As Rachel begins to awaken from her deep slumber, she pats the space next to her on the bed...only to feel nothing.

"Quinn?" she grumbles.

When there's no answer, she lifts her head from the pillow and slowly opens her eyes. The blonde isn't anywhere in her view and it causes Rachel to rapidly sit up.

However, her worries are short-lived when she hears the shower turning on. She probably thought Rachel wouldn't notice if she got up.

She smiles to herself when she thinks about the previous night with the girl in the bathroom. Her girl. Her love.

Rachel quickly gets up from the bed and quietly enters the bathroom. Not having to worry about shedding clothes since she was already naked, she peeks in the shower to see Quinn with her back towards her. She then carefully steps in as silently as she can.

She suddenly wraps her arms around Quinn's waist, startling the girl for a brief moment before she realizes that it's Rachel and lets out a sigh of relief.

"Hey you," she says.

Rachel presses her lips to Quinn's shoulder. "I can't believe you got up without me," she teases.

The blonde turns around in her arms and smiles at her, "You just looked so comfortable sleeping."

"For a second, I thought you left."

"Really Rachel?" Quinn laughs. "You're ridiculous."

"To think that you would take off after having your wicked way with me?" she smirks. She knows that they're only kidding, and she's glad that they can joke around like this.

"Maybe I'll have better luck sneaking out next time," Quinn murmurs as she tilts her head down to capture her lips.

After they pull apart, Rachel quips back, "Well if that's the case, then you won't be leaving my sight again."

"Is that so?"

"Mhmm. I'll chain you to the bed if I have to." She brings her arms up to wrap around Quinn's neck. "You'll be my love slave for the next fifty years."

Quinn runs her hands up and down the brunette's back. "That doesn't sound too bad. Will I still be able to sleep and eat?"

"You'll sleep when I let you. And you can eat me."

"Rachel!"

She snorts and buries her face in the girl's neck. "You're so cute."

Rolling her eyes, Quinn pulls Rachel even closer to her body. She presses a kiss to the top of her head. "And you're beautiful. Even with your dirty mouth and everything."

She smiles when Rachel huffs against her neck, probably in protest.

"I love you," she says softly.

The older woman pulls back to look at her and grins, "I love you too." She cups Quinn's face and pulls her in for another kiss.

She gasps when a pair of hands sneak down to palm her ass.

"Baby," she laughs as she pulls away. "If we start that now, we'll never get out of here. And I want to spend some time with you today outside of the bedroom."

"I guess so," Quinn pouts.

Rachel pushes the wet hair out of the girl's face, "You're adorable, you know that?"

"If you say so," she smiles.

"I do." Rachel steps away and grabs the shampoo bottle, "Now let's get ready for the day."

Their "day together" had mainly consisted of walking around the park for about an hour. Then cuddling together on the couch, which involved just a little groping, only to be followed by a long nap.

And much to Quinn's annoyance, it was time to go back to work.

Since Rachel had the night off from Breadstix, she agreed to drop Quinn off in the blonde's car and to pick her up when she was off.

And the night ended up going fast for Quinn.

It was only five minutes until closing time and she was already sweeping and wiping down tables so that she could leave sooner. The other person closing with her called in, leaving her to close the coffee shop down by herself. But whatever. At least there's no one to slow her down.

She had already sent a text to Rachel that she was almost done.

She internally groans when she hears the door opening. She had already cleaned the coffee machines, which probably wasn't the smartest idea. Why do some idiots wait until right before a place closes to stop by?

"I'll be with you in a second," she calls out as she wipes down the last table in the far corner.

"No worries. Take your time," a familiar voice answers.

Quinn stops what she's doing and looks up. "Oh my god, Marley! I'm so sorry I forgot to text you!" she says as she drops the rage and walks towards the girl.

"Don't worry about it, I figured you were busy. And I thought I might catch you before you leave. Is this a bad time?"

"No! I'm done with everything." She looks at her watch to see that it's exactly ten o'clock. "Just give me a second. You can sit down wherever."

She grabs the keys from behind the counter and quickly locks the front doors so she doesn't have to deal with anymore stupid customers trying to order after closing time.

She turns to see Marley sitting at a table and goes to slide in the seat across from her.

"Hey," she smiles.

"How long have you worked here?" Marley asks as she looks around the place. "I hardly ever come here."

Quinn frowns, "About a month now."

"Do you like it?"

"It's all right," she shrugs. "The tips are good so I can't really complain. What about you? Do you work anywhere?"

"Mhmm, I just started at this small bookstore by the university. It's mainly used books that people sell for some quick cash."

"Nice," she smiles. "I love books."

Quinn wants to facepalm so hard right now. Really, Quinn? 'I love books'?

She clears her throat, "Anyway, you said you needed to talk to me about something?"

Marley starts shifting nervously in her seat, "Um, yeah. I'm just not sure exactly how to bring it up."

"It's fine. You can tell me," she smiles reassuringly.

The other girl blows out a puff of air, "Okay. I know this isn't really any of my business. But it's just really strange to me and I have to ask you."

"Okay?" Quinn furrows her brow.

"So of course Kitty told me that she hung out with all of you guys, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Okay, well she said that you were all at your aunt's house."

Quinn feels her heart start to sink. Oh no...

"And she mentioned your aunt was named Rachel. But I thought maybe it was just a coincidence," Marley continues. "But the way she described this Rachel...sounded a lot like the woman I met at the mall that day."

Of course. It didn't even cross Quinn's mind that Marley and Kitty could put two and two together. How could she be so stupid?

"I didn't mention anything to Kitty about it and I never told her that you were dating someone named Rachel. I'm just really confused and it's been bothering me. So, can you please explain?"

"It's not what you think," Quinn blurts.

Marley looks taken aback, "Oh? Quinn, I'm not here trying to accuse you of anything. I just want to know what's going on. And even if it is...what I think it is, you can trust me not to say anything."

The girl does look sincere. Quinn can tell that much. But can she really trust her?

She loves Rachel. And if losing the respect of others is the price she has to pay for being with her, then so be it. The whole world can frown upon her, and she still wouldn't give up what they have.

Sighing, she says, "Rachel's not really my aunt."

"Okay, then why do Kitty and Puck say she is?"

"I mean, she technically is. But not...really?"

Marley just stares at her as confused as ever.

"She was adopted," Quinn explains. "So we're not really blood related."

"So...you're with someone that you were raised to call your aunt all of your life?"

"No! It's not like that either."

"It's not?"

"No." Marley patiently waits for her to continue and it makes Quinn feel slightly more at ease. "We weren't really in each other's lives. She just recently came back from living in New York and she was gone for years. But even before she left, when I was younger, we weren't really around each other much. So I guess I didn't really know her until she moved back. We never got a chance to know each other, until now."

Marley bites her lip, thinking over everything. "That doesn't sound as bad as I thought it was. I mean, not that it's something that happens every day. It's just...different."

"Trust me, I know," Quinn chuckles. "When she came back, we were spending so much time together. And I didn't see her as my aunt. To me, she was this new person. A new friend. And I don't know how it happened but I just..."

"Fell for her?" Marley finishes.

"Yeah," Quinn smiles. "And for some reason she feels the same. So, here we are."

"And your parents are okay with this?"

"Actually, they don't know. You and Santana are the only ones that do."

Marley's eyebrows shoot up to her hairline, "Quinn! Are you really going to keep this hidden forever?"

"Well not forever. We're still figuring it out. But just for right now at least."

"I just hope it's worth it for you."

"It is," she says sharply.

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that," Marley responds softly.

"I know," Quinn sighs. "I'm sorry."

"Look, I know that we don't really know each other all that well. But for some reason, I really care about you. And I don't want to see you get hurt. I know you're a good person, Quinn."

Quinn smiles despite everything.

"And I swear I'm not trying to pursue you or anything," Marley laughs. "I have a feeling Rachel was worried about that. If that look she gave me was anything to go by," she shudders.

"It's okay," Quinn shakes her head at the memory. "I believe you. And I was hoping that we could still be friends?"

"Why wouldn't we be?"

"I don't know. I thought maybe telling you the truth about Rachel would be a deal breaker," she says forlornly.

"Quinn, no. I knew there had to be some explanation for it. That's why I wanted to talk to you before jumping to conclusions. I don't see it as anything really wrong, because it's not. And if she makes you happy, then who am I to judge?"

"Thank you," Quinn grins. "You've actually given me a little bit of hope that things will be okay when everyone finds out."

"Like I said, it's not exactly orthodox, but it's not wrong either," Marley smiles.

Quinn feels her phone vibrating in her pocket and pulls it out to see a message.

Rachel: Everything okay? I've been waiting out here for a while...

She quickly stands, "I have to go. Rachel's here to pick me up."

Marley also stands and waits for Quinn to grab her stuff and turn off all the lights.

When they go outside, Quinn can see her car parked near them with Rachel inside and turns to Marley, "Thanks...for everything I guess. For not judging me or telling anybody or -"

"Don't worry about it," she cuts her off. "Just don't be a stranger. You can talk to me about anything."

"I know," Quinn smiles as she pulls Marley in for a hug. With Santana leaving, she could really use someone else to talk to...

Marley looks over the blonde's shoulder to see the older woman in the car giving her another deadly glare.

"I think she's giving me that look again," she whispers as she suddenly pulls away.

Quinn sighs and turns around to look, only to see Rachel sporting an overenthusiastically fake smile. She scoffs, "Don't worry about it. I'll talk to her. I'll see you soon?"

"Just text me some time," Marley beams.

"Okay. Take care."

She watches Marley walk to her car and when the girl is safely inside, she opens the passenger door to her own car and slides in.

"Hey baby," Rachel greets as she leans in for a kiss. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Quinn clicks her seatbelt in place. "What did you do tonight?" Quinn asks as the woman starts the drive back to her house.

"Oh, you know. Just had some wine and watched Sex and the City for a few hours."

Quinn chuckles, "Of course."

They ride together in silence for the next few minutes. Rachel reaches over to hold Quinn's hand.

"So..." she starts

"Yes, Rach?"

"Wasn't that Marley girl with you when you were leaving?"

Quinn was actually impressed with how long her girlfriend lasted before bringing it up. Five whole minutes...

"Yeah, that was her."

"Why was she there?"

They pull in front of the house when Quinn says, "She came by to say hi."

Rachel kills the engine. "What else did she want? She was in there for a while."

Quinn's sighs and takes off her seatbelt before climbing out of the car. She'd rather tell Rachel about this when they were inside.

She wraps an arm around her waist as they walk to the front door. "She wanted to talk to me about something."

She swears she can actually see the smoke coming out of Rachel's ears as they step inside the house and she can't help it when she chuckles a little.

"Oh? What did she want to talk about?" Rachel asks as sweetly as she can while she drags Quinn to sit on the couch with her.

"Rachel," she sighs. "Please don't freak out?" She pulls the woman into her side and leans back against the arm of the couch.

"Why would I freak out?" Rachel asks as calmly as she can. She's just praying that this girl didn't make a pass at her Quinn, otherwise she knew she would flip shit. "What is it?"

"Marley knows about us."

She frowns, "Marley knows about us?"

"Yes. As in she knows about our...relation."

"Oh, I see."

That's not too bad, she thinks. She was expecting to hear something much worse like...wait, what?

"Marley knows about us?!" Rachel shouts.

Quinn winces as she sits up. This was the initial reaction she was anticipating. "Yeah, she knows."

"How the hell does she know?"

"Shh, baby. You're shouting. I asked you not to freak out."

"Quinn!"

"Okay! She's friends with that Kitty girl, remember? Kitty told her about hanging out with Puck and Quinn and 'Quinn's aunt Rachel'. And Marley just kind of pieced it all together. So she came by to talk to me about it."

"And you told her it was true?" Rachel stands from the couch and starts pacing.

"Well, yeah! But -"

"Quinn! Why would you do that? What if she runs her mouth to everybody? What if it gets back to Judy?"

"Rachel," Quinn stands and wraps her arms around the panicking woman. "Please stop. She's not going to tell anyone."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because she promised she wouldn't, okay? And I explained to her the circumstances of our relationship. And you know what? She's not judging us. She's actually happy for us."

Rachel keeps eye contact with her. She knows that Quinn at least believes it. She sighs, "Quinn, are you sure that you can trust her? Because I still think that she's just trying to win you over."

"Yes, I really do trust her. And will you stop it with that already? She's not out to steal me from you. And she already thinks that you hate her."

"Okay! I know. I'm sorry for being such a jealous girlfriend all the time."

"Rachel," she rests their foreheads together. "I love you. And you trust me, right?"

"Of course I do. I just don't trust anyone else in this world."

"I know, baby. It's okay."

"And I'm just scared that she's going to say something. I can't lose you."

She pulls the blonde in for a desperate kiss. Their lips move together in a haste. And when Quinn finally pulls away, Rachel is reluctant to let her.

"You're not going to lose me."

"You promise?"

"I promise," Quinn smiles.

Rachel nods. She knows that she can't keep living in paranoia. She needs to at least meet Quinn halfway.

"Okay. I'll give Marley just one chance. For you."

Quinn smiles, "Thank you."

"But if she tries anything. And I mean anything. Well, let's just say you've been warned."

"Okay Rachel," Quinn laughs.

The woman continues holding her. She only takes a step back when she hears a stomach growling and looks down.

"Are you hungry?" she asks with concern.

"Yeah," Quinn nods. "I didn't get a chance to go on break tonight."

"Aw, baby," she coos. She takes her hand and pulls her to the kitchen. "Come on, you need to eat. I'll make you something."

"Okay mom," Quinn chuckles.

Rachel looks at her and grimaces, "Gross."

Another few days pass, which means that classes are close to starting for Quinn. She steps out of the admissions office and approaches her dad, who had come by with her to the Lima University.

"Hey," he stands up from his chair. "How did it go?"

"Good," she nods. "I got all of my holds cleared. So I get to keep the classes I wanted," she smiles.

"That's good to hear," he says as they walk out of the building. The campus was pretty crowded that day with a lot of students taking care of last minute things. So they had to park a good distance away.

"What are you taking anyway?" Russell asks. He knows that Quinn was still undeclared, but maybe her class choices could help give her a better idea.

"Hmm, biology," she says with a frown. "Composition, creative writing, and American literature."

"Four classes isn't that bad," he points out.

She shakes her head, "No. I didn't wanna stress myself out in my first semester."

"Good idea, kiddo. And you're taking a few writing classes?"

"Yeah," she shrugs. "I don't know. It's the only thing that I both enjoy and am actually halfway decent at."

"So why not major in something like English? You could be an excellent professional writer."

"Dad, that's not exactly the easiest field to get into," she smiles.

"Well, you'll never know unless you try."

"Sorry that we can't all be doctors like you and mom," she jokes.

"Being a doctor is not for everyone, and that's okay. I wouldn't want that life for you anyway. Your mother and I are hardly home anymore," he says with morose.

"It's okay. I understand, really. You guys don't have to be there for me twenty-four seven anymore. I'll be fine."

"I know you're a smart girl, Quinn. You're gonna go far, kiddo."

She smiles, "Thanks."

They continue walking through the large parking lot.

"I'm not supposed to be saying anything, but your mom's been worried about you."

She nods. She already knew this with what Rachel had told her. "Why is she worried?

"Well, you know how she is. You're at that age where you can go around doing whatever you want, and it probably scares her."

She shrugs, "I'm just enjoying life. I'm not doing anything bad."

"That's what I told her. But in the end it's just her baby girl growing up and leaving the nest."

"Yeah. But I'm fine, I swear."

"I know. But can you maybe try to spend more time with her whenever she is home? I'm sure that would make her feel better."

"Of course," she agrees. She can do that.

They pass by young couple walking through the parking lot holding hands and smiling at each other. Recalling the other night, Russell asks, "So, how did your date go?"

She swallows, "Fine."

"Fine? That's it?" he laughs. "Will there at least be a second date?"

"I'm sure there will be," she says. "I like her a lot."

"Do you think it'll turn out to be something serious?"

"I don't know. I mean, I hope so." She knows that her dad isn't one to pry like Judy is. And he already promised not to say anything to her before Quinn is ready.

"Well when you think it's time, I'm sure your mom would like to meet her. And I would too," he says.

Quinn plasters on a smile. He's probably going to be waiting for a while...