turn bright red and
Leroy cleared his throat. "We'll be back in a few. I
trust you ladies to behave yourselves."

"Of course, Dad. What else would you expect?"

"I…nothing. Later, sweetie. Quinn."

Leroy turned and walked out of the living room before

Quinn could offer a response and she slowly looked
over at Rachel, whose eyebrows were furrowed in
curiosity.

"I can't imagine what inappropriate behavior he

thought we might engage in."

"Rachel?"
"Yes?"

Quinn lifted her hand a little, bringing Rachel's

attention to the fact that hers was wrapped around it
quite tightly. Rachel immediately jerked her hand
away; Quinn internally whimpered at the loss of
warmth but eventually retracted her hand from
Rachel's knee when the brunette didn't do anything
other than stare at her looking scared for her life.

"I apologize if I made you uncomfortable."

"You didn't."

"No, Quinn, I…it's…I'm sorry."

"Rachel, it's fine."

"I didn't even know I was-"

"Rachel! I said it's fine." Slowly, Quinn reached out

and offered her hand again. Rachel took it, this time
entwining their fingers, and settled their hands back
on her knee. Nothing more was said.

XXXXXXXXXX

After patching the snowglobe and eating lunch,

Rachel suggested a family board game and Quinn
recalled seeing Monopoly: Disney Edition in the
Berry's game closet. Rachel vowed to wipe the floor
with absolutely everyone and Quinn just snorted and
said she'd like to see Rachel try. Quinn was, after all,
the daughter of an extremely successful businessman
and knew how to manage her money.

After three hours Leroy and Hiram were bankrupt,

Quinn taking the last of Hiram's money and
properties. Quinn and Rachel, however, were dead
even and showing no signs of stopping.

"I've never lost at this game," Rachel huffed. "And I

don't intend on starting now."

"My sister and I used to play all the time. I've only lost
to her once."

"I invite you to, as the saying goes, 'bring it on'."

"It's already been broughten."

"You're aware that's not a word, correct?"

"Yes."

"Just checking."

The game lasted for another two hours before Quinn

gave up. They were in a stalemate, going back and
forth with landing on each other's hotel properties and
still just about where they were when they bankrupted
Rachel's dads.
"I vote we count it up."

"Is that your way of forfeiting, Quinn?"

"No, that's my way of saying my back hurts and I have

to pee."

"Alright, we'll add it up. I admit that we've come to an

impasse and that, unless we continue for another
several hours, there will probably be no true winner."

"Thank you."

Quinn counted her money diligently, not missing a

single fake dollar. She double checked with the
calculator on her phone and smirked at the figure. It
was a personal best and she was absolutely sure
she'd beat Rachel.

"Well?" Rachel asked, her look smug.

Quinn held up her phone, showing off her score, and

chuckled.

"That's quite impressive, Quinn. However, I'm afraid

I've beaten you by one-hundred and thirty-seven
dollars."

"What?"
Quinn immediately called B.S. and counted out
Rachel's cash and properties, triple checking on her
calculator, only to find that Rachel had in fact beaten
her. When Quinn looked at the board she realize that
she would've passed GO on her next turn and, barring
landing on one of Rachel's properties, would've
beaten her.

"Damn it."

"My record improves to fifty-eight and zero!" Rachel

thrust her hands up in victory and Quinn took that
opportunity to grab a throw pillow from the couch
behind her and launch herself onto the girl with every
intention of starting an epic pillow fight. The impact
caused Rachel to shriek and Hiram to come dashing
in from the kitchen to find the pair in a rather
interesting position: Quinn on top of Rachel,
practically laying on top of her, not yet having had the
chance to sit up.

"I heard a…oh."

Quinn scrambled up and away; Rachel cleared her

throat and straightened her shoulders.

"I won," Rachel stated simply.

"Well…I'll let you two continue the…celebration."

"I wasn't-" Quinn tried to offer some explanation but

Hiram held up his hand and shook his head.

"I don't want to know," he said as he walked back to

the kitchen.

"Movie?" Rachel suggested before the resounding

silence turned awkward.

"Sounds fantastic."

Rachel (mockingly, Quinn knew) selected "Bring it

On".

XXXXXXXXXX

They opted to light the candles on the menorah

before dinner that night and Quinn was shocked when
Rachel handed her the shammus after lighting the
third candle and motioned for Quinn to light the last.
She felt a tear slip down her cheek, a true feeling of
absolute belonging burning in her chest, as she
touched flame to wick and watched a new flame rise
out of it. Leroy took the shammus and returned it to
the center of the menorah before reciting the prayer.

Dinner was leftover Chinese while watching whatever

could be found on TV (they eventually settled on an
old movie). Quinn sprinted upstairs immediately after
to grab Rachel's gift from her duffel bag. Rachel was
waiting with a meticulously wrapped gift of her own
when Quinn returned to the couch sitting with her side
almost completely pressed up against her friend.
Rachel giggled at her gift of a set of three, what Quinn
had packaged and labeled, "Very (Rachel) Berry
Nailpolish" - Raspberry Red, Blueberry Blue, and
Glittering Gold (Star). Rachel presented Quinn with a
cover for her phone, bedazzled with a silver Q on it.

"I noticed you didn't have one," Rachel said. "I

personalized it to prevent thievery and because it's
kind of my thing."

Quinn grinned. "Mine tore a few weeks ago. It's

perfect." She slipped the cover on her phone and
nudged Rachel's arm. "Awesome."

Gifts from the Berry men were giftbaskets from Bath &
Body Works - Sweet Pea for Quinn and Strawberry
Lemonade for Rachel.

"How did you know?" Quinn asked, eyebrows

furrowed. Sweet Pea was her absolute favorite
(second to Strawberry Lemonade, now) from Bath &
Body Works.

"I saw a bottle of it in your car," Rachel said. "I usually

get a gift basket for Hanukkah so I casually
mentioned it to Dad and Daddy."

"We got the last one today," Leroy said. "I hit a
woman with my shopping basket to get it."
"He did not. It was a bag."

Both Rachel and Quinn broke into a fit of giggles

before thanking the men again and saying their
goodnights, retreating upstairs to put away their gifts
and change into pajamas. Rachel had suggested
having a spa evening that morning and Quinn
excitedly agreed. After changing, Rachel hoisted an
entire milk crate full of animal friendly, organic spa
products out from under her bathroom sink and
started mixing. They watched cat-themed YouTube
videos until the masks dried and Rachel got out her
new nail polishes for pedicures while they watched
"Bring it On Again".

"I used to do this with my mom," Quinn sighed as

Rachel put the finishing touches on her Raspberry
Red. "Sometimes I wonder if pretending to be happy
was better than barely speaking at all."

"I would imagine that it will take some time to re-

adjust to the situation."

"I guess. It'll take time to adjust to a lot of situations."

"Beth?"

Quinn stopped breathing and settled her chin on her

knees, her eyes meeting Rachel's. There was trust
and understanding behind those eyes and a few stray
hairs over them that Quinn reached out and brushed
away.

"Yeah. I'm not…I'm not ready to talk about it yet."

Rachel nodded and reached up to take Quinn's hand

in her own. "Whenever you're ready I will be more
than willing to listen."

"Thanks."

Quinn tried to keep the mood light as their nails dried

and the movie finished up. They speculated what
would happen Monday morning when Schuester
reprimanded them for what Puck had done to him.
Rachel had a speech prepared on the teacher's less-
than-pleasant attitude over the last year and was
more than ready to give him a piece of her mind.

It was a little after eleven when the pair settled down

for bed. Quinn plugged her phone into its charger on
the nightstand before taking a deep breath and
crawling into bed next to Rachel. They lay there for a
few minutes, both on their backs with space
separating them, before Quinn spoke up.

"I can't fall sleep on my back."

"Me neither."

"This shouldn't be awkward."

"I was afraid to cross some sort of undefined line."

"Let's just…get comfortable and go from there."

Quinn rolled over to her right side, facing the outside

of the bed and looked over her shoulder to see
Rachel, also on her right side, and looking at Quinn
with a smile. There was still space but Quinn could
feel heat radiating off of Rachel.

"Goodnight, Quinn."

"Goodnight, Rachel."

XXXXXXXXXX

Quinn was walking around on clouds, surrounded by

nothing but blue skies and lemons that looked like
strawberries (or was it the other way around?) with
Rachel by her side when, out of nowhere, "Come
What May" (coincidentally, also her ringtone) started
playing. Rachel took Quinn into her arms and spun
around a few times before levitating up and…

"Quinn?"

Quinn jerked awake when a hand on her shoulder

shook her a few times and a sleepy voice repeated
her name.

"Your phone is ringing."

Quinn grabbed her phone and didn't bother looking at
the screen before answering it.

"Hello?"

"Quinn Fabray?"

"Mmm, yeah."

"My name is Alex, I work for the Christ Hospital in

Cincinnati. Your name was on an emergency contact
list in Judy Fabray's wallet. There's been an accident."

****

Quinn sat bolt upright, in stunned silence praying to

whatever god was listening that she was still
dreaming, as Alex asked her about her relationship
and all of the other bullshit questions he had to ask to
verify that Quinn was family before actually explaining
what was going on.

"Your mother was in a car accident. From what the

police report shows me another driver ran a red light
and hit the car she was a passenger in. She's in
stable condition right now but they had to take her in
to surgery to repair her left tibia; it was broken in three
places. She has some cracked ribs but all of the
scans show no internal bleeding at this time."
"So…so she's okay?"

"For now, yes. The first twenty-four hours after are the
most critical but as of right now she's okay."

"What do I do? Is there something I have to do?

Should I come to the hospital?" The second that
"hospital" was out of her mouth, Quinn saw Rachel's
shadow on the wall sit straight up and there were
arms wrapping around her shoulders and the warmth
of Rachel's small body behind her.

"Under normal circumstances we would prefer it if the

next of kin were here but there's been reports of a lot
of ice and snow on the highways tonight and we won't
ask for your life to be put in danger. I can give you a
number to call to check on her condition anytime you
like."

"Yeah. Yeah, that."

Of course, Rachel kept pens and paper next to her

bedside for ideas that hit her in the middle of the
night. Quinn took full advantage and wrote down the
number and who to ask for that Alex gave her before
thanking him quietly and hanging up her phone.

"My mom was in an accident," she said. Rachel

gasped. "She's okay, her leg is broken and she's in
surgery."
"Are you alright? Is there anything I can do?"

"I don't know. He said the roads are icy and I

shouldn't go up there. I don't…I don't know what to
do."

"Would you like some tea?"

Quinn nodded shakily and, with Rachel's help, stood

on her weak knees. Rachel took her arm and
escorted her to the living room before going to the
kitchen to start the kettle. She returned in a few
minutes and sat pressed up against Quinn with her
arm around the blonde's waist.

"She's with friends, correct?"

"Yeah. Friends from college. She goes up a few

weekends a year for girls' weekends."

"I'm sure she's in good company, then."

Just as the kettle started whistling, Quinn's phone

rang again. Rachel ran to get the tea and Quinn
answered her phone, hoping for some kind of good
news.

"Hello?"

"Quinn? Quinn this is your mother's friend, Carla.

We've met a few times, do you remember?"
Quinn nodded even though she couldn't be seen.
"Yeah, I remember."

"Good. They gave me your mother's things she came

in with and your number was in her phone. I wanted
to make sure the hospital called you and let you know
what was going on."

"Yeah. Yeah, they called a few minutes ago."

"She's been in surgery for about an hour, I'm so sorry

they didn't call you sooner. If I'd gotten her things
before then I would've called you myself but they are
very strict on their privacy laws. It took me half an
hour just to get confirmation that she was here."

"It's okay. You guys will take care of her, right?"

"Of course we will, sweetie. Please, please do not try

to come here, Quinn. The roads are practically sheets
of ice, it's gotten terrible out there in the last couple of
hours. Your mother said you were staying with a
friend, right?"

"Yeah." As if she knew her cue, Rachel came back

into the living room with two steaming mugs of tea
and took her place pinned against Quinn's side once
again.

"The storm is heading south so stay safe, alright? I'll

call you if anything else happens."

"Thanks."

Quinn set her phone on the coffee table and picked

up her mug of tea. The burning liquid gave her an
excuse to let a few tears fall.

"Hanukkah is about miracles, Quinn," Rachel

whispered. "I'm sure your mother will be fine."

"I know."

The pair sat in silence until both mugs of tea were

empty. Quinn felt her eyelids getting heavy, a
combination of being tired and tears still stinging.
Rachel's hand never left the small of her back and
she guided Quinn back upstairs to her bedroom and
into bed. Quinn didn't hesitate curling up into Rachel's
front and letting Rachel's arms wrap around her and
stroke her hair and her back.

"Can you do something for me?" Quinn whispered.

"I'll try."

"There's this song that my mom plays at night and I'd

heard it before but I don't know where. Could you…if
you know it could you sing it for me?"

"Of course I will, Quinn. What song?"

"Can't Help Falling in Love."

"A classic. I apologize if my vocals are sub-par due to

the lack of warm-up."

"It'll sound great."

As soon as Rachel hit the first few notes it was like a

weight lifted out of Quinn's chest. She rolled over and
Rachel spooned behind her, still softly singing. Quinn
let her eyes drift shut and she fell asleep to the
melodious sound of Rachel singing softly in her ear. It
felt familiar and warming and the last thing that
flashed through her mind before she fell into a deep
sleep was the vision of her mother singing those
same familiar notes and kissing her forehead
goodnight.

XXXXXXXXXX

Quinn didn't sleep for long; she woke up around four

in the morning with Rachel's arm still wrapped around
her waist and the girl's hot breath on the back of her
neck. As carefully as she could, Quinn extracted
herself from Rachel's grip and grabbed her phone to
call the hospital. She hoped Rachel's bathroom was
soundproof and sat on the countertop to make the
call.

The nurse she talked to said her mother was in ICU

for a mandatory twenty-four hours and would then be
moved. The surgery had been a success, they'd
placed several pins and one metal plate in her
mother's leg; everything else looked fine. She hadn't
been awake yet but the nurse asked if there was any
message Quinn wanted to relay when she did.

"I…Tell her I love her," Quinn choked.

Quinn sat on the counter for a few moments after she

hung up the phone and stared at the floor. The "what-
if" scenarios started racing through her brain and she
leapt to the toilet to empty what little was in her
stomach. She heard the bathroom door creak open
and Rachel was right there behind her rubbing
soothing circles on her back and pulling her hair up.

"It's alright, Quinn. It's alright."

"What if I lost her, Rachel? I've lost everyone else…

what if I lost her?"

"You didn't. She's alright. Everything's alright, okay?

And I'm here and not going anywhere."

If Quinn didn't have the overwhelming urge to kiss

Rachel before, she sure did then. However, she'd just
thrown up and didn't figure Rachel would appreciate
it. She made sure to brush her teeth very thoroughly
and Rachel took a soft washcloth to her face to clean
away the tear tracks.
"I think my mother used to sing to me before I fell
asleep," Quinn said once back in Rachel's bed with
the brunette's arms securely around her. "That song,
the one you sang. She'd sing it to me and kiss my
forehead and tell me she loved me before I went to
sleep."

"Oh?"

"After last year she started kissing my forehead again

when she said goodbye. I thought it was just because
she didn't want to have to look at me but I guess…I
don't know."

"Your mother loves you, Quinn."

"I know."

"Everything will turn out just fine, you'll see."

Quinn nodded and settled her arm on top of Rachel's

and laced their fingers together, holding on tight.
Rachel sang her to sleep again and, just like before, a
weight was lifted out of Quinn's chest at the sound
and she was back to sleep almost immediately.

XXXXXXXXXX

The first thing Quinn noticed when she woke yet

again was that she and Rachel had switched
positions in the night and Quinn was the big spoon
with her arm wrapped around Rachel. The clock was
showing nine in the morning, meaning Rachel had
shut her alarm off.

"Quinn?" Rachel's sleepy voice asked, prompting

Quinn to snuggle deeper into Rachel's back.

"Yeah."

"Good morning."

"Morning, Rach."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. You?"

"I did. Would you like some breakfast?"

"I'm going to call the hospital first, I'll meet you

downstairs."

The call, while good news, still didn't relieve much of

Quinn's worry. Her mother was still stable and had
woken a little bit that morning but was still drowsy.
The nurse couldn't say for sure how long she'd be in
the hospital but that the doctors had already been in
contact with the Fabray's doctors in Lima and when
the roads cleared she would be taken to the Lima
hospital. Carla called immediately after Quinn hung
up with the hospital and told her pretty much the
same thing.

"She was a little coherent this morning. She told me to

tell you she loves you."

"She said that?"

"Of course she did, honey. You're all she talked about
when she got here, you know? How brave you were
after everything last year and how she felt she'd failed
you when your father kicked you out. She said she
couldn't believe what a resilient young woman you
were and that she was so, so proud of you."

Quinn thanked Carla for the update and ended the

call quickly. She wasn't sure why, she just couldn't
hear anymore. Not from an almost-stranger. The
thought hit her that her older sister might want to
know what was going on despite the fact that she
lived in Toronto and couldn't do a thing. That
conversation was quick and fact-filled; Quinn had
never been close with her sister and, after it had
happened, was told she was a slut for getting
pregnant the year before. It damaged what little
relationship they had beyond repair.

Both Leroy and Hiram offered Quinn warm hugs when

she joined them for breakfast. Quinn offered an
appreciative smile at Rachel for explaining the
situation; she didn't know if she could repeat it again.
Each time she did made it all seem more real.

"I doubt you girls will have school tomorrow," Leroy

said. "Quinn, you are more than welcome to stay here
again tonight and for as long as your mother will be in
Cincinnati."

"Thanks," Quinn said. "They said they'll bring her

home when the roads are cleared off but she'll have
to stay in the hospital."

"You're still welcome," Hiram said. "If there's anything

you need, please don't hesitate to ask. I doubt we'll be
getting out today but if you'd like one of us to take you
home to get your things tomorrow, we'll be more than
happy to."

Quinn nodded and thanked them again.

There had been a massive amount of snowfall

dumped on Lima overnight and to take Quinn's mind
off of things Rachel demanded they frolic in the six-
plus inches of white powder covering the Berry's back
yard. The pair bundled up (Rachel looking like a bottle
of Pepto when she was finished, right to her bright
pink hat complete with earflaps) to combat the
freezing temperatures and Quinn left her phone with
Rachel's dads, just in case. The first thing Rachel did
when they stepped outside was toss a handful of
snow in Quinn's direction.
"Oh, Berry, you're so dead."

"Bring it on!"

It prompted a snowball fight of epic proportions that

somehow ended up in the front yard and with six
neighborhood kids joining in. Rachel knew them all on
a first-name basis and waved at their parents as the
kids ran to join. The looks of them were deceiving;
one of them, a girl named Marissa, was practically a
toddler but she had an arm like an MLB pitcher. One
snowball caught Quinn right in the side of the face
and it stung like a bitch.

The kids grew tired of assaulting one another and

decided that a giant snowman would be a better use
of their time so they started rolling and rolling, and
rolling some more. The base of the snowman was
about half of Rachel's height and with the second
piece on it was only a few inches shorter than the
brunette. A big brother of one of the kids, a nameless
basketball player Quinn had seen a few time around
school, came over to help them hoist the head atop
the snowman. It had to be a good six and a half feet
tall. Rachel raced inside and returned with all of the
things needed to complete the snowman, the jock
took a few twigs off of a tree in a neighbor's yard and
the kids took turns putting in coal buttons, eyes, a
mouth, and Marissa demanded she get to stick the
carrot in for the nose.
"I'd say that's easily the best snowman I've ever had
the pleasure of building," Rachel said, standing back
with her hands on her hips.

"Same here," Quinn said. "It's huge."

The kids' parents began calling them in for lunch and

Quinn began trudging back to the house when a
snowball pelted her square in the back. She turned to
see Rachel with the most guiltily innocent look on her
face. Quinn didn't bother grabbing a snowball but
lunged for Rachel, just missing the tackle, and then
chased her back around to the back yard. Rachel
bundling up with several layers worked to her
disadvantage and Quinn caught up to her, tackled her
to the ground and landed in a fit of giggles. She let
Rachel roll over onto her back and then took a
handful of snow and held it up, just above Rachel's
face with a devious smirk.

"You wouldn't dare, Quinn Fabray."

"Would I?"

Quinn moved quickly and pulled off Rachel's hat, then

clapped the handful of snow right on top of it. She put
the hat back on for good measure.

"That's mean!"

"Not as mean as throwing it in your face."

Rachel sat up with a "humph" and crossed her arms
over her chest and pouted. Quinn only laughed and
reached forward to remove the hat again and brush
the snow that hadn't yet melted off of Rachel's head.

"You look like my two-year-old cousin when you pout

like that," Quinn said.

"I resent being compared to a toddler."

"You shouldn't, she's cute."

Rachel's cheeks, already reddened from the cold,

turned a little darker. "I think I like you, Quinn."

"I think I like you, too."

"It's quite a change from someone that hated me a

week ago."

"I told you, I didn't hate you. I was mad when you
stole Finn but I never hated you."

"Your actions spoke otherwise."

Taking the opportune moment, Quinn leaned forward

and pressed her lips to Rachel's. Rachel's gloved
hand came up and held Quinn's cheek, keeping her in
place, while her mouth moved with Quinn's in an
almost delicate dance.
"What do my actions say now?" Quinn breathed when
Rachel pulled away.

"I'm not sure, but I like what I'm hearing."

"We should go inside; it's starting to snow again."

Rachel nodded and was the one to lean in this time

for a soft kiss before the pair headed inside to be met
with a roaring fire, cups of steaming vegetable soup,
and tea.

XXXXXXXXXX

The rest of the day was spent snuggled on the couch

watching movies with Quinn leaning up against the
arm and Rachel wrapped up in Quinn's arms, covered
in two quilts. Rachel loaded up the five-disc DVD
changer with the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the first
two Harry Potter movies. They pried themselves apart
to light the menorah and dinner in the kitchen, more
vegetable soup.

"I was running out of ideas so the next few nights

won't be too creative," Quinn confessed when Rachel
opened up the giftbag containing a small basket filled
with caramels and a stuffed bunny.

"Although they contribute to the poor oral hygiene I

must confess that caramels are my favorite sweet
indulgence."

"I know; you keep a handful of them in your locker.

You offered me one freshman year."

"I don't remember that."

Quinn smiled. "I do. I was kind of stunned since I'd

slushied you the day before so I took it. It was good."

"Oh. Well…I'm afraid my creativity also leveled off in

the selection of your gifts. I thought you might enjoy
this one, though."

Quinn unwrapped her own DVD copy of Funny Girl

and she grinned from ear-to-ear. "I love it."

"I was very relieved when you said you liked it after
our viewing since I'd already procured the DVD and
intended to give it to you."

Forgetting momentarily that there were two other

people in the room, Quinn leaned over and pecked
Rachel's cheek which elicited a giggle from Rachel
and a clearing of the throat from Leroy.

"Do we need to have an open door policy?"

"No," both Quinn and Rachel murmured softly, gaze

focused on the gifts in their laps.
Both men chuckled before handing over Quinn and
Rachel's gifts: The Encyclopedia of Music for Rachel
and a $25 gift card to Borders for Quinn.

Quinn was helping Rachel put away dishes when her

phone rang and a familiar voice on the other end of
the line made her want to cry.

"Quinnie? It's mom."

"Mom…Mom are you okay?"

"I'm doing just fine, sweetie. I'm so sorry to have

scared you like I did. Ruth and I were heading into the
city to meet the rest of the girls for dinner when we
were hit. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Mom. I'm just glad you're okay."

Rachel silently motioned that she'd finish with the

dishes and Quinn headed into the dining room and
took a seat at the table.

"They say the roads are in bad shape but once they're
clear they'll bring me home."

"Yeah. I've been calling to check on you. Carla's been

keeping me updated, too. Rachel's dads said I could
stay here until you got home."

"That's very kind of them, tell them I said thank you."

"I will."

"Have you called your sister?"

"Yeah, I called her this morning and gave her the

number so she could check on you whenever she
wanted."

"The doctor just came in to talk, I'll call you tomorrow

morning alright?"

"Okay."

"Goodnight, Quinnie."

"M-mom?"

"Hm?"

"I…I love you."

There was a moment of silence and Quinn heard the

smile in her mother's voice when she said, "I love you,
too, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, Mom."

Quinn went back to the kitchen and was immediately

met with a hug from Rachel, who then threaded her
fingers through the blonde's hair and smiled up at her.
"I told you everything would be okay."

"You were right."

"I've finished the dishes; would you like to go upstairs

and watch a movie?"

"Yeah. I'm kind of exhausted."

"Emotions have that effect."

"It's been kind of an emotional day, hasn't it?"

"Indeed."

Rachel never let go of Quinn's hand as they went

through the living room and said their goodnight to
Leroy and Hiram. Once changed into their pajamas
(and Rachel's stuffed bunny, Mr. Rogers, tucked into
her headboard next to the lamb that was already
there) Rachel put in Finding Nemo and snuggled up
facing Quinn. Quinn's hand immediately went to
Rachel's hair, Rachel's to Quinn's hip.

"Hi," Quinn whispered.

"Hi." Rachel grinned and bumped her nose against

Quinn's, her thumb all the while tracing circles on her
hip.
"Do we talk about this or are we just going to see
what happens?"

"I'm always one for having a plan but I believe that, for
now, I could go without one."

The pair traded a few soft, tender kisses followed by

shy grins and silence and then a few more kisses that
got a little heated. By the time the end credits were
rolling on the movie Rachel's lips were swollen and
Quinn ran her thumb over her flushed cheek and
kissed the tip of her nose. She was going back in for
another kiss when she had to turn away to yawn.
Rachel just kissed her cheek and fumbled with the
remote to shut off her TV. Quinn's lips found Rachel's
once more in the darkness before she rolled over and
Rachel curled up behind her and slipped her arm
around Quinn's waist.

"Goodnight, Quinn."

Quinn took Rachel's hand that was splayed across

her stomach, kissed her fingers, and then held it close
to her chest. "Goodnight, Rachel."

***

Right after kissing Rachel, Quinn decided that waking

up in the brunette's arms was on her list of things that
she could get used to very, very quickly. And that she
wanted to do for a really long time. They'd somehow
maneuvered in the night to where Rachel was on her
back and Quinn was halfway on top of her, one leg in
between Rachel's, an arm wrapped possessively
around her waist and Rachel's arm around Quinn's
shoulders.

After a few moments of enjoying the sound of

Rachel's slow and steady heartbeat Quinn fluttered
her eyes open, squinting at the bright light coming in
through Rachel's window. A glance at the clock told
her it was a little after eight and, obviously, they didn't
have school otherwise Leroy and Hiram would've
woken them up. Quinn was torn between letting
Rachel sleep and waking her up rather pleasantly.
She couldn't resist the exposed skin on Rachel's neck
and stretched up to place a few soft kisses. Rachel
shifted a few times and Quinn kissed a little further
up, trailing a line up to Rachel's ear and then down
her jaw.

"Can't sing," Rachel mumbled, "piano has no keys."

Quinn giggled. "You should get a new piano."

"But I want to tapdance."

"So do it."

Rachel only groaned and rolled over to face Quinn.

When her eyes fluttered open she jumped and
shrieked a little, then buried her face in her pillow.
Quinn giggled and brushed her fingers through
Rachel's tangled hair and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Good morning," Quinn whispered.

"While I do find it rather pleasant to be woken up like

that," Rachel said, talking into her pillow, "I must
inform you, despite the fact that it's rather gross, that
I've been told my morning breath is capable of
stunning a moose."

"That is kind of gross but I think it's the same for

everyone."

"Please hold."

Rachel quickly rolled over and Quinn sat up a little to

watch her pull a small bottle of mouthwash from her
nightstand, rinse and spit into a cup of water she kept
at her bedside. Rachel was obviously not one to try to
impress and Quinn could only chuckle and reach for
the mouthwash before Rachel put it back in her
dresser. Rachel handed her the cup as well and, with
everything put back into its proper place, Rachel
immediately dove in for a kiss that turned into two,
then three, then a full-on heated make-out that left
Quinn nearly breathless.

"You're an extremely talented kisser, Quinn."

"You too."
It led to even more kissing and Quinn ended up
straddling Rachel's waist with the brunette's hands
just barely underneath her shirt with fingernails
digging into her skin.

"Girls, I heard voices and I thought you might be awa-

Oh!"

Quinn sat up quickly and practically threw herself onto

the floor; Rachel glanced at her, worried, before
looking back up at Leroy who was now standing with
his back to Rachel's room.

"Dad…good morning."

"Good morning, ladies. Pancakes alright for

breakfast?"

"Sounds great," Rachel mumbled.

"Alright, well, I'll just…leave the door open."

Breakfast was silent and awkward and there was no

hope of escape since the Berry's road had yet to be
cleared off. Quinn called the hospital to get away for a
few minutes and talked to her mother. She'd be in the
hospital for a grand total of a week or so before she
could go home and the doctors in Lima would be
giving them information on a home health nurse to
help while Quinn was in school since Judy was to stay
off of her feet as much as possible for six to eight
weeks.

Just as Quinn was headed back to the kitchen her

phone signaled she had a text from Brittany.

were u kidnapped? Ur house is dark n no1 is

answering. Pucks taking us sledding

I'm at rachels

Did she kidnap u?

No.

Ok. She can come 2.

Quinn grinned and bounced into the kitchen; Leroy

looked up at her with suspicious eyes and Rachel
smiled up from her position at the sink.

"Puck is coming by with Santana and Brittany. They're

going sledding, want to come?"

"I'd be delighted! Dad, Daddy, is it alright?"

"Of course. Be careful, the roads are still bad."

The pair showered, Quinn in Rachel's bathroom and

Rachel in the master suite despite Quinn wanting to
suggest saving water and just showering together,
and as Rachel pulled on her pink hat there was a horn
outside. Quinn grabbed onto Rachel's hand and
dragged her out to Puck's waiting pick-up. The pair
crawled into the front seat, Rachel in the middle but
as close to Quinn as she could get, since Brittany and
Santana were practically laying in the back.

"There are no sleds in the back," Rachel pointed out.

"Don't need 'em," Puck said. "We've got something

better."

Traditionally, when one wanted to sled in Lima, they

would go to the middle school and sled down the
massive hill behind it. Puck, however, discovered and
shared his secret with Quinn, Brittany, and Santana,
when they were fourteen that they "didn't need no
damn hill". Quinn was practically trembling with
excitement as Puck drove out of the city limits and to
a small trailer parked a little ways off the road next to
a huge field.

"Oh God," Rachel gasped, "you've brought me out

here to kill me and bury the body!"

"I wish," Santana mumbled. Quinn reached back and

punched her arm. "What the hell is your problem,
blondie?"

"Don't talk about her like that."

"What, are you two doing it?"

Quinn scrambled out of the truck quickly, Rachel

followed and Santana was quick to jump out after
them, doubled over laughing.

"You're so doing it! I was wondering when you'd finally

get rid of all that tension."

"I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're insinuating,

Santana."

"Oh, please, you two have so much sexual tension it

makes me sick. There's a fine line between love and
hate, you know?"

"As much as I love hearing about two chicks going at

it, I either want really good details or to get a move on
and tear up this field."

Quinn smirked at Santana and took Rachel's hand to

follow Puck to the shed next to the trailer. He opened
it to reveal a four-wheeler and Quinn pulled Rachel
back as Puck started it up and backed it out of the
shed. Brittany started jumping up and down when
Puck dragged the hood of a car out from behind the
shed, flipped it upside-down, and attached it to the
back of the ATV with chains threaded through holes
drilled in the hood.

"Is this legal?" Rachel inquired. "Whose property is

this?"

"It's my dad's," Puck said. "He's always off trying to

get gigs with his band. Who's first?"

Brittany didn't even ask before she plopped down on

the hood and Santana sat behind her. Brittany
grabbed onto the chain, Santana grabbed onto
Brittany, and Puck drove the ATV out into the field
and began circling it. Brittany's squeals and Santana's
laughter echoed through the air and Quinn rolled her
eyes at how obliviously in love her two best friends
were.

"That looks incredibly dangerous."

"It's fun, I promise."

After a good ten minutes, Puck pulled the ATV up

next to Rachel and Quinn and Brittany and Santana
jumped off. Rachel still looked a little wary but with a
tug of her hand, Quinn coaxed her to sit down and
grab onto the chain and Quinn wrapped her arms
securely around Rachel's waist.

"I won't let anything bad happen to you," Quinn

promised. "I'll protect you."

Rachel shrieked when Puck took off and Quinn

laughed when she saw Rachel had her eyes screwed
shut. Slowly, she opened one and then the other
when she realized that Puck wasn't going all that fast.
She shrieked again when they hit a small snow bank
and left the ground for a split second. Quinn settled
her chin on Rachel's shoulder and basked in the
sound of her laughter. The ride was over all too soon,
Santana took over driving while Puck and Brittany sat
on the hood. They changed positions all afternoon,
alternating between Puck, Santana, and Brittany
driving (Quinn never could figure out when to shift
gears) and whoever was left to be pulled around.

They only stopped when they were running low on

gas and Brittany stated she was hungry, it was no
wonder since they'd stayed out well past two in the
afternoon. Denny's was practically the only place in
town that was open since the state trucks were taking
their sweet time getting the roads cleared away. The
five piled in to a booth in the back and ordered three
appetizers to start with.

"I must say, that was much more enjoyable than

simply sledding down a hill."

"I knew we'd get you to loosen up," Puck chuckled.

"Next thing you know, you'll be knocking off liquor
stores."

"I think I'll save the delinquency for you, Noah."

"Burn."
Quinn couldn't help but notice Rachel practically
drooling over her hot fudge brownie a la mode when
the waitress brought out the four desserts. She
laughed and took her bites slowly, knowing she was
being watched.

"You know, if you break your veganism just this once I

won't tell anyone."

"I will," Santana offered.

"Good to know I can count on you, Santana."

"Always."

"One bite won't kill you."

Rachel licked her lips and nodded slowly; Quinn

smiled and got the perfect bite on her fork, brownie
plus sauce plus ice cream, and held it up to Rachel's
mouth. The look on the brunette's face was practically
orgasmic as she took the bite, chewed slowly, and
finally swallowed.

Quinn only got to eat half of her own dessert.

XXXXXXXXXX

Santana and Brittany made it very clear that they had

"things" they wanted to do without the remainder of
the group and Puck had to babysit his little sister that
afternoon. After dropping Santana and Brittany off,
Quinn convinced Puck to take her to her house so
she could pack everything she would need to stay at
Rachel's for a while. He obliged and Rachel punched
his arm when he asked to watch them make out as a
reward.

When they got back to Rachel's house they found a

note on the kitchen counter stating that Leroy and
Hiram had managed to get out and go to work and
that the girls better behave themselves. Quinn and
Rachel again snuggled up on the couch and kind of
watched the movies they'd started the day before. It
was difficult to concentrate on the screen, though,
when Rachel's lips were so much more inviting.

They did eventually fall asleep, Rachel fully on top of

Quinn with her head on the blonde's chest, and
napped until Leroy got home.

The snow plows apparently got their act together

during their afternoon nap and the school cancelation
hotline said school would be open on Tuesday; both
Quinn and Rachel groaned. Hiram brought good news
when he arrived home, though: the majority of his
family was still planning on coming in for the final two
nights of Hanukkah and he'd booked the hotel rooms
for them. Rachel bounced with excitement; she was
ecstatic at the idea of getting to see her baby cousin,
the one she'd told Quinn about the year before.
"Due to the family being a carrier for Tay-Sachs there
aren't many babies on that side," Rachel explained.
"Little Leon is kind of a miracle."

Quinn could only nod and try desperately hard not to

think about a little girl only a town away bouncing on
her mother's lap and gurgling happily.

"Oh, Quinn…" Rachel reached up to brush away the

tears on Quinn's cheeks she wasn't even aware had
escaped.

"Later, okay?" Quinn wiped away the remainder of her

tears; Rachel nodded and led her to the mantle where
the candles were lit and prayers were said. Quinn
sent up her own prayer, asking God to watch over the
girl she'd given birth to as she celebrated whatever it
was Shelby practiced.

Quinn was quiet during dinner; no one pressed her for

anything. She called her mother before exchanging
gifts with the Berrys, just long enough to tell her she
loved her. Rachel wrapped her arm around Quinn's
waist a little tighter when she sat on the couch and set
Rachel's gift on the coffee table.

For Quinn, a meticulously bedazzled tuner ("because

you still occasionally drift sharp," Rachel said) and a
box containing gold-wrapped chocolate coins and a
yellow dreidel from Leroy and Hiram. Rachel
squealed at the large bag of assorted bedazzling
jewels Quinn presented her with and grinned at the
box of coins she was also given, along with a very
ornate looking glass star with flecks of gold inside
from her fathers.

"Gelt, right?" Quinn asked, looking through the box of

coins.

"Correct," Rachel said. "And your very own dreidel!"

Rachel had to explain what the symbols meant at

least three times before Quinn finally (almost)
understood. Rachel said she'd dig out her old
flashcards later and they'd practice before the family
arrived.

After an impromptu viewing of Adam Sandler's Eight

Crazy Nights, Rachel declared it was time for bed
since she intended to resume her six-thirty in the
morning workout. Leroy informed Quinn that there
were earplugs in the first drawer of the master suite
bathroom and Quinn thanked him profusely. She
snuck out to grab them while Rachel took her turn in
the bathroom.

It was still pretty early when the pair settled in to bed

but Quinn knew it was time to talk about a few things
she'd been avoiding and she knew that Rachel knew
it, too. They faced each other, not too incredibly close
but close enough that Quinn could reach out and
thread her fingers through Rachel's hair.
"I try not to think about her," Quinn sighed. "I try to
just shove it out of my head and not think about it but
sometimes I just…I can't help it. I want to know what
she looks like, what she's doing, if she's rolling over,
how she looks in her holiday dress…But I know that if
I know those things then I'll just get hurt. I'll get
attached and I'll just get hurt because I know that
she's not mine."

It all came out a lot easier than she thought it would;

maybe it was because Rachel just had this look on
her face that said "tell me everything, I'll still be here, I
care about you" or that she needed so badly to get it
off her chest that it came out on its own. Either way, it
was out there.

"You're not alone, Quinn."

"You don't know what this is like, Rachel. I'm sorry but
you don't know."

"I may not know what it's like to give up a daughter

but I know very well what it's like to wonder some of
those exact same things. I know what it's like to
wonder what your mother looks like, if she has a
family, what she's doing…So I reiterate, you're not
alone."

Quinn averted her gaze to Rachel's neck, unable to

look her in the eye. Of course Rachel knew. And now
they were wondering the same things about the same
household. A mother and a daughter longing to know
even the simplest of things about a daughter and a
mother.

"I'm sorry," Quinn whispered. "I didn't think about it."

"It's alright. I suppose it's something we can get

through together."

Quinn nodded and pulled Rachel in close to her, the

brunette's head tucking under her chin and their arms
wrapping around each other securely. It was probably
the first of many discussions that would be brought up
about that particular subject but, for now, Quinn was
content and knowing that she and Rachel could each
pull through with the other's help. She kissed the top
of Rachel's head and let her eyes close, smiling at the
sensation of Rachel's lips on her neck and a
whispered "goodnight" making its way past said lips.

"Goodnight, Rachel."

***

Author's Note: I was extremely tired when I wrote the

last half of this. I apologize for anything that makes no
sense.

Six-thirty came much, much too soon for Quinn and

despite trying to distract Rachel with kisses (after
mouthwash, of course) the brunette was determined
to get on her elliptical. Quinn reached for her ear
plugs but when Rachel emerged from her bathroom in
a tank top and shorts Quinn decided that being awake
wasn't going to be so bad.

"I see you eyeing me, Ms. Fabray," Rachel said with a
smirk as she set the timer.

"I can't help it."

"I'm flattered. You should take this opportunity to

shower, though, as mine usually last a while and take
up quite a bit of hot water."

"With you looking like that it'll be a cold shower."

Rachel grinned.

XXXXXXXXXX

It wasn't until Quinn pulled into the parking lot of

McKinley that she realized she was about to walk
through the halls having experienced quite a shift in
hers and Rachel's relationship. Their snowy bubble
was going to burst.

"We don't have to tell anyone," Rachel said. "I'm

confident that Santana and Noah can keep the secret.
Brittany, not so much, but I'm sure she can be kept
occupied."
"You actually trust Santana to keep a secret? Do you
not remember what she did to you two weeks ago?"

"I'm very much aware of what transpired. However,

this secret involves you and Santana knows that you
have the capability to make her life a living hell if need
be."

"Good point."

"And you have yet to make a grand, romantic gesture

and ask me to be your girlfriend so technically we're
still friends as you have yet to also ask me on a date
which implies that we are not dating."

Quinn blinked a few times, almost shocked at

Rachel's statement but not really. This was Rachel
Berry she was sitting next to and the girl was
incredibly blunt. Rachel wasn't a helpless damsel-in-
distress, though.

"The door swings both ways, Rachel. You could ask

me."

"I never thought of that."

With that, Rachel leaned over and pecked Quinn on

the lips before exiting the car without another word.
Quinn rolled her eyes and followed, catching up to
Rachel in only a few steps. Rachel didn't say a word
or even look up at Quinn when the blonde nudged
her.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Of course not, I'm merely in deep thought."

"You look angry when you're in deep thought."

Rachel finally looked up and offered a smile. "I've

been spoiled by the men in my life, Quinn. While I
pride myself in being a strong, young woman I'm
afraid I've also been very preoccupied with the idea of
fairytale romance in which a handsome prince
rescues the damsel-in-distress and then showers her
with love and exotic gifts."

"I've noticed."

"Now that it's been brought up, I must say that the
prospect of doing the rescuing and showering is very
intriguing and I'm willing to give it a try. I ask that you
make no grand, romantic gestures and allow me the
pleasure of wooing you."

"O…kay."

"Wonderful!"

Quinn only shrugged. She couldn't decide between

being extremely amused or very scared.
XXXXXXXXXX

Despite the protests of her first period teacher, Quinn

left the room right at nine to call her mother right when
the hospital line opened up. She was scolded, of
course, for missing class but she didn't care. She
needed to know that everything was still alright and
when her mother assured her that she was doing just
fine and would continue to be fine, Quinn promised
not to call during class anymore.

A knot in Quinn's stomach started forming as soon as

the last bell rang and she started heading toward the
choir room. She knew they were all in deep trouble;
Mr. Schuester had glared at each one of them as he
passed by the table where she, Rachel, Puck, Mike,
Tina, Mercedes, and Artie sat during lunch. She was
ready, though, and she knew Rachel and Puck were,
too.

The minutes ticked by as Quinn sat with Rachel in the

choir room, the rest of the glee clubbers silent as they
waited for Schuester to come in. When he did it was
slightly terrifying because all he did was put his
briefcase on the piano, sit on the stool in the front of
the room, and stare at them. It was five minutes
before anything was said.

"Are we mimes now? Mimes scare me."

Quinn glanced over at Brittany, sitting with her pinky
linked with Santana's.

"No, Brittany," Mr. Schuester said, "we're not."

"Are we gonna practice or not?" Puck piped up. "If not

then I'm gonna hit the gym."

"You're luck you're not hitting the gym in juvie,

Puckerman. I could call up your parole officer right
now and tell her what you did."

"And I could go to Figgins and tell him what an anti-

Semitic jerk you've been," Puck bit back. "You kinda
deserved it."

"You don't mess with people like that, Puck."

"Look at the pot calling the kettle black," Santana

snorted. "We all know you use us to try and get in Ms.
Pillsbury's skirt."

"My kettle is blue."

"And yelling at us is totally not cool," Finn said.

"I believe you loudly informed me that I could make

the choice to be happy, Mr. Schuester. You could also
make that same choice rather than being irritable and
irate."
"My problems have nothing to do with you guys."

"They do when you take it out on us," Quinn said,

voice full of disbelief at how dense her teacher was.
"You yelled at Rachel because she wasn't happy
about being betrayed and not getting the solo she
wanted and letting it all out but you do the same thing.
You yell at us because you can't have what you want.
It's not our fault that she didn't choose you."

"It's pretty much rule number one that you don't yell at
your students," Artie said with a shrug. "My mom went
to a seminar about it when she was getting her
masters. I went because I had nothing better to do."

"So what, you guys think I'm a bad teacher?"

Silence.

"You want me to quit?"

"Mr. Schuester," Rachel said as she stood, "we

realize that adults have just as many problems as
teens and I, for one, am sorry that you're going
through a rather rough time but I also recall a time
when glee club was slightly more relaxed. A teacher
sets the mood for his or her classroom and with all of
the tension you bring in it creates tension for the rest
of the club. Not only are we dealing with our own
problems but the added tension you bring is almost
too much. If taking time off would mean returning with
a better attitude then do what you must."

"And we're singing 'I Have a Little Dreidel'," Puck

chimed in. "Whether you like it or not."

Rachel had been right; there was a lot of tension that

Schuester brought in with him. After he had stormed
out of the choir room it was like the entire mood of the
room was uplifted. No one stepped up and took
charge, they all went through the pieces of music
together as a group and threw out a couple that no
one liked and added a few that they thought were a
little more fun. Quinn saw Rachel more relaxed and
less demanding than she had in quite a long time and
the brunette even suggested songs that would spread
solos across the club.

XXXXXXXXXX

To say that Quinn was nervous as they prepared the

Berry house to receive the family would be an
understatement. The nervousness was put on hold,
though, when Quinn was searching Rachel's bedroom
for a tablecloth Rachel swore was in her dresser.
Something was missing in Rachel's room. Quinn
couldn't quite put her finger on it until…

I don't want another heartbreak, I don't need another

turn to cry, no. I don't wanna learn the hard way; baby
hello, oh no, goodbye. But you got me like a rocket
shootin' straight across the sky.
"You're kidding me," Quinn mumbled to herself. She
walked to Rachel's window and, sure enough, there
was Rachel standing with a boombox outside of her
own window blasting Faith Hill (Quinn was willing to
bet that it was the mix CD that she made for Rachel.
She really didn't mean anything by it when she put
that song on there, honestly. She just loves Faith Hill.
It was what half the CD was comprised of.) Quinn
pried the window open and stuck her head out in the
freezing cold; Rachel grinned and held the boombox
up even higher.

It's the way you love me, it's a feelin' like this. It's
centrifugal motion, it's perpetual bliss. It's that pivotal
moment, it's, ah, impossible. This kiss, this kiss,
unstoppable. This kiss, this kiss.

"Rachel, what are you doing?"

"This is my grand, romantic gesture!"

"You're insane!"

Rachel turned the music off and Quinn groaned as

the short brunette darted for the trellis on the side of
the house.

"Rachel, no! Do not climb up that, you'll fall and break

your neck."
"I've done it before."

Quinn looked over to the neighbor's house to see the

entire family gathered on the lawn watching Rachel
attempt to scale the side of her own house.

"Oh my God, there are people staring. Please just

come back in through a door."

"I'm halfway up."

"Your CD player will get destroyed in the snow."

Quinn knew that would be the kicker; Rachel

scrambled down the trellis, grabbed her boombox and
raced around to the back of the house. In only a few
seconds she was in the bedroom, still clutching her
bedazzled boombox and grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Quinn."

"Yes?"

Rachel dropped the boombox on her bed and strutted

to where Quinn was still standing by the open window
with her arms across her chest and trying really, really
hard not to laugh.

"Would you allow me the honor and privilege of

introducing you as my girlfriend tonight?"
"You're crazy."

"You've mentioned that."

Uncrossing her arms and drawing Rachel in by her

hips, Quinn leaned down and kissed her. She
expected to be kissed back but Rachel only stepped
back and looked at her expectantly.

"What is your answer?"

"I thought I just…gave you it?"

"You never verbalized it."

"I…okay. Yes."

Rachel's mouth split into a wide grin and she jumped

a few times before flinging her arms around Quinn's
neck and pulling her back in. Quinn briefly wondered
exactly what she'd just gotten herself into but when
Rachel's tongue touched hers, she realized she didn't
really care and she'd love every minute of it.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hiram's family arrived all at once, his four brothers

and their spouses plus Rachel's cousin Leon, his wife,
and the baby; Quinn stood by Rachel's side at the
door to make formal introductions and take coats.
Dishes of food were brought in that made Quinn
practically drool at the smell. She'd practically skipped
lunch so she'd be able to try absolutely everything on
the menu.

The glimmer in Rachel's eye when she said, "This is

Quinn, my girlfriend. She's staying with us for a while"
made Quinn's heart jump.

Rachel had no cousins close to her age due to, as

she'd said to Quinn, the prevalence for Tay-Sachs in
the family. Leon Jr. was the first baby since Rachel.
Little Leon had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes,
just learning to walk. Rachel took him eagerly and
settled with him on the living room floor.

Rachel's uncles and Leon were practically like big

kids. They teased Rachel lovingly and Quinn could
see what Rachel meant about being spoiled by the
men in her life. Joshua, the youngest out of Hiram's
brothers, explained it to Quinn that Rachel was
special. She was the very first baby girl in the family
for that generation and all four of them were beyond
ecstatic at the idea of having a little niece. Rachel was
showered in nothing but love and affection since the
day she was born. It also meant she had a lot of
people looking out for her heart. Quinn nodded,
almost scared for her life before Joshua laughed and
suggested that they break out the dreidels and gelt.

Rachel held Little Leon in her lap as Leon Sr. tossed

out the bags of chocolate coins they'd brought with
them; Quinn ran upstairs and retrieved the boxes of
hers and Rachel's as well as their dreidels, Rachel
directing Quinn to the jewelry box she kept on her
dresser. It was pink, of course. The men tried to trick
Quinn out of her gelt, saying her dreidel showed she
had to give it all up no matter what it landed on.
Rachel was quick to call them all out and got teased
for being whipped.

"Jeez, Rachel, I thought family was supposed to stick

together, we were gonna give you half of the cut!"
Joshua laughed.

"Sorry gentlemen, but Quinn can offer and deny me a

few things that you cannot."

"Stop right there," Leon said sternly. "There's a few

things I do not ever want to know about my baby
cousin."

"And there are things I'd rather not share with your
family!"

Rachel let out a "humph" and turned her attention to

Little Leon, happily gurgling and fidgeting with a ring
of plastic keys. "You still love me, don't you?" Rachel
asked, lifting the boy and turning him around. "You
won't grow up to be mean like them, will you?" Leon
giggled happily and threw himself forward to wrap his
arms around Rachel's neck.
The game of dreidels forgotten, the men started
dispersing to the basement to play pool; Hiram came
through the kitchen moments later to go downstairs to
join them, patting Rachel and Little Leon on the head
on his way through.

"You're really good with him," Quinn said.

"He was a very easy baby. I watch him occasionally to

give them date nights."

"Still. He really likes you."

Leon cocked his head at Quinn, almost as if he knew

he was being talked about, and reached for her.
Quinn took him without hesitating and he immediately
snuggled down in her lap and fell asleep.

"Looks like he likes you, too." Rachel settled her head

on Quinn's shoulder; Quinn rested her head on the
top of Rachel's and they sat on the floor, cuddled like
that, until Karen (Joshua's wife) called that dinner was
ready. Quinn tried desperately not to think about how
amazing it felt to have a child in her arms with dark
brown hair and dark brown eyes and a girl with just
the same features resting on her shoulder.

Hiram lit the menorah and Quinn held onto Little Leon
with one arm and Rachel's hand with the other as the
prayers were recited.

Quinn had read about traditional Hanukkah meals and

was fully prepared for latkes and sufganiyot but the
spread was something that her mother might've made
for a dinner party. There was lasagna, chicken, and
several vegetables. Not wanting to be rude but also
being rather curious she inquired about the menu
quietly to Rachel during dinner.

"Tomorrow night. It's quite an event."

"Oh?"

"You'll see."

The dinner conversation flowed from one subject to

another, usually circling back to what Rachel was
doing at school and in her extra-curricular activities.
Quinn explained about her mother and avoided the
topic of her sophomore year altogether. Rachel
helped tremendously in steering the conversation to
someone else's job or pretending to be embarrassed
when a story about baby-Rachel was told.

The entire atmosphere was filled with love and

kindness, very unlike any Fabray gathering that Quinn
had ever been to. They were usually straight-laced
and filled with talk of business deals around the
dinner table. The silence was filled only with the
sound of silverware against plates. Rachel's family,
though, was loud and boisterous and Quinn found
herself relaxing and getting very used to the feeling of
being included.
The gift exchange was just as loud; Quinn unwrapped
a very nice sweater from Rachel's dads and a
scrapbooking kit from the girl herself. She gave
Rachel a pocket dictionary because, really, the girl
could use more words to say the simplest things than
anyone Quinn knew and would probably ever know.

"Thank you, Quinn! My old one was falling apart!"

Of course.

Much to Quinn's dismay, Hiram's family said their

goodbyes after the kitchen and dining room were
cleaned, and headed back to their hotel.

"See you tomorrow morning," Joshua said, grinning.

"Morning?" Quinn quirked an eyebrow.

"Bright and early! I need my sleep if I'm going to help

make a wonderful meal for you ladies."

Before anymore inquiries could be made, he was

gone. Rachel chuckled.

"It's our family tradition for the men to cook a

completely kosher and traditional meal from scratch
on the last night. Their time in the basement is not
only to play pool but delegate who will be doing what.
Like who is in charge of the fire extinguisher, for
instance."

"That sounds ominous."

"It usually turns out quite nicely but after the brisket
incident of '08, one can never be too careful."

"Right."

XXXXXXXXXX

Rachel and Quinn excused themselves to Rachel's

room early; they had homework to finish because,
unfortunately, teachers didn't really see Hanukkah as
an excuse to miss assignments. Quinn made a
goodnight phone call to her mother while Rachel was
taking her turn in the bathroom and talked about
Rachel's family and how open they were. She talked
about Little Leon and Rachel and how great Rachel
was with him. The topic eventually came down to just
Rachel and Quinn sighed, wondering if she'd ever be
able to tell her mother about being very much in a
relationship with the girl without being shunned again.

"She seems like a very nice girl, Quinnie. I want to

meet her so I can thank her for being so hospitable to
you."

"I promise I'll bring her by."

The conversation lasted a few short minutes more

before Rachel emerged from the bathroom; Quinn
said her goodbyes and dropped her phone on the
nightstand. She grinned as Rachel crawled into bed
and, after a kiss, settled down and let Quinn be the
big spoon that night.

"I hope we haven't scared you off," Rachel said.

"We're very loud, yes, but-"

"I wouldn't expect anything else from relatives of

yours. I loved every minute of it."

"I'm very -yawn- happy about that."

Rachel yawned again and Quinn placed a kiss to the

back of her neck before pulling her in just a little bit
tighter.

"Goodnight, Rachel."

She was met with a soft snore. But it was beautiful.

Author's Note: The last night, hope you all have

enjoyed this! And for those of you that have
celebrated, I hope your Hanukkah was nice!

Quinn was very glad for the warning that Rachel gave
her the night before because, as promised, Hiram and
his brothers and Leon were in the kitchen when Quinn
and Rachel emerged from upstairs.
"Think fast!" Joshua yelled from the counter.

Quinn looked up just in time to see two bagels being

tossed in hers and Rachel's directions. Rachel
shrieked and ducked; Quinn caught a bagel in each
hand.

"Coach Sylvester throws things at us at random to

keep our reflexes up," Quinn said with a shrug,
handing a bagel off to Rachel.

"Speaking of said coach, you haven't had Cheerios

practice this week."

"Yeah. I kind of told her I wasn't going to be there

because of Hanukkah. She said not to worry and she
had diabolical plans of her own and was going to
cancel anyways or something. We have to make up
for it this weekend, though. Twelve hour practice on
Saturday."

"Brutal," Leon said. "Good luck with that."

"Thanks."

XXXXXXXXXX

"So don't think I didn't notice that the song you

embarrassingly blared at your own window was off
the mix CD I gave you."
"It's a very nice CD," Rachel chuckled. "Quite a few
love songs."

"I really like Faith Hill, okay?"

"No need to be defensive, Quinn. I was merely stating

a fact."

Quinn sighed and reached over the center console to

take Rachel's hand in her own. Having Rachel as her
girlfriend was great, it really was, but the reality was
that her mother was going to be coming home soon
and Quinn honestly didn't know what to do. Reality
struck sooner than she expected when her phone
rang in her pocket and her mother's number flashed
on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Quinnie!"

"Mom, hi."

"I was going to wait to surprise you but I couldn't. The

doctors have released me to the Lima hospital. I
should be there before you get out of school today."

"Seriously? You're coming home already?"

"Yes. Now, I know you have dinner with Rachel

tonight but I'd love it very much if you could come by
after school."

"No, no, don't worry about it. I'll be there."

Rachel was grinning widely when Quinn got off the

phone, Quinn have a half smile while it felt as though
her heart was being gripped by the hulk. Rachel had
so lovingly and proudly introduced Quinn as her
girlfriend and it hurt Quinn to know that she was
unsure if she had the strength to do the same. She
tried to reason with herself that her mother knew
damn good and well that Rachel had two gay dads
and she would never allow her daughter to stay with
them if she found it wrong but being around gays and
actually being gay? Two separate things.

"Quinn?"

"Huh?"

"Are you getting out of the car?"

She didn't know exactly how she accomplished

getting to school, which was probably dangerous, but
Rachel didn't appear to be panicked beyond belief as
though she'd had a near death experience; so that
was a good sign.

"So your mother is coming home?"

Quinn nodded, keeping her focus ahead of her as

they walked into school.

"That's magnificent. I'm sure you'll want to be at the

hospital immediately after school lets out. I can find a
ride home or call one of my dads to come get me."

"I can take you home first, don't worry about it."

Quinn was met with silence and she knew that hadn't
been the right thing to say. She should've told Rachel
she wanted her to come with so they could frolic
through the hospital and declare their new
relationship to Judy and half the hospital staff. But she
couldn't. Instead, she kept walking and nodded
goodbye when they got to the doors and went their
separate ways.

Rachel wasn't at lunch; Artie mentioned that she said

she'd be in the choir room practicing for the hour.

Quinn stayed where she was.

XXXXXXXXXX

Not a word was spoken until Quinn pulled into the

Berrys' driveway to drop Rachel off.

"Quinn, if this is too much for you - too fast - please

tell me. I…we can go back to being friends until you're
more comfortable."
"That's not it."

"Please just tell me," Rachel whispered. "I'll fix it,

whatever it is."

"You can't fix my mother."

"You fear rejection?"

Quinn nodded. "Again."

"You couldn't have told me this in the first place?"

"It's not your problem to deal with. I have to go."

"You'll be coming back, right? For dinner?"

Quinn twitched. "I'll try."

"Please don't push me away, Quinn."

XXXXXXXXXX

Quinn made her way through the hospital corridors

quickly after getting her mother's room number from
the front desk. She hadn't said another word to
Rachel when the brunette exited the car and ran into
the house, head down. With her mother back in Lima
it made Quinn doubt that she could actually do this.
That she could actually be with Rachel. School was
fine, she could deal with school. She couldn't deal
with being rejected from her family again.

Judy was sitting up in bed, her eyes focused on the

Soap Opera Network, when Quinn walked into the
room. Her leg was in a cast and she still had a few
bruises on her face and arms but other than that, she
looked as pristine as ever. Her hair was up and she'd
done her makeup. Quinn wasn't sure what kind of
convincing it took but her mother had her own silk
pajamas on. The woman lit up as soon as Quinn
crossed the threshold.

"Hi, sweetie! Come sit!"

Quinn pulled the hospital recliner up next to her

mother's bed and leaned over to let her mother kiss
her forehead before sitting down and taking her hand.

"How was school?"

"Slow. How was the trip back?"

"Also slow. Carla followed behind in my car, she's

gone to the house to get some of my things and then
she'll be taking a shuttle back to Cincinnati before her
husband and kids destroy their house completely."

"That's nice of her."

They sat for a while, watching whatever soap opera

was on TV. Carla came in to drop off Judy's things
and Quinn thanked the woman profusely for being a
good friend. Carla had to leave right away, the cab
she had taken was waiting downstairs to take her to
the shuttle she'd rented and so she said her goodbye
to Judy and made her promise to call and keep all the
girls updated on how things were going. Once left
alone again, Quinn positioned herself back in the
recliner and took her mother's hand.

"What time should you be back at Rachel's for dinner,

sweetie?"

"I can stay here, Mom. You shouldn't have to be

alone."

"You should go."

"But…"

"It's the last night, Quinnie, and I'm sure Rachel will
want you there."

"But family comes first."

Judy smiled. "Family isn't always blood, honey."

"Sometimes I wonder if blood isn't always family,"

Quinn mumbled.

"Did you sister say something else to you?"

Quinn shook her head. "No. But I know she still thinks
I'm a whore and I disgraced Dad."

"As if she's never done anything that enraged your

father," Judy snorted. "Her sophomore year of college
your father and I went to visit, do you remember?"

Quinn nodded.

"Well, we happened to walk into her dorm room to find

her in bed with her roommate. Her female roommate.
Your father was livid and I, of course, said nothing. It
took the both of us an hour to get him calmed down
and change his mind that she didn't need to transfer
back home. It scared her enough that she did transfer
out of the dorm, though."

"But you were just as mad as he was, weren't you?"

Quinn knew she had to start digging while she had
the chance.

"I wanted to avoid a fight with your father. I wasn't

angry. Shocked, yes. But not angry."
"Because you thought it was just a phase?"

"Because if my children are in love and happy then

that's what matters to me. With your father out of the
picture I can tell you that you need not be anyone but
who you want to be, Quinnie. You don't have to be
who he wants you to be."
Quinn nodded and let go of her mother's hand to grab
her Cheerios jacket. "I'll come back before visiting
hours are over."

"Okay, sweetie."

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too."

After a quick stop downtown, Quinn pulled into the

Berrys' driveway right before she knew they would be
serving dinner. She could hear the laughter coming
from the house before she even stepped inside. She
peeked through the window to see Rachel sitting in
the living room with all of the other women and Little
Leon toddling around the coffee table, reaching for
the dreidels that had been left out.

"Dinner is almost ready, ladies!" Hiram came in to

announce. "We can wait a while longer, Rachel."

Rachel's smile dropped from her face and she shook

her head. "She's not coming."

Quinn sighed and felt like the world's biggest bitch for
putting that look on Rachel's face. She immediately
reached for the doorbell and pressed her finger to it;
she watched through the window as Rachel got up
and walked around to the front door, her head down.
"I'm a horrible girlfriend and I'm so, so sorry," was the
first thing that came out of Quinn's mouth the second
the door opened.

"Quinn…I…you should be with your mother. Family

is…"

"Family doesn't always mean blood. I panicked, okay?

I'm sorry. Again. It won't happen anymore, I swear.
Can I have another shot?"

Rachel opened and closed her mouth a few times and

chewed on her lower lip before noddings lowly. "I fully
understand your panic and I accept your apology.
Now come inside, it's cold!"

Quinn shrugged off her jacket and walked with Rachel

to the living room to light the menorah only to be met
with glares of disapproval. Rachel took her hand and
stepped closer to her, assuring her that no one was
going to try to kill her.

"Daddy? You're dripping candle wax on the carpet.

And, since it is apparently everyone's business, Quinn
has apologized for her behavior this afternoon and
I've informed her that I fully understand. All of you are
to leave her alone."

There was a collective nod and Rachel tightened her

grip on Quinn's hand through the lighting and prayers.
Quinn had memorized most of them (although she still
had no idea exactly what she was saying) and recited
what she could. It earned her a peck on the cheek
and a, "We'll practice for next year," from Rachel.

Even though Quinn knew Rachel had to be hungry

after skipping lunch, the girl held back at dinner and
allowed everyone to get their food before she began
filling up two separate plates and urged Quinn to fill
her own. Rachel didn't take the plates to the dining
room, though. Instead she covered them both with
aluminum foil and handed a sheet to Quinn. While
Quinn covered her plate, Rachel loaded up sufangyoit
onto a third plate. The pair walked with their plates
through the dining room, Quinn still clueless until
Rachel made her announcement.

"While it's been a lovely afternoon, I regret that we're

not staying for dinner. I wouldn't subject anyone to
more hospital food than necessary so Quinn and I are
going to take dinner to her mother."

"Okay," came in almost perfect unison from the table

aside from Little Leon who simply gurgled and threw a
latke at his father.

"I assure you that we will return before your

departure, as hospital rules state we can only be
there until nine."

Quinn was stunned. She absentmindedly followed

Rachel to the living room where the girl had to help
her into her coat because she was still fairly stunned.
Rachel drove them to the hospital while Quinn held
the plates of food on her lap and tried to process
exactly why her girlfriend would be such a saint to her
after Quinn had been kind of bitchtastic.

Rachel parked the car and sat for a few moments

before reaching over and putting her hand on Quinn's
shoulder.

"I won't say anything," Rachel assured her. "That

decision lies with you. Whenever you're ready to
come out to her I will be there by your side, I
promise."

Quinn only nodded. Rachel was definitely going to be

by her side.

It took a good five minutes to get past the nurse's

station because they wanted to refuse the food to be
taken in, stating hospital policy. The nurse was in the
middle of her spiel for the third time when Rachel
simply snorted.

"This is the last night of Hanukkah," Rachel said. "I'm

here with my friend to have a nice, kosher meal with
her mother and if you deny us that, I can assure you I
will find an attorney that will ensure your hospital is
forever branded as anti-Semitic and a large sum of
money will be won from you and promptly donated to
our synagogue."
The nurse growled; Rachel turned on her heel and
stormed off, Quinn following close behind. Judy was
still sitting up in bed, flipping through the channels of
the TV mounted on the wall. Quinn knocked softly and
her mother let out a surprise gasp.

"Quinn! I told you to go to Rachel's."

"I did but, um, she wanted to bring you dinner."

Rachel stepped forward and straight over to Judy's

bedside, balancing two plates in one hand and
extending the other. "I'm Rachel Berry, Quinn's-"

"Girlfriend. We're dating."

Rachel slowly turned, jaw dropped, and squeaked.

"It's nice to meet you, Rachel."

Rachel squeaked again and snapped her attention

back to Quinn's mother when Judy took her hand and
shook it. As soon as Judy let go, Rachel put the
plates on the hospital tray and darted back to Quinn
and pulled her into the hallway.

"You should've informed me you were going to do

that," Rachel hissed. "I don't have a speech prepared
on how I intend to treat you properly and shower you
with all of the affection and attention that you deserve
and assure your mother that I have no intention of
betraying you."

"Why don't you just say all of that?"

"It's not elegant!"

"I'm…sorry?"

Rachel sighed. "I'll simply have to improvise. It's

fantastic training for my future career."

"Improvise away."

Rachel straightened up her shoulders and Quinn took

her hand to be led back into the room. Rachel didn't
launch into a speech right away but Quinn could see
the wheels in her head turning. They set up the
second hospital room tray right next to Judy's and
Rachel and Quinn sat across from each other at it.
Rachel pointed out everything on Judy's plate and told
her to help herself to the sufangyoit. Judy found a
satellite radio station on TV playing holiday music and
the three ate and talked about Rachel's family and
Hanukkah and the different nights. Judy was in the
middle of asking something about the menorah when
Quinn noticed Rachel looking like she was about to
burst. And then she did.

"Judy, I would like to inform you that - even though it's

still very early on in our relationship - I care very
deeply for your daughter and I have no intention of
ever betraying her trust, cheating on her, or otherwise
emotionally or physically abusing her. I will treat her
as the princess she is and shower her in affection and
attention, though not too suffocating, and do
everything in my power to ensure that she is happy.
Although Quinn and I boast strong personalities and
said personalities are bound to clash at some point, I
will always attempt to remain fair and level-headed."

Quinn froze, her bite of brisket hanging on her fork as

she stared at Rachel who was looking rather proud of
herself. She glanced over to her mother, her face in
an equally similar state of trying to process
everything.

"I…thank you, Rachel. I don't doubt that you'll be very

good to Quinn."

Rachel nodded and continued eating her dinner as

though nothing had happened. Quinn giggled and
nudged her girlfriend with her foot under the table,
prompting a game of footsie. Sure, it was kind of
elementary school, but it was also kind of adorable.
And it made Rachel smile and that was just about the
only thing in the world Quinn could see when it
happened.

The light conversation continued, Rachel made

suggestions for physical therapists to Judy since
Leroy had been to a few for his back and Judy
commented that she had heard Rachel at Regionals
the year before and thought she sounded amazing.
Rachel blushed and, for once, didn't offer to give a
private concert.

"I tried it when Dad was here for his back surgery,"
Rachel sighed. "I was told to quiet down or leave the
premises."

"Some other time, then."

Rachel beamed.

XXXXXXXXXX

Rachel said her goodbye a few minutes before visiting

hours ended, stating she was going to go warm up
the car. She took the empty plates with her but left the
two leftover sufangyoit wrapped in foil for Judy to
have whenever she pleased. Quinn cleaned up the
hospital trays and tucked the foil packet into the
dresser by Judy's bed so the nurses didn't confiscate
anything.

"They probably won't let me up before school

tomorrow," Quinn sighed. "I can try to come at lunch."

"Don't worry about it, Quinnie."

"Cheerios starts again tomorrow, I won't be able to

come by until late after school."
"That's just fine. Have a good day tomorrow."

Quinn nodded and leaned down but instead of letting

her mother kiss her forehead she wrapped her arms
around her and hugged her right. Judy immediately
returned the embrace and when Quinn pulled away
Judy kissed her forehead and smiled.

"Love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, sweetie."

XXXXXXXXXX

Rachel and Quinn were greeted with hugs and "it's

about time"s when they returned to the Berry house to
open gifts. Rachel's dads gave her a very nice digital
camera, and to Quinn a book that appeared to be a
crash course on Judaism.

"We had a feeling you might be joining us for a few

more holidays," Hiram said. "The internet isn't always
the most reliable resource."

Quinn grinned and thanked them. She gave Rachel

her final gift: a charm bracelet with several gold stars
and gold hearts dangling from it that she'd picked out
at the jewelry store that evening along with the
sweater with a giant snowflake on it she'd picked out
on her shopping trip before Hanukkah began.
"It's beautiful, Quinn," Rachel said as she admired the
charms. She took her lower lip between her teeth and
chuckled before handing a similarly shaped box with
the same jewelry store name on it. "We probably
missed each other by an hour or so."

Quinn opened the box to reveal her own charm

bracelet only with megaphones and pom-poms
dangling instead of stars and hearts. "I love it."

"I actually had yet to purchase your seventh night gift.

I thought after spending time with you I would be able
to get a better feel for your likes and dislikes. Our
minor spat this afternoon provided me with the perfect
opportunity to go shopping."

"You're amazing, you know that?"

"It's a gift."

All Quinn could do was laugh and lean in to press a

kiss to her girlfriend's lips (and ignore the collective
"awww" from the room). She slipped the bracelet on
her wrist and helped Rachel with hers.

"Happy Hanukkah, Rachel," Quinn murmured, leaning

forward to rest her forehead against Rachel's.

"Happy Hanukkah, Quinn."

XXXXXXXXXX

Quinn closed the scrapbook with worn pages and

faded pictures and smiled down at the back cover
where a picture of she and Rachel with their
foreheads resting together that last night of Hanukkah
was glued and framed over. She guessed that it was
one of Rachel's dads that had snapped it. On the front
cover, in foam letters, it read "HANUKKAH". In its
pages (organized by year) were written accounts of
each night. In the 2010 section there could be found:
two worn and scratched beyond belief mix CDs,
pictures that Quinn, until they were given to her, was
unaware were taken, a hospital bracelet with a sad
face next to it but a picture of Quinn and her mother,
still in a hospital bed, right underneath with Judy
holding a leftover sufangyoit in one hand and the
other on Quinn's shoulder. A few years forward held a
picture of a brunette on one knee, menorah glowing in
the background, and a blonde with her hands over her
mouth. The very last page held a wedding
announcement.

Rachel appeared in the doorway of the almost

completed nursery and Quinn smiled up at her wife.
She had a little trouble standing, she was only a
month away from her due date, but she managed.
She tucked the scrapbook back in its box and into the
top drawer of the white accented with pink dresser,
right underneath an empty book with an ultrasound
picture on the front just waiting to be filled.
"I still can't believe you're due during Hanukkah,"
Rachel said with a grin.

"'Tis the season for miracles, right?"

"Indeed it is."

And it was. The miracle of a relationship that no one

expected, the miracle of a mother and daughter
finding their way back to each other, and now the
miracle of a child. It gave them each other, it gave
them hope, and it gave them a reason to love just that
much more.

Rachel beamed. "See you later, Quinn."