The message is sent. There's no turning back now for Rachel.

As soon as she sends it, she gets a reply.

Quinn: I'll be there soon

Definitely no turning back now.

Rachel: Hurry!

Rachel gets up from the chair and sprints to her bathroom. She turns on the light and examines her appearance in the mirror.

Grimacing slightly, she grabs the brush and hastily runs it through her hair a few times. She then takes concealer and uses it to cover up the slight bags under her eyes to hide how tired she's been.

She has to look somewhat presentable.

She hears a knock at the door and stops what she's doing. She then quickly looks herself over one last time. Probably not her best night, but it'll have to do. She turns off the light and then runs to the door.

She opens it to see Quinn standing there, panting like she's been running. She's wearing a t-shirt and track pants. And her blonde mane is down and slightly unruly, which Rachel thinks is cute.

"Hi," Rachel says as she looks up at her.

Before Quinn has the chance to say anything, Rachel grabs her by the hand and yanks her inside the house.

"What's wrong?" Quinn asks as Rachel locks the door.

"Nothing. I just wanted to see you," Rachel says as she turns around.

Without warning, she pulls the younger girl to the living room.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" Quinn asks as she helplessly gets dragged along.

Rachel doesn't answer and forces her to sit down on the couch. When Quinn does, she falls on the spot next to her and smiles.

"How much have you had to drink?" Quinn narrows her eyes. Her aunt was definitely a little more upbeat than normal.

Rachel smirks and looks over at the nearly empty bottle of wine still sitting on the table. Quinn turns around to follow her gaze.

"Wow," she says.

"It was really good this time. Do you want some?" Rachel offers.

"Um, sure?"

The older woman gets up and skips over to the table. She takes the empty glass and pours the rest of the wine into it.

She comes back and hands the glass to Quinn before taking her previous position.

"That's the glass I was using if that's okay," she tells her.

Quinn nods and downs the entire thing in one go.

"Quinn! Slow down!"

The blonde puts the glass on the floor and laughs. "Really, Rachel? You're telling me that?"

Rachel shoves at her playfully with a laugh. She the. scoots closer and leans her head against the couch and smiles as she stares at the girl.

Quinn shifts nervously under the gaze and clears her throat. "So, what's going on? You made it sound really urgent when you were texting me."

"I told you already. I just wanted to see you," Rachel huffs.

"Are you sure that's all?"

"I'm sure!"

"Okay," Quinn nods. "Anyway, what have you been doing?"

"Waiting to hear from you," Rachel says. A little too aggressively.

Quinn winces. "I'm sorry. Puck and Santana distracted me so I forgot to text you when we got back."

The older woman looks up at her and frowns. "You were alone with Santana in bed again," she says bluntly.

"We shared a bed, yeah. Just to sleep. It's no big deal."

"Did you fuck?"

"Rachel!" Quinn exclaims.

"What?"

"You still need to work on your filter."

"It's just a question and I want to know the answer," she says undeterred.

"No, we didn't, all right? I've already told you that me and her aren't going to do that ever again."

"But are you sure? What if you decide to change your mind one day?"

Quinn looks at her in disbelief. "Why would I lie to you?"

Rachel looks her over for a moment. "You wouldn't."

"Exactly."

"Well, I'm just making sure."

"Why does it even matter anyway?" Quinn asks.

Rachel shrugs, "I just care about you."

Quinn doesn't say anything else and decides to let this one go for now. If something's bothering Rachel, she'll tell her eventually.

But this is strange. Is Rachel actually jealous?

The woman moves as close as she can and molds her body into Quinn's side. The younger girl wraps an arm around her shoulder and relaxes into the embrace.

Rachel stares at the necklace on Quinn's pale neck and reaches up to run her fingers over it.

"You're still wearing this," she says lowly.

"Of course I am. You gave it to me."

Rachel smiles and leans forward to lightly nuzzle the girl's neck, smirking when she sees goose bumps breaking out on the girl. She then pulls back and licks her lips before ever so slowly grazing them against the soft skin. The hand she was using to look at the necklace moves it's way up to the other side of Quinn's neck as she pulls her even closer.

She leaves a soft peck. And then another. And another...

Wanting more, Rachel begins to slowly leave open mouthed kisses at different spots on her neck. She moves her hand once again to caress the younger girl's cheek.

Quinn grabs the arm of the couch and squeezes, trying to keep herself together.

She breathes deeply and says, "Rachel, you should probably stop."

Rachel does so immediately and frowns, but still doesn't move from her position.

She pouts, "Why?"

"Because," Quinn whispers.

She runs the tips of her fingers along Quinn's jawline and asks again, "Because why?"

The blonde inhales, "Because it just makes me want to do it back to you."

Rachel feels her breath hitch at the confession and leaves a kiss just below the girl's ear.

"So do it," she whispers.

Quinn shifts her gaze down to look at her. "What?"

Rachel licks the shell of her ear and then breathes out, "You heard me."

She pulls back and Quinn turns to study her face. Quinn has a slightly uncertain look while Rachel's face is that of want and hunger.

Rachel watches as hazel eyes darken and she once again feels her entire body heat up.

Quinn suddenly grabs the older woman and pulls her onto her lap to where she's straddling her. Rachel is caught off guard and lets out a yelp.

Quinn attaches her lips to Rachel's neck and sucks fervently. The brunette moans and holds the back of Quinn's head in place as she braces her other hand against the back of the couch to keep her balance.

Quinn moves her hands to Rachel's lower back and rakes her nails upward, causing the woman to arch into her touch. Rachel squirms on her lap until she can't take it anymore. She needs more.

She pushes Quinn back by the shoulders and cups her face with both hands. They gaze at each other for a moment, both knowing what's about to happen.

"You're so beautiful," Rachel whispers.

She makes the first move by pressing her lips against the girl's forehead. Quinn closes her eyes and savors this moment.

Rachel trails down her face until their lips graze together.

She closes her eyes and presses a firm kiss against the corner of Quinn's mouth. Just the way Quinn had done a few days before. She then moves a little lower and grazes Quinn's lower lip before lightly taking it between her own lips.

Quinn kisses back suddenly with a quick peck, causing Rachel to gasp.

With one look at the challenging face of the girl below her, the older woman dives in and completely attaches her mouth to Quinn's and their lips finally move together.

Rachel moans when she feels Quinn squeeze her even tighter and threads her fingers through blonde hair. Their lips continue to slide together effortlessly.

Feeling bold, Rachel bites down on Quinn's bottom lip, causing her to gasp. She then pushes her tongue into the girl's mouth. Quinn lets out a moan and massages it with her own tongue.

She wants to roam her hands all over Rachel's body, but knows that would be pushing it. So she keeps them where they are.

She never thought she'd be in a position like this with Rachel. And it's better than any way she could have imagined. It's perfect.

Rachel pulls away to gasp for air. Quinn wastes no time and assaults her neck again. Rachel catches her breath and wraps her arms around Quinn's shoulders.

She believed that she could never feel this way again. She thought she'd go through the rest of her life without this sort of connection to someone. And she definitely never thought she'd find it with her niece of all people.

Her niece...

Her niece!

Reality suddenly crashes onto Rachel and she quickly sobers up.

"Quinn, stop!"

She panicks and scrambles out of the girl's lap and to the other side of the couch. She stares wide eyed at Quinn.

They both work to even out their breathing as they look at one another. Quinn seems to be the more confused of the two.

She frowns and moves to scoot closer to the older woman.

Rachel quickly puts a hand up and says, "Please, just stay over there."

Quinn does as she's told.

And awkward silence looms over them.

The older woman suddenly stands.

"We shouldn't have done this," she says quickly before darting for her room.

"Rachel, wait!" Quinn is able to catch her and gently grabs her by the arm and turns her around. She's not surprised when Rachel struggles against her.

"Hey, calm down. I'm sorry, okay?" she tells her.

Rachel shakes her head at her. "No, this is my fault. Not yours. I'm sorry, Quinn."

She pulls Quin's hand off of her and steps into her room.

Quinn tries to go in as well. "Rachel, please. Just talk to me?"

She ends up being slowly pushed out by the shorter woman. "Quinn, I'm sorry, but we'll talk later, okay? I need to be alone right now. Is that okay?"

Her niece understands where she's coming from and nods her head in defeat. It's probably best to let her sort everything out.

Rachel suddenly slams the door and locks it.

She pushes her ear against the door. When she hears Quinn's footsteps walking away, she sighs and goes to sit on her bed.

She puts her face in her hands and starts to silently sob.

What has she done?

Every restless night she's had was nothing compared to this.

It's already eight in the morning when Rachel finally decides to get out of bed. She was only able to get about an hour of sleep and eventually gave up trying.

She sighs, dreading what's to come. Dreading the inevitable conversation with Quinn.

She turns the knob to her door and pushes it open, quietly making her way out of the bedroom.

When she gets to the living room, she frowns when she sees Quinn asleep in the couch and sits down on the other side. As soon as she does, Quinn starts to stir, as if she could sense her presence.

The girl opens her eyes and when she sees Rachel there, she quickly sits up and starts rubbing her face to wake up.

Rachel thinks she's probably just as exhausted as she is herself.

"Hey," Quinn says with a small smile.

Rachel can't help but smile back, but then quickly frowns, "Why didn't you sleep in the guest room?"

"I was waiting for you to come out," Quinn shrugs.

It makes her feel guilty, but Rachel knows she still has to do this.

She decides to get right to the point. "Quinn, I'm so sorry about last night."

"Why are you sorry? Do you regret it?"

Rachel doesn't answer right away. She honestly doesn't regret it one bit. And she doesn't want to lie and say she does. So instead, she says, "It was a mistake."

The look on Quinn's face is enough to break her heart.

"Rachel..."

"It was a mistake," she repeats. "I shouldn't have put you in that position. I had been drinking and just felt lonely. But that doesn't excuse what I did. I promise it won't happen ever again and I hope that you'll eventually forgive me."

She recites the speech she had been preparing all night.

"Rachel, I don't need to forgive you. I wanted it just as much."

The woman pauses, but chooses to ignore the statement. "We'll just put the whole thing behind us, all right? It'll be okay."

"You know we can't put this behind us," Quinn whispers.

"Quinn, you know you'll be able to find someone in no time," she says, on the verge of tears at the thought. "And you'll forget all about this. I know it isn't ideal to go through something like this, but we can move past it."

"Don't say that. This wasn't a mistake, Rachel. There's something between us. I can feel it. And I know you feel it too. You can't say there's nothing there."

"Quinn..."

"I want you and I know you want me too. You don't have to feel ashamed to admit it."

"Please stop," Rachel chokes out. "Just don't, okay?"

"Okay, then how about this? I'll forget about everything. We'll put this whole thing behind us. But only if you can look me in the eyes and say that you don't feel anything for me," Quinn says determinedly. "Say you feel nothing for me."

Rachel knows she has to, but she can't do it.

She looks away as tears trail down her face. "I'm sorry," she whispers. "But we can't do this, Quinn."

"Why not?"

"Really?" Rachel scoffs. "Apart from how much older I am than you, I am your aunt, Quinn. And you are my niece. Did you seriously forget that?"

"We're not actually related, Rachel. Did you seriously forget that?" Quinn defends. "And I'm an adult. I can do whatever I want."

"And you think that will make everyone okay with this? You think that Judy will be okay with this? Because I guarantee that she won't be and never will be."

"She doesn't have to know about this. We hardly ever see her now," Quinn points out.

"I've done enough damage to this family already, okay? I don't want to make everything worse!" Rachel cries. "We have to draw the line somewhere. Nothing can happen ever again, Quinn."

Quinn gets up and kneels on the floor in front of where Rachel is sitting. She gently takes the woman's hand and says, "Please don't do this."

"You know we can't."

The younger girl wraps her arms around Rachel's waist and pulls her close.

Rachel hears her sniffling and knows that she's crying. She runs her hand through the blonde hair and leans down to press a kiss at the top of her head.

"Don't do this to me," Quinn whispers.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let it get this far," Rachel says as she starts crying harder.

She lets them stay like that for a few more minutes. Just holding each other for the time being. She knows she probably won't get the chance to be like this with Quinn ever again. That breaks her even more.

With as much strength as she can muster, she unwraps the girl's arms from around her and stands, pulling Quinn up with her.

She sighs, "It's probably best if we don't see each other for a while."

The look on Quinn's face makes Rachel feel that much worse.

Quinn looks at the floor and nods. "If that's what you want," she mumbles.

Knowing that she probably shouldn't, Rachel reaches up to cup the girl's cheek. "I don't want that at all. But we both know it's the smart thing to do."

Quinn exhales. And without a word, she turns around and sits on the couch to put on her shoes.

She avoids eye contact the whole time, and it takes everything in Rachel not to say anything more.

The girl finally stands and moves past Rachel and leaves the house.

When she hears the front door slam, Rachel covers her mouth with her hand as she tries to hold back her sobs. She goes to the couch and sits down where Quinn just was.

"Please don't hate me."

Quinn is miserable. So fucking miserable.

It hasn't even been a week since that last time with Rachel, and she's never felt this depressed in all of her life.

She didn't know it was possible to hurt this much. To love this much. To love someone that was never yours in the first place. Did life even work that way? It seems so cruel and unjust to her.

There's so much of her missing now and she doesn't know if she'll ever find herself again. Rachel took that away from her. She needs Rachel back in her life.

Quinn wants to talk to her. She wants to tell her that she's willing to pretend nothing happened and that her feelings don't exist if that means she can see Rachel again. But would Rachel allow that? She doubts it.

When she hears a knock at her bedroom door, she rolls over and calls out, "Come in."

Judy peeks her head in. "Quinn? Dinner's ready."

"I'll be down in a minute," she tells her mother.

She hears the door close and sits up. She sighs and gets up and stretches. This was the one night that both of her parents were off of work and they were supposed to all eat dinner and spend time together.

Quinn makes it to the dining room to see them both already sitting at the table.

Russell takes one look at her and jokes, "Were you in bed all day, kiddo?"

She smiles at her father. "No, just didn't go anywhere today," she says as she sits down.

The three begin to dig into their food.

"Didn't you say you have an interview at the Lima Bean?" Judy asks.

Quinn nods, "On Thursday. It's just a part time position."

She could use the extra cash. And she needs something to keep her busy to get her mind off Rachel.

"I'm sure they'll hire you. It's summer, so they need all the help they can get," Russell says.

They continue to eat in silence for a few minutes. It's too quiet. Normally it's not like this.

"You didn't invite Rachel?" Russell asks Judy.

Quinn does her best to keep her face stoic as simply hearing the woman's name out loud makes her heart feel like it's being squeezed.

"I did. But she said she has a date tonight!" Judy says ecstatically.

Quinn feels all of the air sucked out from her lungs. Did she really just say that Rachel has a date? Tonight?

"Good. She needs to get back out there," Russell remarks. "So who's the guy?"

Yes, who is this fucking guy, Quinn seethes.

She knows that she has no right to be upset as Rachel is free to do whatever she wants. But knowing that she's giving someone else a chance so easily just makes everything hurt worse.

She would give anything for the chance to love Rachel.

"I think his name is Brody?"

Brody? That sounds like a total douchebag name.

"Where'd she find him?" Quinn can't help but ask.

"She served him at Breadstix one night and he kept coming back and asking to take her out. I guess she decided to finally say yes," Judy smiles.

What a creep. So he was basically stalking her where she works until she agreed to go out with him? Sounds like a real winner. Good job, Rachel.

Quinn silently fumes to herself. She knows she's being irrational. But fuck. This hurts.

"He sounds nice from what she's told me. Way better than Finn at least."

Who cares? Anyone could be a better option than that fucktard.

"Sweetie, that's not saying much. It's not that hard to better than Finn."

Quinn grins at her dad. At least he gets it.

"I'm not saying he's going to be the next man she marries," Judy defends. Quinn clenches her teeth at the thought. "I just think that it's good she's taking a chance and getting back into the dating world."

She feels like she's going to be sick. She knew this was going to happen eventually. But not this soon. Why is Rachel doing this?

"Are you still going out tonight, Quinn?" Judy asks.

Quinn internally face palms. She forgot about Puck's party tonight. He said that his mom was out of town and he intended to take full advantage of it.

Well, at least it's still early so she'll have time to get ready.