Chapter 13

A story about genetically programmed soulmates.

Quinn knocked on the Berry's door at exactly seven pm just as she had planned. She straightened her dress and smoothed out her hair and finally rang the doorbell. There was nothing that could ruin this night. Not a single thing. She was finally going to officially ask Rachel Berry to be her girlfriend. 

The plan had started about a week or two after Rachel gave Quinn the journal. Quinn finally opened it and began reading into the mind of Rachel. It was fascinating, the brunette had all these plans and dreams and aspirations. It was quite impressive. Quinn had to give it to the girl she knew her stuff. She had her entire life planned out down to the day and the address she would be living at when she made it big in New York.

The only thing that wasn't set in stone was a companion, a friend, anyone. The only thing that existed was Rachel and as the dates at the top of the page grew closer and closer to present day Rachel seemed to grow more and more depressed about the fact that she didn't have anyone. She had more drive, but less passion, more determination but less confidence. It almost brought Quinn to tears how much it affected her mate that she had no friends, no one to confide in or comfort her. Not even her dads, in all the time that Quinn had been to her house she had only seen Jerry, her dads were never seen.

The passages that had sparked Quinn's interest the most though were the ones towards the end. The ones about herself. There were about two weeks worth of journal entries solely about the blonde.

August 23, 2010

I accidentally bumped into a blonde girl today and she looked absolutely terrified, in Indiana all the kids used to call me ugly. I know they we were all only four but it still hurt. What if they were right? What if my horrifying physical features scared her away. I hope not. I also have these weird letters on my wrist. I don't know what they are. They look like a tattoo but I have never had a needle near me in my life. I should probably ask my dads.

August 30, 2010

I absolutely hate Quinn. She has already confronted me twice about how much she hates me. She's my mate? Some mate she is. Her initials don't even match my sign aren't they supposed to? I hate her. I wish I had a different mate.

There were a few that stopped Quinn in her tracks, she wasn't sure she could finish it when she saw that Rachel really did hate her. Quinn had been cruel and was undeserving of the second chance she had been given, but she knew this was how it was meant to be so she had to make it right. No matter what she had to do everything in her power to show Rachel that she really did have feelings for her. She was smitten with the girl. All she could think about was Rachel. Her soft, brown, hair. Her plump, pouty lips. Her sinfully short skirts with those ugly sweaters. Rachel was everything Quinn could have imagined in a mate, minus the fact that she was a girl, but at this point that was irrelevant.

What really mattered was the last passage of the journal.

September 15, 2010

Quinn, I hope you are reading this. I know we don't know each other. I know some of the things I have said in this book are hurtful, but some of the things you said to my face were hurtful as well. Let's just call it even and focus on the future. Make a fresh new start. I have pressed a fresh, white, gardenia from my garden as a symbol that this indeed is a new start. Let's forget about our past and make a new future. I don't know about you, but I am very happy that I finally found you. I have been so lonely for so long and last night when you showed up at my door, I was honestly going to pick Finn. But you asked for a second chance and I am giving you one. I know you will do the right thing now. I am trusting that you will treat me with love and respect and I will do the same. But the point of this is to tell you that I don't know you, but I already have so much love to give you. As long as you let me, I will love you until the end of time. As long as my soul is still alive the love I have for you will always hold you in my heart. I am going to make sure that I keep you safe and out of harms way, no matter what comes our way. Your father will not have the chance to hurt you again and if he does I swear on Barbra that I will find a way to save you. I will always find a way. I take back what I said before. I am so glad you are my mate, I wouldn't give you up for anything in the world.

When Quinn was done reading the last passage she cried until she had no more tears left, she held the book to her chest and prayed to God that her father didn't ruin this for her. She prayed that nothing came between the two of them and that day she vowed to herself and Rachel that she would take care of Rachel. She would be patient and kind and everything that love is meant to be. And so far she has done a pretty good job.

The day after Quinn read the last page of the journal she brought it to school and showed Santana and Brittany. She showed them only the last passage and asked them for help asking the girl to be hers. The two girls smiled brightly and agreed to help the blonde plan the most romantic and over the top mate proposal anyone had ever seen.

When the blonde was done figuring out the details with Santana and Brittany she turned to Jerry to help her set up everything in the house. Everyday during lunch Quinn drove to Rachel's house to plan out the big day with Jerry. Rachel thankfully never suspected a thing.

She told the brunette that she needed to wear formal attire because there were going to be going on their first fancy date and now here she was standing on her front steps waiting for her future girlfriend to open the door. When the door finally swung open and revealed Rachel in a slim black dress, her hair was down in bouncing curls and she actually had make up on. "Hi." Quinn breathed out still trying to slow her heartbeat from the sight of the beautiful girl before her.

Rachel stared down at Quinn and was amused how how long the girl stood in her doorway, "Quinn, you can come in, you know." Rachel said as she moved away from the door to let the blonde in.

Quinn shook her thoughts away and focused on the task at hand. Woo Rachel. As long as she could keep her eyes off the girl for more than five minutes, tonight would go smoothly, she just had to focus and stick to the plan.

"Are you ready for our third date?" Quinn asked as she walked towards the kitchen leaving Rachel behind.

Rachel stood in the front hallway and stared after Quinn. This was the second time Quinn was acting strange, Sneaking around, surprising her. Not that Rachel minded, she still hated surprises though and she was still waiting for the blondes proposal of a relationship. But she had a feeling that it was getting close. But unlike last time she was not going to get her hopes up. The fact that Quinn was becoming more serious about their relationship was enough for her. It was more than enough.

"I'm definitely ready for this date" Rachel said as she followed Quinn into the kitchen. "What do you have planned for me this time?"

Quinn stood in the middle of the kitchen with a lighter in her hand. "I have prepared a romantic candle lit dinner. With romantic music as well." Quinn walked over the the kitchen to play the CD she had inserted into the sound system and the music filled the room. "I figured you would appreciate the whole package."

Rachel looked down at the table and saw two plates sitting out with a full meal waiting for her. "Did you cook this?" Rachel asked looking around, "How did you do all of this without me knowing? I have been here all night."

Quinn smirked and pulled out a chair for Rachel, "I have been planning this night for a while now, so I asked Jerry to help me out."

"He cooked my favorite meal" Rachel cooed as she started cutting up her food.

"Yeah, I was a bit skeptical about the vegan lasagna, but after I tasted it the first time he made it I knew it was the right choice." Quinn sat down across from Rachel and looked at the girl, reveling in the joy she had brought to the girl from the meal she had not even made. "I'm glad you're happy with the food. Hopefully you are as impressed with the rest of the night."

"What else do you have planned?" Rachel asked between mouthfuls of food.

"I can't tell you. It's a surprise." Quinn said with a devious smile.

Rachel growled, but then rolled her eyes not even bothering to throw another diva fit. She was eating delicious food and knew a great night was ahead of her, she was not going to ruin it for herself.

The two girls were silent for a while as they ate their food before Rachel noticed something familiar. The music in the background was...piano music. "Is this you?" Rachel asked pointing into the air to indicate she was referring to the music.

"It is me." Quinn answered.

"How did you...did you do this in my studio? How did you...how did you make this playlist?" Rachel asked in awe, "This is literally my top twenty songs on my iPod."

"I may have hacked your iPod with the help of Jerry."

Rachel looked at Quinn and was speechless, until a few moments later she found her words again, "So you snuck around my house, plotted with my butler, and broke into my iPod and recording studio just to plan a date for me."

Quinn smirked and nodded her head in confirmation. "That is the most romantic thing I have ever heard." Rachel said turning back to her food to shovel more into her mouth. "What else did you do you have planned for me?" Rachel asked after she had finished her plate.

"Are we going to have to go over this every time we have a date. It's a surprise, Rach, I can't tell you or it will be ruined." The blonde said calmly.

"Ugh -" Rachel huffed annoyed at Quinn's antics, "You know I hate surprises!"

"Yes, and that is exactly why I keep planning them. I live for the diva tantrum." Quinn smiled as Rachel crossed her arms across her chest and glared at the blonde.

Rachel continued to glare but didn't open her mouth, she knew something stupid would come out, so she gave her mate the dirtiest look she could muster before getting up to take her plate to the kitchen. "Where do you think you're going?" Quinn called after her.

"To clean my plate?" Rachel said as she walked towards the sink.

"But there's desert." Quinn said with a devilish grin.

"Desert? What kind of desert?" Rachel wandered back towards the table, not wanting to commit to sitting back down if she didn't approve of the food she was being offered.

Quinn smiled again, "Why don't you sit down so we can find out?"

"Why are you being so awful today?" Rachel asked as she made her way back to her chair. "You never give me a plan to follow and it drives me nuts!"

"I promise this will be the last surprise for a while." Quinn reassured the girl.

Rachel leaned back in her chair and glared at Quinn for the third time tonight. "Fine. Can I just have my desert now?"

"Yes, you can have it. Just be patient." Jerry walked into the room with a covered tray and placed it on the table.

"Enjoy, you too." He smiled as he walked away, "But don't enjoy yourselves too much," He winked before walking out of the room.

"Quinn…." Rachel asked skeptical of what could be under the silver top.

"Go ahead, lift it up." Quinn reassured, "I told you. Desert." This was the moment Quinn had been waiting for all night. She hoped Rachel went along with it. If she didn't, she didn't know what she would do.

Rachel gently lifted the lid to find that there was no desert on the platter at all, instead there was an envelope. Rachel looked up at Quinn questioning whether or not she should open the envelope. She ripped it open and pulled out the letter that was inside.

Rachel,

I finally read your journal without telling you, which still felt wrong. I felt like I was walking into your mind, walking through the maze that was Rachel Berry and finally finding the prize in the middle. Your heart. I was not confident that I could find a way to show you that I was serious about this. I was not sure that I could ask you to be mine in a way that would be grand enough to satisfy your wildest dreams. I wanted to be the knight in shining armor you talked about, but I also wanted to be those gentle arms that cuddle away all the pain. And soon towards the end I realized that I didn't have to be everything you wanted me to be because I already am everything you want. I don't have to try to be someone I'm not because you like who I am. You make me want to be a better person and you make me see that this life is not as hopeless and miserable as I thought it was. There were a few times in my life when I felt like I was falling deeper and deeper into the darkness that has been consuming me all these years, but you are the glimmer of light that has shown me the dark doesn't last forever. So, I would like to ask you in the best way I know how.

Please follow Jerry now.

Rachel looked up to see that Quinn was gone from her seat and Jerry was in her place. Even if the blonde had been sitting there Rachel would not have known what to say. She had been so deeply moved by Quinn's words she was overwhelmed with emotions. But she was finally moved out of her silence by Jerry's presence, "Are you ready?" He asked her with a serious look on his face.

"I think so." Rachel said rising from her seat. "I've been waiting for this for so long and now that it's finally here…"

"It'll be fine. You two were meant for each other." Jerry held out his hand and led Rachel out of the dining room.

Jerry led Rachel upstairs towards her room and continued down until they reached a door Rachel was never allowed in, "What is this room?"

"It's always been empty. It was just a guest room for a long time. Your fathers always had it made in each house just in case...just in case you found your mate. So they could live here. But Quinn had another idea for it." There was a pause before Jerry realized Rachel was not going to walk in the room. "It's okay, Rachel, don't be scared."

Rachel moved forwards to open the door, but hesitated, unsure of how she should approach this moment. "Should I knock? I don't know -I-I don't want to be rude."

Jerry pushed her towards the door, "Just go in, she's waiting for you."

Rachel wrapped her fingers around the door knob and slowly turned it. She stepped through the door and into a dimly lit room. Quinn was standing in the middle of the room with her hands folded in front of her. "Hi," Quinn's voice was soft and timid, so different than Rachel had ever heard it before.

"Hi," Rachel nervously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"This is the last surprise I have for you, for a while at least," Quinn took a few steps towards Rachel so she could see her face more clearly, "You look scared." Quinn immediately felt a sense of failure, she had wanted to make Rachel feel special and loved, not scared and small.

"No, I'm just...I feel like..I thought I would be ready for this moment. But it still took me by surprise." Rachel looked down at the ground feeling too vulnerable to look at the blonde.

"It's okay. I was scared too, I was scared you wouldn't like this. But I think you will. I hope so at least." Quinn was becoming less confident with each moment that passed. But she needed to stay strong for Rachel's sake.

"What is this?" Rachel asked scanning the room they were in. She could barely see anything because the lights were so dim.

"You'll find out in a moment." Quinn pointed to the light switch on the wall, "Turn that on."

Rachel flipped the switch to reveal what Quinn had done for her. The entire room was turned into a theatre. The walls were painted into murals of the Broadway theatre; the gold with red trimming and the renaissance murals lining the top of the walls. It looked like a mini Broadway. There were red velvet drapes against the wall and over the windows that resembled the curtains. The walls were painted with such great detail it almost looked like the real theater.

The bed posts were painted gold and the quilt was red velvet to resemble the chairs. Rachel turned around and saw that her name was on the front wall next to the door was her name in bright lights.

Tonight's Show: Funny Girl

Rachel Berry

Rachel looked up to see that the ceiling had been painted to look as though it were bending upwards just as the theatre did. She had to fight the tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks. "How did you do all of this?" Rachel breathed out.

"Well, I read your journal. First I looked up the Broadway theatre in New York, which was harder to find than I thought it would be. There are so many, but eventually I just picked the Lyric theatre because it has the most seats. I hope you end up there so more people can witness your amazing talent. Then I went to the art store and bought as much paint as I could. Then I went to the fabric store and bought all the fabric.

Sometimes I could see how much pain you were in from moving so much. You didn't feel at home anywhere. I want this to be your home. With me. This house, with this room that I made for you. I want this to be your home. But I made this room because this is how I see you. One day this won't be a big art project, you will really go to this theatre every day and perform. Just as you have always dreamed."

Quinn dug her toe into the carpet and tried to hide the fact that her cheeks were burning red, "Do you like it?"

"Do I like it? I'm overwhelmed with-with-I'm not sure there is a word to encompass the intense joy I am feeling right now. I can't believe you did all of this. Did you paint this yourself?" Rachel asked bringing her hands up to wipe the unshed tears away from her eyes.

"I did. It took a lot of sneaking around but I did it. Every night I wasn't doing homework or at cheerios practice I was here painting this for you." Quinn said. "I have my last surprise for you though. I promise you it's the last one." Quinn walked over to the bedside table and pulled a box out of the drawer. She approached Rachel and pulled it open revealing a golden necklace with a gold star on it. "Rachel, I couldn't get you a ring because I thought that would be too obvious, so I got you a gold star. I know it's not much but it's the best I could do given the circumstances. I know that stars are kind of your thing, judging by the way they are on all of your things so, I thought, I would give you a star of your own so that you could be my star too. You shine brighter than anyone I have ever met and I am so honored that fate has chosen you as my mate. So Rachel, will you be my girlfriend?"

Rachel nodded her head furiously accepting Quinn's proposal, the tears finally fell from her eyes and as Quinn took the necklace out of it's case and hooked it onto Rachel's neck she was so thankful that Quinn had come to her window that night and stopped her from choosing Finn. Finn would have never done anything like this for her, he would have brought her flowers and maybe taken her to Bread Stix. But here was Quinn, her true mate giving her something she never could have imagined herself.

It took Rachel a good half hour to stop crying after Quinn's surprise. The blonde had simply led Rachel to the bed and held her in her arms until the girl had calmed down. The night had gone better than Quinn could have ever expected. Her plan had not only been a success, but she had moved Rachel to tears, well sobbing, but that still counts. She was ending her night holding her mate in her arms and she couldn't think of any better place to be. "You okay now?" Quinn asked the smaller girl.

"I'm so much better than okay. I'm your girlfriend, what could be better than that?" Rachel sniffed before wiping at her face and moving away from Quinn. The blonde pouted at the loss of contact but quickly smiled again once she saw Rachel looking around the room in awe.

She knew they didn't love each other yet. It was too soon, the bond was too weak, but Quinn knew that whatever she felt for the girl felt like love. It felt like what she had been told love would be like. The way Brittany and Santana looked at each other finally made sense. Their trips to the locker room in the middle of the day, their constant need to be together. Quinn finally understood. She knew that she and Rachel had a long way to go before they were bonded and in love, but every step of the way would be worth it because if this was the way she was going to feel for the rest of her life a few more years of hiding would be well worth it.