A/N: I'm sorry it took me longer to get this to you, but there are no more excuses after this. This is it. The last chapter. Now those of you who haven't already can reread BWYDT. I'm hoping everything lines up fairly well.

Again, I want to thank everyone who has read and especially those who have reviewed. It has been great motivation to see those numbers and read your comments. So thank you again and I hope you enjoy the last chapter. (there will be a sequel, I just don't know when I will get to it. The blog will be kept going while I'm on my break though.)

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Three Weeks Before The Shoot:

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"I need," Quinn paused as she searched around her office quickly for something she suddenly couldn't remember. "Someone.. who is organized."

"Here."

Quinn paused and looked at the candidate for the once again available assistant position. She was holding a covered lense. The blonde quickly looked at her own hands and saw she was still holding the body of her camera and then realized that she was in fact looking for that lense. That was a plus in her book. "Thank you." She said as she took it. "How did you hear about the job and why are you interested in it?"

The nervous girl shifted on her feet and let out a string of ums and uhs, hesitating to follow as Quinn walked out of the office and on to do her business. Quinn couldn't help but be impressed that the fidgety brunette actually did follow her after the slight pause. The last candidate had stood there for half an hour before leaving, thinking Quinn had just left him there. "Your last assistant, or perhaps your last... Um, she works at, sort of, the same office."

"Sort of the same office?" The blonde asked with her back to her, continuing to go about her day's tasks as usual.

"I'm just a temp there."

"And you realize that despite the fact that your sort of co-worker barely lasted two weeks, that this is not a temporary position? I'm actually looking for someone to stick around."

"Yes Ma'am."

The blonde froze and straightened her posture before slowly turning to meet the now cowering young woman's eyes. But those eyes quickly dropped under Quinn's critical gaze. "It's Quinn. Not Ma'am. I'm not old."

"Yes Ma'am. I mean... yes." Quinn studied her for a bit longer before heading off again. The shorter woman rolled her eyes at herself and then followed once more. "I like to multitask. To, you know, have my hands on everything. She was complaining about all the different things you had her doing..." She trailed off as the photographer slowed down, unsure if she had been offended or not. "But I thought the variety was actually something I would enjoy."

The older woman turned to face her and placed a hand on her hip, pursing her lips. "So, what would you say if I told you I needed a Caramel Brulee Latte, a print out of all my messages, a reorganized version of my schedule, a filtered list of offers, the lighting stands set up before the nearing photo shoot, and a price list of the latest cameras on the market?"

"I would... ask what time the photo shoot was." Quinn arched and eyebrow, looking for an explanation. And after a quick adjustment of the girl's thick rimmed glasses, she continued. "I would want to know if I had time to get your coffee before needing to set up the lighting that way you had it before the shoot began, leaving me time to revise your schedule, filter you offers and calls, then compose a price list all for you to look over as soon as your shoot was finished while I took care of cleaning up the lights afterward."

Quinn shifted her jaw slightly and watched as the confidence faded slightly from the petite brunette before she cleared her throat and shifted her glasses again while straightening her posture slightly. "What's your name and when can you start?"

"Kim and I can start now."

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"Ma, why do you always have to look at me like that?" Adrianne asked without even looking at her mother, simply knowing the look the petite woman had on her face. "I told you why I'm going back to New York."

"Right, something about a career that has nothing to do with what you have been gushing about since you were little." Adrianne didn't answer and just kept folding her clothes. She had stayed with her parents during the last few months, recuperating and dealing while having family support. "I thought you liked it here. You even went on a date with that nice woman you met at the spa. She seemed nice."

"She was nice. Nice for someone else."

Marie shifted her weight between her feet before walking over to her daughter and stilling her hands, taking them in hers as she turned the younger woman to face her. "Quinn is lovely. Quinn is someone we all care very much for. But Quinn is not the one for you."

The taller brunette took a few extra seconds to calm the wave of emotions that had run over her suddenly, threatening to bring the tears about again. She hadn't cried in three weeks now. She wasn't going to start again. "I'm not going back for Quinn."

"Yes you are." Her mother stated firmly and Adrianne dipped her head backwards as she felt the burn at her eyes.

"I miss her. I do, but this is also an opportunity for me. Okay, so it's something I never imagined myself doing, but if I don't like it or if it's not for me, then I'll go back to school and finish my law degree." Adrianne argued, bring her eyes back down to her mothers. "I've seen how photos can move people. Make them think differently. Make them see differently. Not just Quinn's but in magazines I've read. I could spend all day in a court room weaving my way in and out of politics, hoping that everyone plays by the rules or I could do something that calls people out. I could make people notice everything that is being allowed to happen and then they can stand up as a whole and say that that is not right. Verdicts are overturned. Appeals are made. Friends in high places dictate truth and lies. That has to taken care of first, before I can do any real good as a lawyer."

"And you are going to try and do that with pictures?"

"Yes." The taller woman exclaimed in exhaustion. "Or I'm at least going to try. Tell me that you haven't seen a photo in the past and can still remember it to this day because it hit you just the right way. Made you think. Made you feel?"

Marie paused and lightly bounced her daughter's hands in hers. She knew this wasn't the only reason why Adrianne was going back to New York, but she also couldn't deny that she had a point. It wasn't what she was use to, but if Adrianne wanted to do it, Marie would support her. "Are you going to ask Quinn for help?"

"No." She answered quickly. "I already talked to one man that she had worked with in the past. He remembered me and is willing to take me on and teach me some of the basics. If things work out from there, he has connections with some of the top photographers in New York. He will try and get me introduced to one of them. I wont need Quinn's help."

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Two weeks before the photo shoot

Quinn had seen Adrianne her first week back. It had been an unintentional sighting, but they both frequented the same places, had the same comfort zones. But again, Quinn had seen Adrianne but the brunette had not seen the photographer. The blonde had turned around and walked right back out impulsively. It had been for many reasons she figured by the time she got to the studio. The first was simply shock. She had never expected to see the older woman again, thinking she would have stayed in Chicago or gone back to finish school. She had also been a little surprised that Adrianne hadn't called to let her know she was coming back to the city.

But then again, Adrianne probably didn't want anything to do with her after she had blindly lead her into the dark for so many years. Yet seeing her there, watching as the older woman smiled at the cashier and even laughed at a joke, Quinn was hit with the realization that she was alone. She had grown accustom to it over the last several months and had developed a coping device but knowing that Adrianne would disapprove of it only deepened her own guilt about it, yet strangely also lead her to pursue the model of the day with more determination, needing to numb and forget it all.

They hadn't even made it back to Quinn's apartment. The photographer had taken her there in the studio and smiled in satisfaction as the woman gasped and shook the first time. Quinn pulled her head back and looked at the model's face as the woman shut her eyes tight and threw her head back, using the tight grip of her legs around the blonde to keep her from falling backwards. Just watching this, watching the look of ecstasy on the brunette's face was enough for Quinn. To see what she had caused the other woman to feel. To know, that in some way, this woman needed her... that was enough.

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One weeks before the photo shoot

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"Here are your calls." Kim stated with an odd smile on her face as Quinn walked towards her and away from the set currently being deconstructed behind her. The blonde took a second and squinted to read, but she needed her glasses. The uncharacteristically excited brunette in front of her took the opportunity to speak as she followed her boss to her office. "I know it is not my place, or even... well, I shouldn't. But, perhaps... may I make a suggestion?"

Quinn paused in the middle of putting on her glasses and looked at her assistant, unsure of how to answer. "A suggestion about...?"

"Your list." Kim replied, reaching to touch the small paper in the photographer's hand up retracting it quickly. "Your offers." Silence stood between them and the nervous brunette shifted her glasses and diverted her eyes before beginning. "I know that you prefer not to deal with magazine companies, as they restrict your creativity with their needs and wishes. But there is one that I listed at the top there." She explained, pointing and retracting her hand again as Quinn finally dropped her gaze to the paper. "It's a magazine for Broadway shows so you are probably going to be granted more control."

Quinn had stopped listening at Broadway. Always did. "And why is this being granted all of your attention?"

"It's one of those artist pieces. Where they interview a prominent actor or actress. The one they called you to do is kind of an idol of mine."

"An idol?" The blonde smiled and stood up. Every time she heard that word it always reminded her of Rachel back in high school, always referencing her idols. "And who would that be?"

"Rachel Berry." Quinn's full attention shot back down to the paper in her hand. That detail hadn't been written down. "They said that the shoot would only take a night and it wouldn't be for another week because of her expectantly busy schedule." Kim faltered, unable to read her boss' expression. She dropped her tone, fearing she was going to be rejected. "They could even condense it down to just a few hours if need be. She could be in and out before you even know it."

"No." Quinn finally spoke and then closed her eyes, shaking her mind back into reality. "I mean, yes. I'll do the shoot. We just... we don't have to rush anything." Her eyes dropped back down to the paper even though she knew everything that was written on it. "Somethings you just can't rush."

"Hey. Quinn." Both photographer and assistant turned to look at the open office door where the voice had come from. It was Quinn's escape for the night. I beautiful model, just like all the rest. "Are you ready to go yet?"

"Umm..." She hesitated, setting down the paper and running her now sweating hands over the back of her dress pants. "I... actually can't tonight. I'm sorry." She could see the hurt of rejection in the other woman's eyes despite the smile she forced on her face as she nodded her head.

"That's okay. Maybe we can get together next time I'm in town."

"Right."

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Day of the photo shoot

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When Quinn woke up in the morning... well, when she got out of bed. She hadn't actually slept all night, constantly running through her thoughts and all the possibilities, trying to come up with the perfect way to deal with the situation. This was such a huge thing, meeting with Rachel, but at the same time, she felt so stupid because to the diva, this was probably the worst thing she could do with her evening. Did Rachel even know that she was the photographer? That was another worry to add to the list. But when Quinn got dressed for the occasion, her mind was elsewhere, running over what she was going to say, hoping she didn't blurt out an apology for their past awkwardly, but still knew it needed to happen before anything else. But how?

I can do this. Quinn told herself, pulling the collar of her winter coat up to her face as she walked down the crowded New York City street. It's been seven years. I've changed. She'll know that maturity comes with time. She has always had the better grip on the reality of people and their personalities anyway. She rounded the corner and caught sight of her assistant huddled against the wall by the entrance to the studio building. "Is everything set up?" She needed everything to run smoothly today. And as she walked into the studio, her search for anything to keep her hands busy began.

The studio was nothing more than a large, empty loft now occupied by the equipment of the most in demand new photographer in the industry and a crew of stylist, makeup artists, and random paid employees who avoided eye contact and busied themselves as she approached. Quinn wasn't the same bitch she had been in high school, but she did utilize the skills she had perfected in that department to maintain her control if she needed to. She couldn't be seen as a push over. She was still too new. But today, the cowering crew made her nervous. Today was the worst day to be seen as a bitch.

"Is she on her way?" The blonde asked stripping off her coat and throwing it across a vacant chair before busying herself with adjustments in search of perfection.

"She is due here any minute." Kim stated looking over the schedule on her phone, double checking just in case.

"That means she will be here in twenty." Quinn informed her without making eye contact. She knew she was rambling but she couldn't help it. Her body was a buzz with energy, shaking from nerves. The blonde was actually a little surprised she hadn't been physically ill yet.

"Excuse me?"

"If she is suppose to be here now, then she won't show up for at least fifteen minutes with the maximum being thirty minutes. She has to be fashionably late to make an entrance but not glaringly late to be viewed as unprofessional." She stopped her staging to look at the confused yet intrigued girl. "Because of all the words you could use to describe her, Rachel Berry is anything but unprofessional."

Kim followed closely with scurrying steps as the tall blonde glided through the open space with purpose and poise. "You have worked with her before, then?"

Quinn smirked and laughed to herself as she examined the lighting. Perhaps if she had a spine she would have by now. "No. I haven't had that professional pleasure yet." She furrowed her brow. "Are these hot lights?"

"Uh…" The lighting technician fumbled with his answer.

"I want to be able to see her, but not see her sweat. Find some warm lights. It may be winter outside but this building is already heated. We don't need to turn it into a sauna."

"Yes Ma'am."

Quinn left the man to his work, moving on to check her camera equipment. "If you haven't worked with her, you must have heard what she is like then." Kim continued, gaining the infamous dropped brow glare from Quinn. "I'm only asking because I'm a fan of hers. Then again, who isn't right now? I mean, she's only twenty-five and already won Tony Awards and a Grammy for her work on stage. Now with the rumors of her moving to television or film…" Kim sighed in her adoration but left Quinn with a little doubt in herself. What did she have to offer? Hell, Rachel wasn't even gay, what was she thinking. "She's just an inspiration of talent."

The blonde smiled away her laughter but nodded her head. "Always has been, even if it wasn't appreciated. Tell you what, why don't you head down and escort her up. Give you some time to tell her how much you admire her. I am sure she would love to hear it." Because I already know it all and you're only making me more nervous.

Quinn could feel her excitement rising and her nerves giving away. The fear of rejection played in the back of her mind but at the same time, she calmed it with the fact that she wasn't planning on confessing her years of repressed feelings for the actress today. That would have been too much, too soon. She'd tell her about her acceptance of her sexuality. That would be a given bonus knowing that Rachel has two gay dads. It will also eliminate the fear of past competitions from arising again. It was all going to work in her favor and provide her with an opportunity to see if there was even a reason to push things any further. Now she just needed everything to be perfect so she could give Rachel all of her attention. Not like the actress wouldn't have it anyway.

She was calling out orders, hurrying everyone to do what needed to be done before she got there, pointing and directing when her eyes caught sight and her breath was caught. From all the way across the studio, Rachel's eyes had locked on to hers, almost waiting for them, calling for them even. Quinn couldn't breath for what seemed like eternity and no amount of self control could stop the smiling from spreading across her face as the pair never even blinked. "I'll be right back."

Quinn had completely forgotten what she had even been telling the man but didn't care as she started taking steps towards the tiny woman still holding her unbending gaze. Rachel was beautiful. Always had been, but time had only accentuated it. Those large emotional eyes showed worry yet an underflow of excitement that had the photographer smiling even more.

"Rachel."

"Quinn." The blonde noticed the faint smile grow larger and barely took a breath when she heard her name fall from the petite woman's lips. She had heard it so many times, but it had never sounded so perfect before now. Rachel was actually there, was actually seeing her. She was being given her chance. She stood there for only a second before meeting her in a light hug that may have only last two seconds, but it was so much more than about the time. When they touched, when Quinn held her closer, her small frame pressed against hers, she knew this was it. It wasn't some childhood crush. It wasn't some misplaced feelings of admiration. Rachel was meant to be there, meant for her to hold, meant for her. All of the doubt, all of the worry, all of the fear simply vanished. Nothing else mattered because Quinn knew what she wanted now, and she wasn't going to let it go.