Archive of Our Own

Lugging her bag over her shoulder, Quinn waved good bye to Santana and made her way up to her house. She dreaded telling her mom they had lost Nationals. Not that her mother actually cared about show choir but it was just the latest in a long list of things she’d lost. Nationals, Prom Queen. Her boyfriend. She wasn’t even a cheerleader anymore. This whole year had been a waste. She was in exactly the same position as she’d been last year. No boyfriend, no popularity. Nothing. She was still all alone.

Quinn pushed the door open, frowning when she smelled cigar smoke. She hadn’t smelled that since she had come home after her dad moved out. “Mom? What’s going on?”

“Quinnie, I’ve got some good news,” Judy said, a smile on her face.

“What?” Quinn felt a sense of trepidation coming over her.

“While you were in New York, I saw your father. We talked and I’ve forgiven him.”

“What does that mean?” Quinn felt herself falling apart. There was a rock in her stomach. She was about to be screwed over, she just knew it.

“It means I’m coming home.” Russell came into the room, wrapping an arm around Judy.

“What?” Quinn repeated. This couldn’t be happening. She and her mom had been getting along lately. And maybe she would always disappoint her mom but she’d never dreamed this would happen.

“Quinn, I’ve been so lonely and your father has apologized,” Judy began. “I just think-”

“Judy, don’t,” Russell said with a scowl. “We’ve made the decision. We’re the adults and Quinn has to accept it.”

“Since when do you make any decisions? You’ve been gone a year,” Quinn snapped.

“And now I’m back.” Russell glared dangerously.

“Fine,” Quinn huffed, knowing it was useless to argue. Her mother caved into her father just like she always had. “I’m going upstairs.”

“Wait, I’ve make dinner. Your favorite,” Judy said quietly.

“I’m not hungry.”

“Your mother made a meal. The least you can do is sit at the table with us,” Russell said.

“No, I’m not. I’m not going to play like we’re some happy family.” Quinn scoffed and turned away.

“Wait a second.” Russell grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

“Don’t touch me.” Quinn yanked her arm away.

“I am your father and you will respect me.” Russell slapped her face.

“Ow!” Quinn placed her hand on her throbbing cheek. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at her mom, waiting for her to say something. “You aren’t going to do anything about him hitting me?”

“I was disciplining my daughter. That’s why it’s good I’m here. You obviously need that,” Russell said.

“Whatever.” Quinn chuckled, shaking her head. Her mother was silent, like always. “You may stay here, you might hit me but I’m not going to fall in line with whatever you want. You’re not my father anymore. You’re just the man living in my house.”

“Lucy Quinn Fabray, get back here,” Russell called after her as Quinn walked upstairs. She meant it. She wasn’t the Daddy’s Girl who did whatever he wanted her to. No matter what happened, she wasn’t going back to that.

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A knock on her door startled Quinn from her thoughts. “What?”

“Quinn, I want to talk.” Judy walked hesitantly into the room, shutting the door behind her.

“What’s the point? You’ve made your decision. It doesn’t matter what I think.” Quinn crossed her arms over her chest.

“I- I love you. But I miss him. And things aren’t going to be like before.”

“He slapped me,” Quinn exploded. “And you watched and didn’t nothing. It seems exactly like before. Why would I even want to talk to you about this?”

“That won’t happen again,” Judy said weakly.

“Sure, I believe that.”

“I’ve already talked to him. He knows you’re not leaving again.” Judy placed a hand on her shoulder. “I miss my family, Sweetie.”

“We don’t have a family, we have a dictator. And I thought we were doing okay by ourselves,” Quinn said softly. She felt like a fool. How did she let herself trust her mom? She never stood up for her.

“I’m sorry you’re upset about this but-”

“But it doesn’t matter what I think. You’re going to do what you want.” Quinn snorted. “Excuse me, that’s wrong. You’ll do what he wants.”

“Quinn,” Judy tried again, squeezing her arm.

“Just go.” Quinn shrugged Judy’s hand away. “We both know that nothing I say will change this situation. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“I-”

“Don’t. Please leave me alone.” Quinn turned, pressing her face into her pillow.

“Okay.” Judy kissed the top her head. “I really do love you, Sweetie.”

Quinn waited until her door clicked shut to let out a groan. Despite everything, she knew her mom loved her, she was just lonely. And Quinn understood doing heinous things to avoid being alone but this was too much. She wasn’t going to last too long in this situation. It just hurt so badly. He threw her out like trash and never apologized for it. How was she supposed to forgive him? She didn’t even want to. She wanted to forget her father ever existed. But now she couldn’t. So what was she supposed to do now?

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Quinn forced a smile, not wanting to bring down the mood of the room. The rest of the Glee Club seemed thrilled to celebrate their 12th place finish at Nationals. But she just didn’t feel the same way. They didn’t even make the top ten. That wasn’t good. It seemed silly to celebrate. Mr. Schuester even seemed happy, which was probably why everyone else was satisfied with 12th. Coach Sylvester would never have been happy with that. She’d have had them running suicides until they puked. And yeah, Coach was insane but maybe that was why the Cheerios were so good. And this celebration was only making her bad mood even worse.

Taking the soda Tina offered, Quinn attempted to push the melancholy from her mind. The only thing wallowing would do was make everyone else feel as badly as she did. Just because she was miserable, it didn’t mean the whole club had to be. Even if the sight of all theses smiling faces made Quinn want to punch somebody. God, it looked like everyone was paired off and she was left with nothing. Even Artie didn’t seem upset to be in the same room while both of his exes made eyes at their new loves. Quinn was the only one alone. Like always. She didn’t even know why she was surprised. Even when she had a boyfriend, she never had anyone who really cared. It was just the way her life worked. Her own mother didn’t even think about her, why would anyone else?

Finally, Mr. Schuester dismissed them and Quinn let out a sigh of relief. It was over and she could go home and avoid these people for the summer. No matter what Rachel said about meeting during the summer to prepare for next year, there was no way she would do it. There was enough tension at home, the last thing she needed was Glee drama during her free time. No way.

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Rachel climbed into her bed, feeling content. The end of the school year was positive, and for once, not because she could avoid slushies for three months. She had good grades, Finn, and a plan to take Nationals next year. She couldn’t believe everything was going so well. The whole club seemed happy with their 12th place finish and ready to win next year. Everyone except Quinn.

Rachel frowned, thinking back to earlier in the day. Quinn faked it pretty well but Rachel could tell it was an act. Quinn had been upset. Rachel had wanted to talk to her but Finn was holding her hand and she didn’t want to leave him. And it wasn’t like Quinn would have wanted to talk to her anyway. She and Quinn pushed each other’s buttons. She’d like to be close to her but every time they spent time together, it ended in an argument. There was something there that Rachel didn’t understand.

But at the same time, Rachel wished that she understood the dynamic between them. She knew that she and Quinn were total opposites but they could be friends if circumstances were different. But at the moment, there was too much separating them. She doubted Quinn would want her help and she didn’t even know how much she could actually do for her. As stand offish as Quinn was, Rachel was positive that she wouldn’t want her around. Maybe she should just back off. At least until things calmed down a little. Quinn was probably fine and Rachel had so much else going on in her life. There was no reason for her to stick her nose somewhere it didn’t belong and get snapped at. It would be better to focus on Finn and preparing for next year and trust that Quinn could take care of herself. Everything would work itself out.

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Never again. No way. Despite her vow to say away, Quinn had left herself be talked into going to Rachel’s pool party/Glee Club meeting. It was every bit as awful as she’d thought it would be. Nearly everyone was paired off, which was bad enough. But she had to sit there and watch Rachel slobber all over Finn. It was disgusting. Rachel was this terrific person with all of this talent and she panted after Finn like he was worth it. Quinn couldn’t stand it. She felt sick just thinking about them. And she knew everyone probably thought it was jealousy but it wasn’t. She was glad to be rid of him. Getting dumped had stung but it wasn’t Finn she missed. She missed having someone who cared about her.

Shaking her head, Quinn forced those thoughts from her head. She wasn’t going wallow over how lonely she was. It wouldn’t change anything. Right now, she had more important things to worry about. Like how she was going to get back up to her room without running into her dad. Since that first day, she had managed to avoid him. She wasn’t going to purposely antagonize him but she wouldn’t try to please him, either.

As Quinn entered her house, she groaned. Her dad was sitting on the couch, a glass of vodka in his hand. She tried to walk by him without saying anything but he grabbed her wrist. “Let me go.”

“No.” Russell stood up as he held onto her. “Where have you been? Do you think you can just come and go as you please?”

“Mom knows where I was. It’s none of your business,” Quinn said calmly, resisting the urge to yank her hand away. She wasn’t ready for a confrontation.

“This is my house,” Russell hissed, squeezing her wrist.

“This is Mom’s house.” Quinn rolled her eyes. She couldn’t play nice with him. She just couldn’t.

“I’m back and things are going to change. You’ve obviously gotten mouthy since I was gone.”

“Get away from me.” Quinn freed herself from his grip.

“No.” Russell shoved her against the wall, leaning into her face. “You need to respect me, you little brat.”

“Why should I respect someone who abandoned his daughter and cheated on his wife?” Quinn asked, meeting his eyes, despite her pounding heart. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing that he terrified her.

“Shut up.” Russell glared, pushing her once more.

“No. You- Just stay away from me.” Quinn ducked away from him, climbing the stairs as fast as she could. She made it to her room and locked the door behind her.

Collapsing onto her bed, Quinn winced and flipped to her stomach. Her back ached. Her dad had shoved her into the wall a lot harder than she’d realized. She reached around her back, poking herself gingerly. She would have a bruise and be sore for a few days. But at least she’d have an excuse to avoid any more Glee pool parties.

Quinn sighed. It was a little sick to make jokes, even to herself, but she didn’t know what else to do. She couldn’t tell anyone. In the first place, there wasn’t anyone who cared. And secondly, how embarrassing was this? Her father beat her and her mother did nothing. Just the thought of saying anything was awful. She wouldn’t do it. She had to forget the idea of spilling her guts. The only person she could rely on was herself and she had to remember that. Putting her trust in other people only ended in misery. She’d never do that again. Not ever.

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Rachel stuttered to a stop as she reached the track at school. It was early in the morning but there was Quinn, running laps. She hadn’t seen her since the pool party at the beginning of the summer. It had been two weeks and Quinn had been avoiding everyone. But this was perfect. She had a chance to talk to her alone.

Rachel waited for Quinn to get close to her and started jogging along side her. “Can we talk?”

“I’m working out.” Quinn ran a little faster.

“Please?” Rachel increased her pace, trying to keep up with Quinn.

“We’ve got nothing to talk about.”

“You haven’t been around.” Rachel struggled as Quinn tried to out run her. She knew Quinn was in good shape but she thought she’d be able to stay with her.

“Look, don’t do this. We’re not friends and I’ve got too much going on in my life to deal with Glee Club drama.” Quinn finally stopped, her hands on her hips.

“I- What’s going on? I could help you,” Rachel said softly.

“No, you can’t.” Quinn laughed. “I’m going.”

“Wait.” Rachel grabbed her arm as Quinn tried to leave. “What happened?”

“Rachel, please. I don’t want to do this.”

“No, your back. You’ve got a bruise on your back.” Rachel’s eyes were locked on where Quinn’s tank top had come untucked from her shorts.

“Nothing.” Quinn blushed, backing away from Rachel. “I tripped and fell. I’m fine.”

“But-” Rachel cut herself off when Quinn jogged away. She wanted to chase after her, to figure out what was going on but Quinn was so closed off. She would never say anything if it wasn’t her choice. And Rachel knew better than to push her. Quinn lashed out when cornered and Rachel really didn’t want to end up in an argument. But she was still worried. That was a horrible-looking bruise on Quinn’s back. It had faded some so it was clearly old but it didn’t look like a bruise from a fall. However, Rachel knew it was time to drop it. She wouldn’t help if Quinn got angry with her. She would just have to hope that she would figure out a way to get Quinn to talk to her.

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Quinn searched the rows of pain medication, looking for something what would ease her pain. Once again, she’d been unable to avoid her dad and this time, she had an aching side to deal with. Her dad had shoved her down on the ground and kicked her. She ached so badly but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of asking to see a doctor. Besides, she didn’t think she’d broken anything and she didn’t want to risk any unnecessary scrutiny. It would be extremely embarrassing to have anyone find out about this.

“Quinn?” Rachel asked with a hesitant smile.

“Hi.” Quinn forced herself to look away from Rachel’s pleading eyes. She’d managed to avoid thinking about her since they’d met at the track. Her life was difficult enough as it was, the last thing she need was to be sucked into Rachel’s desire to befriend her. She couldn’t take questions and concerns, especially if Rachel didn’t mean it. And she didn’t mean it. How could she? Quinn had been so awful to her, why would Rachel care? After all nobody else did.

“What are you doing here?” Rachel asked.

“Just picking up some pain reliever.” Quinn shrugged, hoping to keep this short. She always revealed too much to Rachel and she couldn’t do that this time.

“Are you okay?” Rachel looked at her worriedly.

“Yeah, just pulled a muscle while I was running.” Quinn grabbed a random bottle, eager to get away quickly. She winced, grabbing her wrist. She’d landed on her arm when she fell. She’d thought it was okay but apparently she was still in pain.

“You hurt your arm running?” Rachel frowned, taking Quinn’s injured arm in her hand.

“I- I fell.” Quinn stared at Rachel as panic came over her. She didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t thought anyone would notice that something was wrong with her.

“You said you pulled a muscle,” Rachel said, stroking Quinn’s arm slowly.

“I- It’s nothing. Just drop it, Rachel.” Quinn yanked her arm away, biting her lip to contain a yelp of pain.

“But Quinn-”

“No.” Quinn shook her head furiously. “What are you doing? Why are you sticking your nose in my business? We aren’t friends.”

“Of course we are. We-”

“No.” Quinn laughed harshly. “We don’t hang out, we don’t talk. You started dating my boyfriend after he dumped me at a funeral. We are nothing.”

“Quinn, don’t say that. I’ve always cared about you.” Rachel blew out a breath. “I don’t know what’s going on but I want to help you.”

“I don’t want your help. I don’t need you to feel sorry for me,” Quinn hissed out as she felt herself losing control of her emotions.

‘I don’t feel sorry for you. I-”

“I just shut up, Rachel! You can’t help me. Nobody can. And you’re- you don’t matter. I don’t need some loser butting into my life.” Quinn felt all the air leaver her body as her words registered. She’d wanted to make Rachel back off but all she managed to do was hurt her.

“Fine, I- Good luck, Quinn.” Rachel spun away, leaving Quinn staring after her.

“Oh, man.” Quinn scrubbed her hand over her face, trying to collect herself. She always did this. She pushed people away when they tried to help. But she didn’t know any other way. She couldn’t let her guard down and end up all alone again. Because that seemed like the only possible outcome. She knew she’d fall apart completely if she relied on someone, only to be let down. She wouldn’t survive it. It was better this way, by herself.

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Rachel leaned her head against Finn’s shoulder, trying to focus on the video game he was playing and not the argument she’d had with Quinn the day before. However, she couldn’t concentrate. All she could think about was Quinn. At first, she had been hurt but now she was mostly worried. There was something going on with her. Everyone else seemed certain that Quinn was sulking about her break up with Finn but Rachel didn’t think that was the problem. Quinn hadn’t even brought that up until Rachel had kept pushing her and Rachel was positive that was just to hurt her. And she’d succeeded but Rachel couldn’t let it go. There was something about Quinn that called out to her. She didn’t think she would be able to drop it until she knew Quinn was safe.

“Rach? You okay?” Finn smiled down at her.

“Oh, yeah. I was just thinking. Did you win?” Rachel smiled back.

“I did.” Finn leaned down, kissing her softly. “What are you thinking about?”

“Quinn.” Rachel sat up straight when Finn rolled his eyes. “What?”

“Rachel, that’s how Quinn is. She pushes people away. I don’t understand why you’re freaking out over this,” Finn said impatiently.

“I’m not freaking out, I’m concerned.” Rachel was irritated by how cavalier Finn seemed.

“I don’t get it. Quinn’s always been mean to you. She doesn’t deserve you caring about her.”

“She’s- she’s, different. She hasn’t picked on me in a long time. And she needs someone to care about her.”

“Why does it have to be you?” Finn asked.

“I don’t know.” Rachel leaned in closer, resting her head on Finn’s chest. Usually Finn’s embrace made her feel so safe but it wasn’t working this time.

“I just don’t want you to be hurt.” Finn wrapped his arms around her. “Quinn’s not a nice person.”

“Finn-”

“She’s not, Rachel,” Finn insisted. “She treats everyone like crap.”

“That’s not fair.” Rachel lifted her head, scooting away from Finn.

“It is. Think about what she did to me.”

“I- That wasn’t right but you did date her again,” Rachel said. She knew this conversation wasn’t going anywhere good but she couldn’t stop.

“She was just using me.” Finn clenched his fists.

“You pursued her. She was with Sam and you went after her,” Rachel pointed out.

“What are doing? Why are you bringing this up?” Finn demanded.

“Because this isn’t all Quinn’s fault. She made mistakes and so did everyone else. But that doesn’t mean she deserves to be alone. I want to help her.” Rachel blinked back tears. She didn’t understand why this was affecting her so much.

“I- I don’t know what to say.” Finn shrugged her shoulders. “Quinn doesn’t let people help her. And honestly, it seems like a waste to try.”

“Maybe it is but I can’t help it. I’m not going to give up on her.”

“Well, that’s why you’re such a good person.” Finn kissed her once more.

“I just care about her.” Rachel slid her arms around him, relaxing once their argument ended. She still felt anxious. Even in Finn’s arms, she couldn’t get Quinn off of her mind. Something was wrong and nobody knew what it was or even seemed to care. She had a feeling this anxious feeling wasn’t going away until she knew that Quinn was all right. And since Quinn was insanely stubborn, she was in for a long fight.

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Lifting up her shirt, Quinn made a face. She knew her father had hurt her but she hadn’t realized he’d managed to reopen cuts that had already healed. There was a lot of blood. She might even need stitches but she wasn’t going to the hospital. Any scrutiny would likely piss her father off even more. And she hated to imagine what he would do to her if he was questioned about her injuries.

Quinn grabbed a piece of gauze and covered her cut, biting her lip at the pain. It was only getting worse. Her father was getting on her case even more. She tried to avoid him but it wasn’t working. She was rapidly losing her grip on the situation.

Collapsing onto her bed, Quinn squeezed her eyes shut. She was hurt and sore and she had no idea what to do. She couldn’t continue like this. She would end up dead or crazy. Her mom clearly was useless so it was up to her to figure something out. But she didn’t know what. Who could help her? She couldn’t take seeing pity in anyone’s eyes. Plus, it’s not like anyone care about her. Nobody had called or texted. She was clearly forgotten by everyone. Except Rachel and there was no way she could reach out to her.

Quinn let out a breath, trying to calm down. Thinking of Rachel tended to twist her up inside. She made her heart pound and her blood race. But Quinn wasn’t in a place to deal with it. That was why she pushed her away. Hurting her felt awful but she didn’t know any other way. Rachel was talented and sweet and way too good to be dragged into her mess of a life. Even if she had to play the bitch, she had to keep Rachel away. Otherwise, it would get way too complicated. And she just couldn’t handle that. She had to keep them both safe by keeping her distance.

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Rachel threw her phone down. Quinn Fabray was the most frustrating person on the planet. She had texted her so many times but she got no response. She wasn’t even being pushy; she just wanted to know if Quinn was okay. But still, she got nothing. Quinn ignored her and it was driving her crazy. There was something wrong but Rachel didn’t know how to get Quinn to open up.

Rachel shook her head at her foolishness. She was letting this situation consume her. It was affecting every part of her life. Even when she was with Finn, her mind wandered. She knew Finn was getting frustrated with her but she couldn’t let it go. Even if everyone thought she was nuts. Quinn needed help but nobody else seemed willing to do anything. She didn’t think she could stand it if Quinn was hurt and she didn’t do anything to help. There had to be some way that she could get Quinn to talk to her. She was fairly stubborn herself and she’d figure it out if it took forever.

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Looking her father straight in the eye, Quinn willed herself not to shake. She would not show him how scared she was. The last bit of pride she had left demanded that she remain strong. “There’s nothing wrong with me. I don’t care what you think.”

“You should. You should care that you’re embarrassing this family with you disgusting behavior,” Russell said.

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Quinn replied. She had barely seen either of her parents since the last time her dad had beaten the crap out of her. She had no idea what he could be so angry about.

“I’m talking about what you’ve been doing on your computer.”

“My computer?” Quinn flushed as she realized what he meant. She had been looking online, hoping to satisfy her curiosity. It was mostly innocent, she just checked out a few message boards for gay teens but that would be enough to piss off her father. Not to mention, the fan fiction she’d read. This was not going to end well. “Why did you get on my laptop?”

“I paid for that, I have the right to know what you’re doing with it.”

Quinn snorted, rolling her eyes. “Mom bought it, you were already gone. And what I do is none of your business.”

“It is. I’m here and someone needs to get you on the right path,” Russell snapped.

“Like I’m going to listen to a lesson on morality from a cheating bastard.” Quinn laughed.

“Shut up!” Russell shoved her into an end table, causing her to tumble to the ground.

“Ow!” Quinn groaned as she tried to stand up.

“No, stay down, you little dyke. You think you can talk back to me, shame your family with your perverted behavior and nothing will happen? That’s not the way it works.” Russell grabbed the front of her shirt and yanked her up, punching her in the face. He landed several blows on her face and stomach before dropping her to the ground, giving her a final kick and walking away.

Quinn laid on the ground for several minutes trying to catch her breath. She winced as she attempted to sit up. This was bad. She could hardly move but she had to get out before her dad returned. She wasn’t sure she’d survive another beating like that.

Finally, Quinn managed to stand and struggled up to her room. She moved slowly, shoving clothes into a duffle bag. She had no clue where she would go but she couldn’t stay here. Maybe she was a horrible person but she didn’t deserve this and she didn’t have a death wish. She would find some place to go, even if she had to sleep in her car. Anything would be better than this.

“Quinn?” Judy poked her head in the room. “Oh, my God.”

“Skip the dramatics. You’re the one who let him came back.” Quinn was way too sore to put on a happy face.

“Baby, I never wanted this. I thought he’d changed.” Judy came closer but didn’t try to touch her.

“Whatever, I’m leaving. I- I can’t be here with him anymore.” Quinn lifted her shirt, trying to get a look at the new injuries she had on her body.

“Here, let me do that.” Judy walked over to Quinn and began to clean her up. She worked silently, gently tending to her injured body.

“I think I’m ready to go.” Quinn pushed her mom’s hands away.

“You don’t have to,” Judy said helplessly.

“I can’t be here while he is.” Quinn looked at her expectantly before rolling her eyes. “Right. Of course you aren’t going to do anything.”

“Quinn, maybe if we give it a little more time, we’ll be better.”

“If we give it more time, I’ll end up dead,” Quinn snapped as she zipped up her duffle bag.

“Wait. Here.” Judy handed Quinn a wad of cash and a credit card. “Take care of yourself and if you need anything else, call me.”

Quinn stared silently at her mom, her emotions swirling all over the place. She didn’t understand how her mom could let him stay here but still seem to care about her. Nothing made sense and she was in too much pain to try and figure anything out. “I- I’ll take it because I need it but don’t think that makes everything all right.”

“Okay.” Judy pressed a kiss to the side of her face. “I love you so much.”

“Yeah. Bye.” Quinn grabbed her bag, struggling to make it out of her room. She made it to her car and breathed a sigh of relief. She was out of the house and that was the most important thing. She wouldn’t be hurt anymore. She could figure out exactly what she would do when the pain subsided.

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It was early in the morning when Rachel jogged to the high school. She’d had an awful night’s sleep and she thought that a jog might actually clear her mind. She and Finn were arguing again. This time, it wasn’t even over Quinn. She’d figured out that he didn’t want to talk about her so Rachel didn’t bring her up. But they still fought. Finn expected her to be free whenever he wanted to go out. And she’d sort of done that the last time they dated. But she couldn’t do it anymore. She had too much going on in her life. She wasn’t going to be completely devoted to him. And if he couldn’t handle that, it was too bad.

As Rachel got closer to the school, she found a car in the parking lot. That was strange; it was way too early even for summer school for people to be there. And that car was familiar. It was Quinn’s car. She quickened her pace, her jaw dropping when she looked in the window. “Quinn? What’s wrong?”

Quinn blinked up at Rachel, her face paling when she realized what was happening. She quickly closed her eyes, pretending to still be asleep.

“Don’t. Open up, I’m not going away.” Rachel stared in horror at Quinn. There were bruises and cuts all over her face. She wouldn’t let it go this time. Quinn was in big trouble.

Quinn looked at her stubbornly before reaching over and unlocking the door. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not. What happened?” Rachel asked, gently touching Quinn’s cheek.

“I- I can’t talk about it. Please, just leave it alone.” Quinn tried to lean away but Rachel wouldn’t allow her to.

“I can’t do that. You’re hurt. Badly. And this isn’t from a fall during a run. Somebody hurt you.” Rachel traced a bruise on Quinn’s face. Her heart broke at the way Quinn cringed away from her.

“Yeah.” Quinn sighed. Her gaze focused away from Rachel. “But I- I got out and I’ll be okay.”

“You’re sleeping in your car at our high school. That’s not okay.” Rachel turned Quinn’s face until they were looking at each other. She used her finger to wipe the single tear falling on Quinn’s cheek.

“I- I can’t just go to a motel and get a room. I mean, look at me. I look hideous.”

“No, you look injured, which is what you are.” Rachel shook her head. “Let me take you to the hospital.”

“No. Absolutely not.” Quinn shook her head rapidly, wincing at the movement.

“Be still.” Rachel placed a hand on her back. “You don’t want to hurt yourself even more.”

“People would ask questions. I’m not going to the hospital,” Quinn said firmly.

“If someone hurt you, they should be in jail. Why won’t you go and get help?” Rachel asked.

“Nobody’s going to help. Nobody cares about me.” Quinn rolled her eyes.

“That’s not true,” Rachel insisted.

“Give me a break. You’re the only one who’s texted or called or even talked about me in weeks,” Quinn said bitterly. “I know I push people away but it wasn’t hard to make all my so-called friends leave.”

“Quinn,” Rachel whispered, tears filing her eyes. The words Quinn said were true but it hurt to hear that Quinn felt so alone. “I can’t speak for anyone else but I’m here. I care.”

“You shouldn’t. I’m awful to you.”

“Well, you can’t stop me. I care about you and I’m not leaving without you.” Rachel sighed.

“I won’t go to the hospital.”

“Fine. But you’re not staying here or in some motel room all by yourself. Come home with me.” Rachel stared hopefully at her, hoping she’d agree. She had to help her; she couldn’t leave her here in pain.

“I can’t do that. Your dads-”

“My dads will just want to help you. We’re not going to make you do anything you don’t want.” Rachel held her breath as she watched the emotions play over Quinn’s face. “Besides, they’re both hardly home right now. They’re busy at work.”

“Rachel, can you please just let it go? I don’t see how this will work,” Quinn said.

“Here’s how it’ll work. I’ll drive you to my house, clean your cuts, get you into some clean clothes. You’ll lie down in my guest room and I’ll get you some soup and tea,” Rachel replied simply. She probably took it too far but she needed to take care of Quinn.

“I- I don’t-” Quinn cut herself off, looking conflicted.

“Please, Quinn, let me take care of you,” Rachel begged. “I think I’ll lose my mind if I have to worry about you.”

“Okay.” Quinn responded weakly.

“Good, let’s switch seats so I can drive,” Rachel said, feeling relieved.

“I can drive.”

Rachel looked at her incredulously. “You’re hurt. You probably have a head injury. It’s not safe for you to drive.”

“Okay. It’s not worth fighting about.” Quinn got out of the car and into the passenger seat.

“Let’s go.” Rachel started the car, grateful that Quinn didn’t fight her on this. She just wanted to get Quinn to her house and take care of her.

“Hey, Rachel?” Quinn asked, knocking Rachel out of her thoughts.

“Yes?” Rachel glanced over at Quinn, searching for any sign of distress.

“Thank you for doing this. You don’t have to.” Quinn looked down at her lap.

“You’re welcome. But I did have to. It’s- I care about you, Quinn. I’d never want something bad to happen to you.” Rachel smiled at her and then drove away, glad that they had settled things for now.

---------------------

Quinn woke up a few hours later, feeling disoriented. It took her a minute to figure out where she was and why. She’d let herself be talked into coming to Rachel’s. How could she come here? Rachel may not have pushed for answers before but she would eventually. And Quinn knew she couldn’t give them to her. And she also couldn’t depend on Rachel, either. As sweet and caring as she was, it was dangerous to rely on her.

Shoving the blanket off, Quinn struggled to stand. She’d rested and it was time for her to go.

“Whoa, you’re awake.” Rachel came back into the room, holding a cup of tea. “You don’t have to get up. You need your rest.”

“Listen, Rachel, it was nice of you to let me come here but I’d probably better go.” Quinn met Rachel’s eyes and nearly melted at the concern there.

“No, you shouldn’t.” Rachel rushed to her side, clumsily setting the cup on the end table. “You- you can barely move.”

“I’ll be okay. These few hours have really helped me. I don’t need to put you out anymore,” Quinn said.

“You’re not putting me out.”

“I’m sure you’ve got something better to do than baby-sit me. Like voice lessons or dance lessons. Or, you know, Finn.” Quinn swallowed hard. Thinking about Rachel and Finn made her feel so uncomfortable.

“None of that matters. You need me right now,” Rachel said resolutely. “I’m not going to abandon you.”

“This isn’t your responsibility,” Quinn insisted.

“Quinn,” Rachel whispered, brushing the hair back from Quinn’s face. “I know we’re not exactly close but I want to help you. I want to know what happened to you.”

“I-” Quinn closed her eyes, trying to stem the tears that wanted to fall. “I don’t- I can’t be dependent on anyone. I have to take care of myself.”

“No, you don’t.” Rachel stroked Quinn’s cheek, carefully avoiding her bruises. “There’s nothing wrong with accepting help when you need it.”

“I don’t know.” Quinn opened her eyes to find Rachel staring at her earnestly. It would be so easy to accept Rachel’s help and let her worries go for a little bit.

“Please, Quinn. It doesn’t have to be forever. Just- just rest for a little while.” Rachel grabbed Quinn’s hands in her own.

“I am pretty tired,” Quinn admitted, feeling weak. How did she let herself get sucked in by Rachel’s big brown eyes?

“Okay. So sleep more. When you wake up, we can talk more,” Rachel said eagerly.

“Okay, sure.” Quinn leaned back on the bed, closing her eyes. Rachel pulled the covers over her. Quinn drifted off to sleep, feeling content and protected as Rachel kissed her forehead and whispered into her ear.

-------------

Rachel came back into her house, listening for any sign of movement. She had gone out to pick up food for her and Quinn. She’d left Quinn a note but she didn’t want to worry her. Quinn had slept most of the day away. She obviously needed the rest but Rachel was terrified that Quinn would leave and end up hurt again. And she didn’t think she could let Quinn go until she knew she was safe. And she didn’t think that would happen until she knew exactly how Quinn was hurt. But Quinn wouldn’t tell her, she knew.

Setting the bags on the counter, Rachel made her way to the guest room. She poked her head inside, seeing Quinn was still asleep. She couldn’t resist the urge to tip-toe into the room, sitting on the edge of the bed. Her mouth curved into a smile as she gazed at Quinn. Despite the horrific bruises, Quinn looked so peaceful as she slept. Like an angel. Rachel bit her lip, her eyes tracing Quinn’s face. She wanted to touched her, it was crazy how much she wanted to lie down next to her and hold her and protect her from everything. She had just reached out her hand when Quinn’s eyes fluttered open. “Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Okay. I feel better now that I’ve gotten some sleep.” Quinn started to sit up and Rachel slid her arm around her.

“Good. I’m glad.” Rachel smiled. “I’ve got dinner downstairs. You want to eat?”

“Um, actually, I think I’d like a shower first, if it’s all right?” Quinn asked shyly.

“That’s fine.” Rachel stood up, helping Quinn to do the same. “Let’s get you in the shower.”

“Thanks but I can handle it myself.”

“Of course you can.” Rachel blushed. She was so eager to help Quinn that she was making a fool of herself. “I’ll go warm up dinner while you shower.”

“Thanks,” Quinn said.

Rachel went downstairs, putting their food in the microwave. She set the table, making sure each place had a napkin. She started to look for a candle to light but stopped. That wasn’t necessary. It wasn’t like this was a date. Just because her heart was pounding, it didn’t mean they were on a date.

After a few minutes, Rachel remembered there were no towels in the guest bathroom. She ran upstairs, grabbing a towel and knocking on the door. “Quinn, I’ve got a towel for you.”

“Yeah, sure.” Quinn’s voice was wobbly and Rachel frowned when she went in the room.

“Is there something wrong?” Rachel asked, not wanting to leave without making sure Quinn was okay.

“I-” Quinn sighed loudly. “I managed to get in the shower and everything but I- I don’t think I can get dressed by myself.”

“Oh! Well, that’s- I can help.”

“I’m pathetic,” Quinn muttered.

“No, you’re not.” Rachel shifted nervously. “Are you ready to get out?”

“Yeah.” Quinn turned the water off and opened the shower curtain.

“Here.” Rachel held out her hand and help Quinn out of the shower. She wrapped the towel around her. “There you go.”

“Sorry about all this,” Quinn said, looking away.

“It’s not a problem.” Rachel was careful to keep her eyes level as she dried Quinn off. She didn’t want Quinn to feel more uncomfortable than she had to be. “You want to get your pants on?”

“Yeah.” Quinn nodded as Rachel knelt down, sliding the pants up Quinn’s shaky legs.

“Oh, Sweetie.” Rachel stood up, her eyes landing on Quinn’s stomach. There were bruises and cuts and scrapes. Some were obviously healed but some were brand new. She had thought Quinn’s face was banged up but this was even worse. This- She needed help. “How did you survive?”

“I don’t need your pity.” Quinn crossed her arms over her stomach.

“It’s not pity,” Rachel said, pulling her gaze up to Quinn’s. “You’re my friend, and you don’t deserve this.”

“I- Okay. Can you just help me get my shirt on?” Quinn asked.

“I can do that.” Rachel helped Quinn pull her shirt on, wincing when Quinn winced. “Are you ready to eat?”

“I am.” Quinn held on as Rachel led her downstairs. “You didn’t have to get me anything for dinner. Letting me stay here is honestly enough.”

“It’s not that big of a deal. I mean, it’s burgers and fries. I have to eat myself, I just ordered for two.” Rachel shot Quinn a playful grin.

“You didn’t get me a veggie burger, did you?” Quinn grinned back.

“No, I got you a real one,” Rachel said. They ate quickly, Rachel unable to look away from Quinn. She was worried. She couldn’t imagine anyone hurting Quinn. No one deserved it but especially not Quinn.

“I’m not going to break apart,” Quinn said pointedly.

“I- Quinn, I know you don’t want to talk about it. But your injuries are serious. You need to have them looked at,” Rachel said quietly. She didn’t want to push but she couldn’t let it go. “My daddy’s a doctor and he’d probably do it but I really think you should go to the hospital.”

“You bandaged me up. I’ll be okay.”

“I know that we cleaned you up. But it’s not enough.”

“Oh, Rachel.” Quinn sighed. “I-”

“Wait,” Rachel interrupted. “I’ll drop it. I won’t ask you any more questions about what happened. But you’ve got to let me take you to the hospital.”

“I can’t do that. Someone will find out and then everyone will know. Santana’s dad works at the hospital. So does Finn’s mom. I- I couldn’t stand it if they knew,” Quinn said.

“We’ll go out of town. We don’t have to stay here.” Rachel reached across the table to hold Quinn’s hand. “Please, Quinn.”

“I-” Quinn shrugged her shoulders. “Are you sure you want to drive me out of town?”

“Of course I do. I’d take you anywhere if it meant you were okay.” Rachel blushed, realizing she sounded a little histrionic.

“I’ll do it.”

“Good.” Rachel stood up, throwing her arms around Quinn. “I just want you to be okay.”

“I will be. You- you’ve really helped me,” Quinn admitted.

“That’s all I want to do,” Rachel murmured. She didn’t know where this protective streak came from. She’d always admired Quinn and wanted to be her fried. But this feeling was unfamiliar. However, Rachel didn’t mind it. She enjoyed taking care of Quinn and she was amazed that Quinn allowed it.

------------

It was dark by the time they were finished at the hospital. Quinn leaned her head against the window as Rachel drove. Quinn was fairly surprised that Rachel hadn’t said anything but she appreciated it. She needed a moment to get settled. It was humiliating to have that doctor poking around her body, looking at her with pity. She’d made up a story about fallowing down the stairs and hitting her face. She doubted he had believed her but he hadn’t questioned her so she was thankful. Plus, he’d given her a prescription for painkillers.

Looking over at Rachel, a wave of relief came over Quinn. As much as she didn’t want to depend on her, Rachel had proven to really care about her. She knew she had to show her gratitude. “Rachel?”

“Are you okay? Do you need to stop?” Rachel asked, concern all over her face.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Quinn reassured her. “I just wanted to thank you again for going out of your way to help me.”

“It’s- it’s really not a problem. I’d help anyone in this situation.” Rachel paled. “Not that you’re just anyone. I care about you and-”

“Stop your rambling. I know what you mean.” Quinn smiled fondly at her. It really was amazing how wonderful Rachel made her feel.

“Good.” Rachel smiled back and they were silent for several more minutes.

Eventually, Quinn began to feel unsettled. After everything Rachel had done for her, she deserved to know what she was getting into. Quinn owed her that much at least. “It was my dad.”

“Huh? I didn’t hear you,” Rachel said.

“It was my dad,” Quinn repeated louder. “My dad’s the one who hurt me.”

“What?” Rachel pulled into a gas station and turned to Quinn. “I- I didn’t know you still saw him.”

“I didn’t. When I came home from New York, he was just there. My mom let him come back like nothing had ever happened.” Quinn chewed on her lip, trying to keep control of herself.

“After New York? That was when you started pulling away from everyone. Did- did he hit you then?” Rachel asked.

“Yeah.” Quinn nodded. “It was just a slap the first time. But it kept getting worse. I tried to avoid him but I couldn’t all the time. And this last time- I had to leave before I ended up dead.”

“Oh, Quinn.” Rachel reached out and took her hands. “What about your mom? Didn’t she do anything?”

Quinn gave a watery laugh. “She never stands up to him. She gave me money and her credit card when I left but that was it.”

“I’m sorry.” Rachel squeezed her hand.

“I didn’t tell you so you’d be sorry. I thought you should know the truth.”

“Well, I’m glad you trust me.”

“I do.” Quinn’s eyes began to fill with tears. “You’re the only one I told. I’m so scared that everything’s going to collapse and you’ll leave because it’s too much. But you deserved to know the truth.”

“Oh, Quinn, no.” Rachel cupped her face, gently rubbing her cheeks. “None of this is your fault. I’m not going to abandon you. I don’t know what’s going to happen but you’ll always have me.”

“You can’t promise that. What if- what if someone finds out and you have to make a choice?” Quinn voiced her biggest fear. That someone would force a choice and she’d be alone again.

“That’s not going to happen. I don’t give up my friends. And anyone who tried to make me do so really doesn’t know me at all,” Rachel stated.

“I want to believe you.” Quinn looked at her seriously.

“I guess I’ll have to prove it to you.” Rachel leaned in, pressing her lips to Quinn’s cheek. “Now, let’s get you home.”

“Thank you, Rachel.”

“You’re welcome.” Rachel patted Quinn’s cheek before starting the car.

Quinn watched Rachel, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. Telling Rachel what happened had made her feel like she wasn’t alone in this and that was really all that she needed.

---------------

It was an hour later when Rachel finally managed to crawl into her own bed. Quinn was asleep in the guest room, thanks to the painkillers. Rachel was happy that Quinn was finally able to relax but she still had a lot on her mind. She knew her dads wouldn’t care but they still needed to be told. And maybe her daddy could take a look and make sure that Quinn was really okay. And of course, there was Finn- she’d like to think he would understand. But he had this blind spot toward Quinn. She knew if she didn’t tell him everything, Finn would be angry. And she also knew that Quinn would never forgive her if she told anyone. She was kind of stuck.

Tugging her sheet over her, Rachel tried to push those thought from her mind. Any problems would have to be worked out some other time. Right now, the most important thing was that Quinn was safe and keeping her that way. The trust Quinn had in her- it caused all sorts of butterflies inside of her. It was important and she wouldn’t betray that trust. Not even for Finn.

Rachel felt a little better now that she had worked everything out in her mind. It was time to sleep. She had her voice lesson tomorrow and she couldn’t be distracted. She had to have her rest. All of her worry about Quinn had caused her to lose sleep. But now everything was fine and Quinn was safe. There was nothing to worry about at the moment. She could finally get a good night’s sleep.

------------------

A few days later, Quinn stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at herself. She patted the makeup on her face, glad that it seemed to be working. Her bruises had faded a little and she was able to cover them up now. Nobody would be able to tell she was hurt if she managed to hold herself still while she walked. Which meant that it was time for her to go. Rachel had been sweet to her and her dads had welcomed her in their home but she couldn’t stay like this forever. Even if she didn’t get in their way, she couldn’t stay here indefinitely. She had to figure out what she was going to do. And she had to do it on her own. Even thought Rachel taking care of her was just about the cutest thing she’d ever seen. It made her feel so happy to be the center of her attention. But that wasn’t good. She couldn’t get used to it.

A door bell rang, distracting Quinn from her thoughts. She rushed down the stairs and opened the door. She frowned at the sight of Finn in front of her. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see Rachel. What the hell are you doing here?” Finn demanded.

“I’m hanging out with her,” Quinn said, trying not to lose her temper.

“Why? You’re not even friends.” Finn shook his head. “Never mind. I don’t care. Just let me in so I can talk to her.”

“She’s not here. She’s got dance class all morning,” Quinn said incredulously. Rachel never shut up about her schedule. How could he possibly not know?

“What? Oh, right. Why- why are you here when she’s not?” Finn asked.

“She’s helping me with my singing so I’m spending a few days here.” Quinn was glad she’d thought of something that sounded reasonable and also that Finn wasn’t observant enough to figure out that it didn’t really make sense.

“Why didn’t she tell me?”

“I asked her not to,” Quinn said.

“You made her lie to me?” Finn scowled.

“I didn’t tell her to do anything.” Quinn rolled her eyes impatiently. This was another reason she needed to leave. She really didn’t want to be in the middle of their relationship.

“Whatever.”

“Yeah, whatever. Why don’t you come back when Rachel’s here? I don’t want to deal with you.” Quinn shut the door before he could respond. She probably shouldn’t have done that. He was going to go and whine to Rachel about how mean she was to him. But she just couldn’t help it. Finn was infuriating to deal with on her best day but today she just had to snap at him. Hopefully, Rachel wouldn’t be angry with her. But if she was, it would make things easier. Quinn would be able to leave if Rachel was mad at her.

--------------

Rachel dumped her bag into her room before heading down the hallway to Quinn’s room. It was funny that she already had gotten used to having Quinn in her house. She didn’t want her to leave. It had only been a few days but Quinn fit in so well with her family. Even though it might not work out, she kind of wanted her to stay forever.

As Rachel walked into Quinn’s room, her jaw dropped and she gasped. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“The doctor said I’m supposed to change the bandages on my ribs daily.” Quinn turned away, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I- I forgot about that. Have you been doing that by yourself? Why didn’t you ask for help?” Rachel asked, crossing the room and placing her hand on Quinn’s bare back.

“I’m perfectly capable of doing this myself. And anyway, I didn’t want to bother you,” Quinn muttered under her breath.

“You’re not a bother.” Rachel shook her head affectionately and turned Quinn around. “And it will be much easier to do this if I help.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Yeah,” Rachel repeated teasingly. She took the white bandage from Quinn and began wrapping it around her body. “Tell me if it’s getting to tight.”

“You’re fine.” Quinn looked up at the ceiling.

“Good,” Rachel whispered. She worked tenderly, not wanting to hurt Quinn. This was oddly intimate and Rachel was having trouble keeping her hands steady. Even with all the bruises and cuts, Quinn was absolutely breathtaking. All smooth, pale skin. Rachel bit her lip, trying to focus on the task at hand. Her thoughts were totally inappropriate. She was supposed to be helping Quinn, not lusting after her. She shook her head, needing to get rid of those thoughts. This situation was causing feelings that weren’t really there. It would be absurd to think about it anymore. “There. All done.”

“Thank you.” Quinn blushed, still refusing to look at Rachel.

“You’re welcome.” Rachel backed away, giving Quinn space as she pulled her shirt back on. “So? How was your morning?”

Quinn rolled her eyes. “I’m guessing you talked to Finn.”

“Yes. I’m sorry he argued with you. I- I didn’t think he’d show up when I wasn’t here,” Rachel said.

“It’s fine. He’s your boyfriend,” Quinn said uncomfortably.

“Still. You- I want you to feel like you belong here. The last thing you need is stress.” Rachel walked closer to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“I don’t feel stress. You- you make me feel so safe, Rachel,” Quinn said shyly.

“I’m glad. That’s- that’s all I really wanted.” Rachel looked at Quinn’s face, smiling at what she saw there. “Hey, your bruises have healed.”

“No, not yet.” Quinn shook her head. “I’ve got cover up on.”

“Why?” Rachel frowned.

“I can’t exactly leave with my face all banged up. Although, I guess it’s good I had it on when Finn came. That’s lucky,” Quinn joked.

“I guess.” Rachel stared at her. “But why would you want to leave?”

“It’s not that I want to,” Quinn said slowly. “But I can’t stay here forever, Rach.”

“Are- you’re still hurt. You can’t leave yet.”

“Oh, Rachel,” Quinn said. “You know this isn’t going to work. Not- not for much longer. It’s going to get complicated. I mean, Finn’s clearly upset.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Rachel said vehemently.

“Are you going to tell me that Finn didn’t have a problem with me being here?” Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, he did,” Rachel admitted, flashing back to earlier in the afternoon. Finn had been waiting for her at her dance class and he’d been fairly angry. “But it doesn’t matter.”

“It does. He’s your boyfriend and what he thinks matters.”

“But not more than you.”

Quinn shook her head. “Come on. You’ve spent two years chasing after him; I know how this is going to end. You’ll have to excuse me if I want to cut this off before you have to choose. Because even though I know you’ll pick him, I’m not sure I can take being left again.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Rachel swore. She realized Quinn thought she was going to be cast off again

“Of course it will. And it’s okay. I can deal.” Quinn wiped at her eyes and Rachel was horrified that she might be crying.

“No. No. I don’t want you to leave. Finn- Finn doesn’t have a say in this. I want you here as long as you want to be,” Rachel stated.

“You say that but-”

“No.” Rachel covered Quinn’s mouth with her hand. “Finn is my boyfriend but he doesn’t tell me what to do.”

“I-” Quinn shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t want to make your life so difficult.”

“Don’t worry about it. I can handle it.” Rachel tilted her head, waiting for Quinn’s response.

“I don’t want to leave,” Quinn admitted.

“All right.” Rachel threw her arms around Quinn, trying not to hurt her. “I really like having you here with me.”

“I like being here.” Quinn pressed her face into Rachel’s neck.

“You’ll have to shove me away if you want to leave.” Rachel closed her eyes, scratching Quinn’s scalp with her nails.

“Mmm, feels good.” Quinn leaned into Rachel’s touch.

“I want to make you feel good.” Rachel’s eyes flew open. What did she just say?

“Yeah?” Quinn’s voice was low and husky.

“Mmm hmm.” Rachel continued running her fingers through Quinn’s hair, ignoring her inappropriate comment and Quinn’s seductive response. They’d had a stressful couple of days and were saying things they didn’t really mean. Even if her heart was racing because Quinn was so close to her.

“You’re so good to me.” Quinn lifted her head, locking eyes with her.

“We’re friends. I’d do anything for you,” Rachel whispered and she meant it. All of this time spent with Quinn only caused her to want good things for her. “I care about you so much.”

“Me, too,” Quinn agreed.

“I’m starving. Do you want to get something to eat?” Rachel asked, taking a step back. She needed distance if she wanted to get her heart rate back to normal.

“Sounds good.”

“Good.” Rachel was satisfied that things were settled between them. She wasn’t going to let Finn or anyone else wreck things between them. There was nothing that Quinn could do that would make her change her mind. They were finally friends and that was all she wanted.

------------------

This was a surreal experience, Quinn thought. She looked around the room, unable to believe this was happening. She was in the Berry living room, watching movies on Berry Movie Night. Rachel’s dads were on one end of the couch and she and Rachel were on the other. It was Rachel’s turn to pick and they were watching ‘Meet Me in St. Louis.’ It was pretty enjoyable but the most surprising part was how accepted she felt. Rachel’s dads had made sure she had her favorite drink and extra butter on her popcorn. They asked her what she thought of the movie and giggled at her response. It was like she was a part of the family.

But the best part might just be Rachel. Rachel cuddled up next to her. She tugged on her arm when she got excited. She sang along with the movie. Quinn loved every moment of it. She was being silly, she knew. She was letting herself get more and more entangled with Rachel and it was dangerous. Rachel might care about her, might like having her around but that was it. These feelings that she created in her weren’t mutual. But Quinn couldn’t seem to stop them and she really didn’t want to. Even though she’d probably end up crushed, she wanted to revel in this closeness for as long as she could.

After the movie was over, Rachel looked at Quinn expectantly. “Well, what did you think?”

“It was wonderful. I’m not one to really enjoy musicals but Judy Garland is fantastic,” Quinn answered, grinning at how pleased Rachel seemed to be.

“Great. I can’t wait to show you more.” Rachel grinned back.

“I think that’s our cue to go to bed.” Leroy stood up, smiling at Quinn. “Good luck, Quinn. We own tons of Judy Garland movies.”

“Daddy!” Rachel looked disgruntled.

“It’s going to be a long night for Quinn. We just want to warn her.” Hiram laughed before joining Leroy in the doorway.

“I think I can handle it.” Quinn patted Rachel’s hand reassuringly.

“Good night, girls.” Hiram and Leroy walked out of the room.

“We don’t have to watch anymore if you don’t want to,” Rachel said shyly.

“No, it’s your pick and you’ve got good taste.” Quinn tipped Rachel’s chin until they were staring at each other.

“I think that’s the first time anyone’s ever said that to me.” Rachel laughed.

“I- I don’t know what to say to that.” Quinn chewed on her lip, feeling slightly self-conscious. She knew some of Rachel’s insecurity was her fault but there wasn’t anything she could do to change that.

“Are you sure you don’t want to pick the movie?” Rachel asked.

“I am.” Quinn nodded.

“Okay. I think I’ve got the perfect one.” Rachel slid the disc into the DVD player and sat back down next to Quinn, showing her the box.

“‘In the Good Old Summertime?’ What’s it about? I’ve never heard of it?” Quinn asked.

“It’s about two people who are total opposites but somehow, they fall in love,” Rachel said.

“Hmm.” Quinn sighed in contentment when Rachel laid her head on her shoulder. “Sounds pretty nice.”

“Yeah, it does.” Rachel snuggled even closer. “I hope you’ll like it.”

“I’m sure I will,” Quinn whispered. She couldn’t help but think that the movie description reminded her of her and Rachel. They shouldn’t get along so well but they overcame the odds to become friends. And there were all of these feelings that Quinn really didn’t understand. But she didn’t want them to go away. Not for anything. She slung her arm around Rachel’s shoulder and pulled her even closer. This was good and she couldn’t get enough of it.

------------

Rachel groaned and began counting to ten, trying to keep her temper in check. Blowing up at Finn wouldn’t do any good. “Can we drop this? I came over to spend time with you. I don’t want to fight.”

“Neither do I but you’re lying to me,” Finn said.

“Just because I’m not saying what you want, it doesn’t mean I’m lying,” Rachel replied. “But I understand what your problem is and all I have to say is that I’m allowed to have friends.”

“Not Quinn. She’s- she’s awful to you.” Finn tried to take her hands but she yanked them away. “And she’s trying to take you away from me.”

“That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard. We don’t talk about you,” Rachel said.

“Why are you ditching me to spend time with her then?” Finn asked.

“That’s- that’s not what I’m doing,” Rachel sputtered. “I- Quinn needs a friend right now.”

“Why?”

“That’s personal. Quinn doesn’t want her life being gossiped about,” Rachel said, knowing that Finn wouldn’t accept that.

“No, that’s not a good enough reason for you to keep something from me. What’s going on?” Finn glared.

“I’m not going to tell you. You’re my boyfriend, not my boss. The only thing I can say is Quinn needs me right now,” Rachel stated simply.

“Give me a break.” Finn snorted. “The only person Quinn cares about is herself. She doesn’t need anyone.”

“Stop it. This is done. I’m not debating my friendships with you anymore. I wanted to spend time with you. Do- do you want to watch a movie or something?” Rachel asked, feeling defeated. She wasn’t used to being so combative with Finn. They used to be so in sync. And it wasn’t just the Quinn thing. Their friendship may have sparked this argument but Rachel had been feeling off for a while. She and Finn didn’t fit together like they used to.

“I- No. I can’t just pretend like this isn’t happening. I have the right to know what’s going on,” Finn said stubbornly.

“I’ve told you what I can. What you need to know. I don’t know what else to say.” Rachel stared at him, not understanding why he was acting like this. Finn was obstinate but this didn’t make any sense.

“I don’t know, either. But I don’t like the idea of Quinn poisoning you against me,” Finn said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I told you she’s not doing that. The only one trying to poison anything is you!” Rachel shouted. “I’m not an idiot. I have my own mind and you’re not going to push me to abandon my friend.”

“Quinn will be fine. She’s good at finding people to use.” Finn rolled his eyes.

“That’s not fair,” Rachel said quietly. “You and Quinn have done a lot of awful things to each other. But none of that affects my friendship with her.”

“I don’t like it. You- you’re my girlfriend. You should be on my side.” Finn leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

“No.” Rachel pushed him back. “You’re important to me but so is she. And she’s not the one forcing me to choose.”

“What? You’re breaking up with me?” Finn stared at her with wide, confused eyes.

“I- Yes. If you want me to choose, I know that you really don’t care about me.” Rachel looked at him calmly. She expected to feel panic like the last time Finn broke up with her but this was nothing. She knew she could survive without him, even though she really didn’t want to.

“Fine. If- if that’s what you want, then fine. But don’t come crying to me when she screws you over,” Finn snapped. “And she will.”

“I don’t believe she will.” Rachel drew in a breath. This was final. And it hurt a little bit but she wasn’t giving up Quinn. “Good bye, Finn.”

“Whatever. Can you just leave?” Finn turned his back to her.

“Okay.” Rachel quickly left the house and got into her car. She drove away, a frown on her face. She was sorry things ended like that with Finn but he hadn’t given her a choice. She wasn’t going to be forced into something she didn’t want to do. And Quinn meant too much to give her up.

Pulling into her driveway, Rachel couldn’t stop smiling at the thought of Quinn. Somehow, just thinking about her made Rachel so happy. They were finally, really friends. That was all she’d wanted for so long. And she was glad she hadn’t let Finn push her into ruing that. She would have regretted it for a long time. Because she kind of adored Quinn. There wasn’t anything that she could do that would make Rachel want to push her away.

-----------------

“Hey, Rach?” Quinn asked, waiting for her to look up. “Are you okay?”

“I told you I’m fine.” Rachel rolled her eyes.

“You- you spent so much time wanting Finn. I guess I thought you’d be upset now that you’ve broken up. Are you sure you’re not repressing your feelings?” Quinn asked. Rachel had come home a few hours ago, saying that they had broken up. She hadn’t been crying or anything and Quinn was worried. Although, there was a small part of her heart that jumped at the thought of Rachel being single. But she had to push that away. She didn’t want to lose her friendship with Rachel over some silly hormonal rush.

“You worry too much.” Rachel shook her head.

“It is my fault you guys broke up,” Quinn pointed own.

“No, it’s not, it’s Finn’s fault.” Rachel leaned in, pressing her forehead to Quinn’s. “You’re my friend and I’m not kicking you out of my life. Finn’s the one who tried to make me choose.”

“But-”

“Just listen.” Rachel put a finger over Quinn’s lips. “I- I’m okay. Honestly. Finn and I aren’t right together. I’m relieved.”

“Relieved?” Quinn was so confused. After all the fighting they’d done over Finn, it seemed odd to think that Rachel would be so willing to give him up. Not to mention the fact that Rachel being this close to her was making her dizzy. It was pretty difficult to keep her focus on the conversation.

“Yes. I-” Rachel dropped her hand to Quinn’s neck, toying with the hair there. “I’ve been thinking a lot about how different Finn and I are. If he can’t understand how much you me to me, then he really doesn’t know me at all.”

“If- if you’re sure. I just don’t want you to resent me.” Quinn leaned into Rachel’s touch. It was a little dangerous but she couldn’t help herself. It felt nice, even though Rachel probably didn’t realize how intimate her gestures were.

“No, I never could.” Rachel shook her head once again. “And as for Finn- I held him up as this gold standard for what I should have in a boyfriend. But I guess I’ve outgrown him. I’m not the starry-eyed girl that thought he hung the moon. I know this is right.”

“Okay.” Quinn let out a reassured breath. She didn’t want Rachel to feel bad but she didn’t believe Finn was even close to being good enough for Rachel. And it wasn’t like she thought Rachel would turn around and date her. But she was glad that Finn wouldn’t have the chance to drag Rachel down. And maybe that wasn’t fair but-

“Quinn? Are you okay?” Rachel slid her hand around to cup her cheek.

“Yeah, I just- You’re wonderful, Rachel.” Quinn squeezed her eyes shut. She always blurted out the most embarrassing things around Rachel.

“I think you’re pretty terrific yourself,” Rachel said, pulling Quinn into her arms. “I’m so glad you’re my friend.”

“Me, too.” Quinn relaxed in Rachel’s embrace. She would enjoy their closeness for as long as she had it.

---------------

This was wrong, Rachel thought. She really shouldn’t be doing this. It was wrong and objectifying and totally inappropriate. But she couldn’t stop staring. Quinn was working out in her dads’ basement gym and she looked good. Rachel was on her elliptical, suddenly glad that her dads had convinced her to move it downstairs. It was so much better to work out when she had a view of Quinn in shorts and a tank top, panting and sweating. She tried to just be happy that Quinn was feeling well enough to do sit ups and pushups but there was this spike of desire she couldn’t contain. Quinn was beautiful and Rachel was having trouble thinking of her as just a friend.

Looking down at the ground, Rachel tried to clear her thoughts. These feelings weren’t totally new. She usually just wanted to hold Quinn’s hand and snuggle with her. But this- this lust was completely different. She’d never wanted somebody like this before. She didn’t know what to do about it. Sometimes, she thought that Quinn felt the same. Quinn would get this look on her face and Rachel thought she might want her.

“Hey, Quinn? Are you sure you feel well enough to work out like this?” Rachel asked, trying to focus on something else. “You don’t want to aggravate your injuries.”

“I feel great. Your daddy took me to see his friend at the hospital and my ribs are completely healed. My bruises have faded. I’m good, Rach.” Quinn took a swig of water and wiped at her forehead.

“Okay. I’m just worried. I kind of like having you around,” Rachel admitted, forcing her eyes to stay on Quinn’s, not the sweat dripping down her chest.

“Well, I’m fine. Now how about you quit wasting time on that machine and get over here and do some real work.” Quinn grinned.

“I don’t think so.” Rachel climbed off of her elliptical and grabbed her own bottle of water. “I’m done for now.”

“Really? Are you sure you don’t want to work out with me?” Quinn darted across the room and grabbed Rachel’s waist. “I’ve got you.”

“You do,” Rachel breathed out, looking at Quinn with wide eyes. She was positive her pounding heart had nothing to do with the workout she’d just finished.

“You want to try now?” Quinn asked.

“I seem to be trapped so I don’t have much of a choice.” Rachel gazed at Quinn, attempting to piece together what was happening. It was almost like they were flirting.

“Yeah, I guess I’m in charge now.” Quinn’s eyes moved all over Rachel’s face.

“Uh-huh.” Rachel grew serious as they stared at each other.

“Get on the floor. It’s time for pushups.” Quinn released Rachel and ducked her head.

“Okay. Bossy thing,” Rachel muttered. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d done pushups but she also couldn’t tell Quinn no.

“You’re calling me bossy.” Quinn laughed heartily.

“I’m not bossy; I just know what I want.”

“You do,” Quinn agreed. “That’s my favorite thing about you.”

“I- Really?” Rachel asked.

“Mmm hmm,” Quinn said shyly.

“Let’s get to work.” Rachel pushed all other thoughts out of her mind and focused on the workout. Things were too intense. Maybe she needed to back off a little and let things calm down.

------------

Quinn knocked on Rachel’s door. “Hey, can I talk to you before you go to your voice lesson?”

“Of course. What’s up?” Rachel looked at her with curiosity.

“I’m going over to Brittany’s hang out with her and Santana while you’re at your lesson. Is that okay with you?” Quinn asked, feeling anxious. She didn’t need Rachel’s permission but it kind of felt like she did. She just didn’t want to seem ungrateful. Like now that she was feeling better, it meant she didn’t need Rachel anymore.

“Of course. I- I’m not your mom. You don’t have to ask me for permission.” Rachel smiled hesitantly. “I just didn’t know you were talking to them.”

“I haven’t been. But I’m feeling better and I don’t want them to think I’m ditching them.” Quinn scoffed. “Luckily, they have their own drama so they probably haven’t been too interested in seeing me.”

Rachel nodded, playing with the edge of her skirt. “That’s probably a good idea. It’s probably good for you to have all the friends you can.”

“Well, Brittany and Santana are usually pretty good about not pushing me into anything. I figure I won’t have to explain my disappearance,” Quinn said, a little confused by Rachel’s nervous demeanor.

“Oh. Um, I guess they would think it’s weird you’re staying with me.” Rachel’s face fell.

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Quinn crossed the room to stand in from of her. “I- I’m not embarrassed to be friends with you.”

“It’s okay if you are. I know-”

“No, that’s not- Rachel.” Quinn looked at her in shock. “I don’t want them- or anyone- to know about my dad. That’s all. I’m proud you’re my friend. Really.”

“Oh.” Rachel looked away in embarrassment. “That makes sense. I guess I was overreacting.”

“It’s okay. We- This is a new situation for the both of us. Just so long as you believe now that I’m not ashamed of you,” Quinn said earnestly.

“I do. I was being silly.” Rachel rolled her eyes. “I’m a little possessive. I kind of like being your closest friend. But that’s my problem. I know you probably miss your other friends.”

“I do but Rachel, you’re still my closest friend.”

“You don’t have to say that.”

“It’s true,” Quinn insisted. “I couldn’t have told anyone else about my dad. And you- you were the only one who even cared. Who kept after me even when I pushed you away. That means so much to me. That you care about me.”

“You’re easy to care about,” Rachel said shyly.

“I don’t know about that but I’m glad that you do.” Quinn smiled at her.

“Right.” Rachel pulled her close. “Go have fun. I’ll see you when you get back.”

“Okay. Bye.” Quinn squeezed her back before leaving. She walked to her car, feeling much better. She loved being around Rachel but she didn’t want her to feel like she had to entertain her. Not to mention the fact that there was something going on between them. The day before, in the basement, they had been flirting. It may have been disguised as teasing but they were definitely flirting. But she didn’t know what it meant, if Rachel knew she was doing it. It was almost too much to handle. It would probably be a good idea to put some distance between them. To give the two of them a chance to untangle these complicated feelings. Quinn was certain she cared about Rachel way too much but she didn’t want to make her do anything she didn’t want to. So she had to back off a little bit. She didn’t want these feelings to screw up what she had with Rachel. If that was all she could have, it would be enough. It would have to be because she absolutely couldn’t lose her. Not ever.

------------------

It was quiet in the house when Rachel returned from her dance class. Quinn was home, her car was out front. Rachel made her way through the house, finding Quinn in her room. “Hey, how’d it go? Did you have fun?”

“Yeah.” Quinn smiled. “It’s nice hanging out with them when there’s no drama.”

“I’m glad.” Rachel sat down on the edge of the bed. “I kind of expected you to still be gone.”

“They started getting handsy with each other and I took it as a sign to leave.” Quinn wrinkled her nose. “Neither of them has any shame about PDA.”

“Oh. Are they…” Rachel trailed off, realizing it was none of her business.

“I never really know what’s going on with them. I find it’s best to just back away when the drama starts,” Quinn said.

“Makes sense.” Rachel looked closely at her. She seemed a bit rattled. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“I want to go home,” Quinn said quietly.

“What?” Rachel tried not to have a reaction but she was hurt. She’d thought Quinn was happy here.

“Not- not- I don’t want to go back to stay. If- if I’m going to stay here, I want to get more of my clothes and stuff.” Quinn shrugged. “And my mom will probably throw more guilt money at me.”

“I- Oh. Okay.” Rachel exhaled, feeling selfish. Quinn deserved to do what she wanted. Rachel shouldn’t be forcing her to comfort her.

“I called my mom and she said my dad works tomorrow so that would be a good time to go over there.” Quinn looked at Rachel with glassy eyes.

“You know, if you want to live with your mom again, it won’t hurt my feelings,” Rachel said, even though she didn’t really mean it. She wanted Quinn with her. Always.

“No.” Quinn shook her head rapidly. “I wanted to but- but nothing’s changed. My dad’s still there and I can’t- I can’t imagine even seeing him again, let alone live with him.”

“Good. I like having you here with me.” Rachel bit her lip, feeling shy.

“Me, too. But- Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“He won’t be there and I’m sure I’ll be fine but- Will you come with me?” Quinn asked.

“Yes,” Rachel said quickly. “I’d only worry if you went by yourself.”

“Really? I can go by myself if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t mind. It’s not a problem.” Rachel placed a hand on her thigh.

“So tomorrow? After your voice lesson?” Quinn asked, staring at her intently.

“That’s fine.” Rachel blushed at the look Quinn was giving her. Nobody had ever looked at her like that before. It was hard to describe how much she liked it.

“You want to watch a movie or something? I’ll let you pick.” Quinn covered Rachel’s hand with her own.

“Yes, I do.” Rachel laced her fingers with Quinn’s. This was so good. She didn’t understand exactly what was happening but she wanted Quinn next to her while she figured everything out.

-----------------------

Quinn held tight to Rachel’s hand as she entered her house. “It’ll be okay.”

“It will be,” Rachel assured her, squeezing her hand. “And if it’s not, I’m right here for you.”

“Right.” Quinn nodded. “Mom?”

“Quinnie?” Judy came into the hallway, her eyes widening when she saw Rachel. “I didn’t realize you were bringing a friend with you.”

“Yeah, Rachel’s going to help me get my stuff.” Quinn shifted nervously, looking at Rachel and drawing strength from her steady gaze.

“You don’t have to do that. You- You’re welcome to come home whenever you want,” Judy said.

“No, not as long as Dad’s here.” Quinn wanted to say more but she knew it was pointless.

“Quinn, I-”

“Why don’t we go upstairs and start packing?” Rachel interrupted.

“That’s a good idea.” Quinn smiled gratefully at Rachel before turning to her mom. “It won’t take us long.”

“What do you need me to do?” Rachel asked when they reached Quinn’s room.

“There’s a suitcase and a couple of duffel bags in my closet. Why don’t you pack my clothes and I’ll work on the other stuff?” Quinn waited for Rachel’s agreement and they began to get to work. They worked quickly; it was no time at all before everything Quinn needed was packed away. It was strange to have to pick out what she wanted to take out of a room she’d lived in for years. But she was relieved it was done.

“You ready to go?” Rachel asked.

“Uh-huh.”

“I’ll take everything out to the car if you want to talk to your mom,” Rachel said.

“You don’t have to do that,” Quinn protested, dreading being alone with her mom.

“It’ll be all right. It should only take a few minutes and you probably could use some time with your mom.” Rachel patted her back.

“You’re right.” Quinn met her mother in the living room. “Hey, we’re done.”

“Good. Where’s Rachel?” Judy asked.

“She’s taking my bags to the car.” Quinn sighed. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even know what she wanted her mom to say. If there was something that could make everything better. “We’re going to go.”

“Wait, Quinn. I- Can I get you two something to eat?” Judy looked at her desperately.

“No, Rachel’s vegan.” Quinn rolled her eyes. “Look, I can’t pretend that everything’s fine between us. I just packed up my stuff because you chose Dad over me.”

“That’s not what I did,” Judy said.

“Whatever. This was a mistake.” Quinn shook her head, blinking back tears. She couldn’t cry. Not yet.

“Quinn? Are you ready?” Rachel came into the room, looking at her closely.

“Yeah. Get me out of here.” Quinn fought the urge to throw herself into Rachel’s arms.

“Wait, Sweetie.”

“What?” Quinn looked at her mom, taking the envelope she had in her hand. “Is this more guilt money?”

“I know I’ve failed you,” Judy said as if Quinn hadn’t spoken. “But that money is all I know how to do for you.”

“Okay.” Quinn didn’t want to fight but she also didn’t want to pretend she wasn’t angry.

“Um, Rachel, thank- thank you for helping her out.” Judy looked Rachel right in the eye.

“You’re welcome but it’s no problem. She deserves to be taken care of. I’d do anything for her.” Rachel broke her gaze with Judy and smiled at Quinn.

“Well, I appreciate it and-”

“Judy, who’s here?” Russell came into the room and his face turned red. “What the hell are you doing here, you ungrateful little brat?”

“I came to get my clothes and we were just leaving. Let’s go, Rachel.” Quinn grabbed Rachel’s hand, anxious to get away. She couldn’t deal with her father.

“Wait a second.” Russell blocked the door. “You’re- you’re the daughter of those fags that live three streets over.”

“I have two dads,” Rachel said evenly, moving to stand in front of Quinn. She stood still, even as Quinn tried to pull her back.

“You lowered yourself to live in a house of sin,” Russell said with disgust in his voice. “I guess you fit right in, since you’re sickening just like them.”

“Don’t talk about them. They- they let me stay after you beat the crap out of me. They’re ten times the person you are.” Quinn glared, shaking with nerves. They should just get out but she couldn’t let him bad mouth Rachel’s dads.

“Watch your mouth, you disgrace.” Russell clenched his fists, taking a step toward her.

“You’re the disgrace. You treat your daughter like this? Quinn- Quinn’s wonderful and deserves a father who truly loves her,” Rachel said, reaching back to take Quinn’s hand.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Russell snapped.

“I’m the person who took care of Quinn after you hurt her. Who cleaned her up and wiped off blood. You- you are awful!” Rachel stood as tall as she could, even as Russell came closer to her.

“Rachel, don’t. Please. Let’s just go.” Quinn tugged frantically on Rachel’s hand. Something bad was going to happen and Quinn would fall apart if Rachel was hurt.

“No, let me hear the faggot spawn tell me I’m a bad father.”

“You are a bad father. You’re scum. How could you hurt anyone like you did, let alone your own child?” Rachel demanded.

“You little-” Russell pulled his fist back and Quinn jumped in front of Rachel without thought. The punch knocked her backwards, staggering into Rachel.

“Quinn!” Rachel pulled her away from Russell, keeping her arms around her.

“Russell!” Judy stepped between him and the girls. “Just- just go back to work. This is wrong. She’s still your daughter.”

“Make sure she’s gone when I get back.” Russell glared at Quinn one last time before leaving.

“I’m fine,” Quinn said as Rachel softly poked around her rapidly swelling eye.

“Are you sure?” Judy asked, stepping closer to them.

“Yeah.” Quinn looked at Rachel with her good eye. “You don’t have to worry, Rachel. It’s just a flesh wound.”

“Don’t joke. You- you’re hurt.” Rachel’s eyes filled with tears.

“But I’m still standing.” Quinn quirked her lips, suddenly too tired to manage a full smile.

“I- Let’s get you home. Away from this awful place.” Rachel slipped her arm around Quinn’s waist.

“Sounds good to me. Bye, Mom.” Quinn managed a look at her room.

“I’m so sorry, Quinn. I didn’t know he’d be coming home,” Judy said feebly.

“That- that doesn’t mean much to me. He’s still living here. You being sorry doesn’t change that.” Quinn felt a little bad that she was so short with her mom but the throbbing in her eye was only getting worse. “I don’t want to get into an argument.”

“Quinn and I should get going.” Rachel began to lead Quinn away.

“Rachel?” Judy stopped them. “Thank you again for taking care of Quinn.”

“You’re welcome.” Rachel smiled briefly at her. “She’s my best friend. I’m never going to let anything happen to her.”

“I’m glad she has you.” Judy reached out to embrace her daughter, shrinking back when Quinn backed away.

“I’ll call you, Mom.” Quinn just wanted to get away. She couldn’t stay in this house anymore. She needed to grab Rachel and get out before anything else happened.

“Good bye, Mrs. Fabray.” Rachel tugged on Quinn’s hand and she allowed herself to be led away. This was all she needed. She might be bruised and battered. She might be all tangled up inside and unable to wrap her head around everything that had happened. But so long as Rachel was right next to her, she knew she’d be all right. That was the only thing she was sure of.

--------------

Rachel followed Quinn into her room, trying not to hover. It had been a long day and she knew Quinn probably needed to rest. She didn’t need stress, which meant Rachel needed to back off a little bit. Even though all she wanted to do was hold on to Quinn and never let go. Seeing Quinn’s father punch her was awful. It had been the scariest moment of her life. Her heart had stopped for a moment. But now they were home and safe. Her daddy had checked Quinn’s eye and said it was fine. So she could finally calm down.

“Rachel, stop thinking so much.” Quinn sat on the bed, leaning against the head board.

“I- I’m not.” Rachel joined her on the bed.

“You are, and you don’t have to. I’m right here with you. Nothing happened to me,” Quinn said.

“That’s not true. Your eye is swollen.” Rachel rubbed tenderly at the skin around Quinn’s eye.

“But I can still see. It’ll get better and I’ll be fine.” Quinn smiled reassuringly.

“I was so scared.” Rachel closed her eyes, trying not to cry. Quinn didn’t need to deal with her breakdown.

“I know. I was, too.”

“Really? You didn’t show it.” Rachel looked at Quinn in amazement.

“I couldn’t show him any weakness. But I was terrified that he would hurt you and I couldn’t let that happen,” Quinn said firmly.

“You can’t do that again. I couldn’t stand it if you were heart,” Rachel said seriously.

“I can’t promise that,” Quinn said with a shake of her head. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you.”

“We seem to be at a bit of an impasse because I’ll never let anyone hurt you.” Rachel palmed Quinn’s cheeks with both hands. “You mean too much to me.”

“I feel the same way,” Quinn whispered.

“Quinn, I- You’re so wonderful.” Rachel leaned in closer, her heart beating madly.

“No, you are. You’re so much more than I deserve,” Quinn murmured, closing the distance between them. She kissed Rachel, coaxing her mouth open and slipping her tongue inside.

“Mmm.” Rachel sank into the kiss, closing her eyes and tangling a hand in Quinn’s hair. It was good, all she’d dreamed of, and she couldn’t stop. She wanted more, she wanted Quinn’s body pressed against hers, underneath hers. She wanted everything. Except- Except this wasn’t right. It couldn’t happen. Not like this. Reluctantly, she pulled back.

“Where are you going?” Quinn chased Rachel’s lips, not allowing her to get away.

“Wait, stop. We can’t do this.” Rachel placed her hands on Quinn’s shoulders.

“You don’t want this. I- God, I’m sorry.” Quinn backed away, burying her face in her hands.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. That’s not what this is about.” Rachel forced Quinn to look at her.

“What do you mean?” Quinn stared at her anxiously.

“You- you’re confused and you’re feeling things that aren’t really there,” Rachel said.

“No, I’m not.”

“You’ve had an emotional day,” Rachel continued as though Quinn hadn’t spoken. “You’re clinging to me because I’m here for you. But it’s not what you really want.”

“That’s not true. I’m not using you,” Quinn said adamantly.

“Oh, Quinn. I know you’re not doing it on purpose but you’re fragile right now.” Rachel reached out to take her hands but Quinn pulled away.

“I’m not weak!” Quinn glared fiercely at her.

“You’re not,” Rachel agreed as Quinn got up and stalked across the room. “But you’re vulnerable and you’ve never shown interest in my before. I can’t take advantage of you.”

“I-” Quinn laughed. “I couldn’t show interest. You’ve met my parents. They- they wouldn’t accept this. I was thinking about this long before I came here. My dad beat the shit out of me when I looked at some messages boards for gay teens. God, if he found out about this, he’d probably kill us both. But I want this. I want you.”

“We can’t.” Rachel wanted to gather Quinn in her arms. The anguish on Quinn’s face was killing her.

“Please,” Quinn implored her, gazing intently at her. “You’re beautiful and talented and kind. You’re so good to me. How could I not fall for you?”

Rachel sighed, dread coming over her. “That’s exactly what I was afraid of. You- I’m nice to you and you’re mistaking this for something it’s not.”

“No, I’m not,” Quinn said defiantly, her hands on her hips.

“Listen, why don’t we talk about this tomorrow when we’re both calmer?” Rachel asked, praying that Quinn would agree. She knew if they continued right now, it would only lead to arguments and tears.

“Fine. Sure.” Quinn sat on her bed, turning her back to Rachel.

“Quinn, I just think-” Rachel cut herself off when Quinn scoffed.

“Can you just go? I don’t want to have a long discussion about this,” Quinn said, still looking away.

“I’m sorry this happened,” Rachel said helplessly.

“Yeah, I got that. I just want to be alone for a while.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in the morning.” Rachel left the room before she said something that would hurt Quinn even more. After she shut the door, Rachel heard Quinn begin to sob and it took everything in her not to go back in there. But it would only make things worse.

Rachel went to her room, collapsing on her bed and wiping away her own tears. This was a mess. Quinn was upset and it was all her fault. But she’d done the right thing. Quinn might feel certain of her feelings but Rachel couldn’t risk taking advantage. If Quinn was just confused, she’d end up angry if Rachel did anything. Even though Quinn said she had been thinking about this before she even moved in here.

But God, that kiss- even just thinking about it made Rachel’s lips tingle. It had been wonderful and Rachel flushed all over. She could still feel Quinn’s body pressed against her own. Quinn was soft and warm and unlike anyone Rachel had been with before. She wanted to lie in her bed and replay that kiss over and over again.

Closing her eyes, Rachel attempted to calm her racing heart. She couldn’t keep thinking about Quinn in that way. For one thing, Quinn was still furious with her. She doubted Quinn would forgive her easily. Plus, Rachel didn’t know if these feelings were real. And if Quinn changed her mind and didn’t want to be with her, Rachel needed to be prepared. Quinn was her friend and it would be enough. It would have to be. Because she wasn’t losing Quinn. If she had to pretend that friendship was all she wanted, Rachel would do it. Quinn was too important to her to lose over some romantic fantasy.

------------------

The next morning, Quinn was up early, anxious to get out before Rachel could stop her. She knew they had to talk about everything if she was going to continue to stay with her. And despite everything, she didn’t want to leave. Which meant she needed to get away to get herself back together. She could be friends with Rachel; she just had to have a moment to breathe. To forget how amazing it was to kiss her.

Quinn went to the kitchen, intent on grabbing a banana and getting out. She found Leroy cooking at the stove. “Oh. It’s early. I didn’t expect anyone else to be up.”

“I’ve got an early surgery. I thought I’d make breakfast for everyone. You’re lucky, though. You’ll get your pancakes fresh. Rachel and Hiram will have to warm theirs up.” Leroy smiled at her, setting a plate on the table. “Go on. Sit down.”

“Thank you.” Quinn smiled back, a slight sting in her heart. It wasn’t just Rachel, it was her dads who made her feel at home. She really hoped that kissing Rachel wouldn’t screw everything up.

“Your eye’s looking pretty nasty this morning,” Leroy said, frowning at the bruise.

“It doesn’t hurt much and I can see so I think I’m fine.” Quinn shrugged. “Thanks for checking me out last night.”

“It was not a problem. I should be thanking you. According to Rachel, you saved her from getting hit,” Leroy said.

Quinn blushed, looking away. “It- it was kind of instinct. I’d never let anything happen to her if I could help it.”

“Still, you’re good to her. I’m glad you two are so close,” Leroy said.

“Me, too.” Quinn looked down at her breakfast, trying not to let her emotions show on her face.

“So? What are you doing up so early?” Leroy asked.

“I couldn’t sleep.” Quinn decided to tell the most basic version of the truth. “It was pretty intense yesterday. I decided to get out by myself for a while.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Leroy looked up at the worried figure in the doorway. “Hey, it looks like I get to have breakfast with both of my favorite girls this morning.”

“Morning, Daddy, Quinn.” Rachel tried to meet Quinn’s eyes but she looked away.

“Morning, Rach.” Quinn made a show of chewing on her pancakes. This awkward moment was exactly what she was hoping to avoid.

“Here, Sweetie, have some pancakes. Don’t worry; they’re safe for you to eat.” Leroy stood up, pressing a kiss to both Rachel and Quinn’s foreheads. “Have fun today, girls. I’ve got to head to the hospital.”

“Bye, Daddy.” Rachel waited for him to leave before turning to Quinn. “I need to explain.”

“No, you really don’t.” Quinn took a deep breath, attempting to calm down. She was horrifically embarrassed but she didn’t need to take it out on Rachel.

“I do.” Rachel reached across the table to take Quinn’s hand. “Last night, everything spun so quickly out of control. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Yeah, I get it. You don’t want to hurt me but you don’t feel the same way about me. I get it. Drop it. Please,” Quinn said bitterly.

“That’s not what I said,” Rachel protested.

“But it’s what you meant. And it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have kissed you. I just- I’ve been thinking about it and I couldn’t stop.” Quinn pushed away from the table.

“Don’t go. We have to talk.” Rachel stood up to follow her.

“I know but I can’t right now.” Quinn finally met Rachel’s eyes, surprised at what she saw there. Rachel seemed upset but she didn’t pity her. “I’m going to go.”

“No!” Rachel stood up, looking panicked. “I don’t want you to sleep in your car or anything.”

“I’m not leaving- I want to stay here if you still want me to.”

“Of course I still want you.”

“Okay.” Quinn nodded. “But I’ve got to get away from you right now. I’m- I’m going to go to the library and read some books.”

“Oh. I- What- what about your eye?” Rachel asked. “I don’t want you to be hurt.”

“I’m fine, Rachel. I don’t need you to fuss over me,” Quinn said.

“Oh.” Rachel’s face fell and Quinn’s heart dropped. She didn’t want Rachel to feel bad even though she needed to protect herself.

“I didn’t mean it that way.” Quinn bit her lip. “But I’m truly okay. I need some time to myself. I’ll be back sometime this evening.”

“Okay. I understand,” Rachel said quietly. She walked over to Quinn and cupped her cheek, looking at her eye.

“I’m okay,” Quinn repeated, swallowing a lump in her throat. Rachel being this close was making it hard to think. “I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.” Rachel repeated, taking a step back and dropping her hands. “Bye.”

“Bye.” Quinn shot a thin smile to her before slipping her sunglasses on and turning away. A day away was what she needed. She doubted that she could get completely over Rachel but maybe she could bury all of her feelings deep down inside. It shouldn’t be too hard, she was a Fabray and hiding your feelings was what Fabrays did. And then, maybe things could get back to normal.

-------------------

It was rapidly becoming darker and Rachel was beginning to panic. Quinn still wasn’t home. She had thought she’d be home by dinner but there was no sign of her. Rachel had to force herself not to call and text her. Quinn needed space and she wanted to give it to her. But her mind kept spinning with the worst case scenarios and she was close to losing her mind.

Rachel raced through the house when she heard a car pull in. She met Quinn at the front door. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Quinn took off her sunglasses and fiddled with them.

“Did you have fun?” Rachel cringed. She sounded like an idiot.

“It was all right.” Quinn avoided Rachel’s eyes.

“I- I’ll go heat up your dinner. My dads are stuck at work so it’s just us,” Rachel said, anxious for anything to break the tension between them.

“That’s okay. I stopped and got a burger.”

“Oh.” Rachel slumped. She wasn’t a total mess. They needed to talk but she was totally clueless at how to start the conversation.

“I’m going to go upstairs.” Quinn turned to go but Rachel grabbed her arm.

“We- we have to talk.” Rachel looked at her pleadingly.

“Not right now.” Quinn shook her head.

“Please. I didn’t call all day. I let you have your time alone. But we’ve got to talk. We can’t let this fester.” Rachel was close to a total breakdown. They needed to have this out.

“Oh, Rachel. Can’t we pretend like nothing happened?” Quinn asked. “We’ll go to sleep tonight and wake up and it’ll be normal.”

“No. we can’t go back. We kissed. That happened and we can’t pretend it didn’t,” Rachel said firmly. She understood the urge to fake it but that wouldn’t work. They would only end up resenting each other.

“I know it happened and you didn’t want it. And I’m embarrassed.” Quinn rolled her eyes.

“I never said I didn’t want it.”

“What?” Quinn stared at her in shock.

“I said we couldn’t. I said it wasn’t right. I didn’t say I didn’t want it.” Rachel walked closer to her.

“What?” Quinn asked again, still stunned.

“You kissed me and- and it was wonderful. You made my toes curl.” Rachel tilted Quinn’s face, looking directly into her eyes. “Nobody’s ever made me feel like that before.”

“I don’t understand.” Quinn furrowed her eyebrows. “You said- You wanted to stop.”

“I didn’t want to stop,” Rachel began, hoping to say this right. “But we were both emotional and you were hurt. I didn’t want to do something and have it be fueled by feelings that weren’t actually there.”

“I wasn’t using you,” Quinn said quickly.

“I know that.”

“Well, what does all this mean?”

Rachel sighed. “Quinn, we’ve been flirting lately but you’ve never really shown any interest in me. I- I couldn’t let anything happen if we weren’t clear headed.”

“Oh.” Quinn leaned back, pursing her lips. “I didn’t make you uncomfortable or take advantage of you?”

“No! No, Quinn. If anything, I’m the one who took advantage of you.” Rachel forgot her need to keep her distance and grabbed Quinn by the waist. “You were upset and I kissed you anyway.”

“I kissed you,” Quinn emphasized, setting her hands on Rachel’s shoulders. “And I did it because I wanted to.”

“Bt you were upset and I-”

“And you were there and I kissed you because I’d been thinking about it for weeks.” Quinn smiled. “The only effect yesterday had on me was making it easier to finally drop my walls.”

“I- Are you sure?” Rachel asked, not sure she could actually believe that. She wanted to but she just didn’t know if she could let herself.

“Yeah.” Quinn huffed. “It’s- I didn’t want to feel this way. I tried to ignore it. But it’s not going away, even though it would be so much easier if it did. I don’t want to lose your friendship. And if that’s all I can have, I’ll be fine. But I like you more than that.”

“That’s- that’s where I am, too.” Rachel leaned in, burying her head in Quinn’s shoulder. “I’ve got all of these feelings. I wasn’t expecting it but it- you- you’re impossible to forget. I can’t forget you.”

“So, you- you really have feelings for me?” Quinn asked shyly. She slid her hand into Rachel’s hair and lifted her head up.

“I do.” Rachel looked deeply into Quinn’s eyes.

“And it’s not a rebound from Finn?” Quinn looked reticent.

“No, never.” Rachel was quick to reassure her. Finn hadn’t crossed her mind in a long time. “I wouldn’t do that to you. I’m over him. You’re the only one I care about now.”

“Good.” Quinn rubbed the nape of her neck. “What happens now?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. I didn’t want to pressure you into anything so I tried to make myself forget it,” Rachel said, her eyes dropping down to Quinn’s mouth. Quinn was so incredibly sexy it was hard to think.

“I know about that.” Quinn licked her lips. “I guess we can do whatever we want.”

“Whatever we want,” Rachel repeated, a grin coming over her face.

“Does that mean I can kiss you again?” Quinn smirked.

“No.” Rachel felt a little bad when Quinn’s face fell. “But I can kiss you.”

“What- what?”

“I mean this.” Rachel pulled Quinn down to her and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around her.

“Oh, that’s nice.” Quinn looked at her with half-lidded eyes. “Even better than last time.”

“Yeah?” Rachel couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face.

“This time, I know you want it, too.” Quinn pecked at her lips. “I can’t stop kissing you.”

“I don’t want you to.” Rachel pulled on Quinn until they reached the couch and they fell backwards.

“Good,” Quinn muttered, pressing her full weight into Rachel body as she trailed kisses down her neck.

“Oh, you are good at that,” Rachel breathed out. This felt so good. She didn’t know what to do. She kept yanking at Quinn’s body, trying to get her closer. She just couldn’t get enough.

“It’s- it’s you. You make me want- I can’t stop. I don’t want to.” Quinn lifted her head, staring at Rachel.

“I don’t want you to. I want more. I- I want everything.” Rachel sat up, pushing Quinn with her. “Let’s go upstairs.”

“Really?” Quinn’s eyes grew wide.

“No, I don’t mean that.” Rachel sucked in air when she realized what Quinn thought she meant. “But we could. If you want. But we don’t have to. Not if you don’t want. I’d never make you do anything-”

Quinn kissed her quickly. “You’re rambling. And I know you’d never make me do anything I didn’t want. So let’s go upstairs.”

“Okay.” Rachel swallowed hard. She wanted more but she wasn’t sure if they should.

“Cut it out, Rachel. You’re getting lost in your head. And there’s no need. We can do anything. Or nothing. So long as I have you next to me, the rest is details.” Quinn punctuated her words with a kiss before taking Rachel’s hand walking upstairs to her room.

“You’re right,” Rachel said, leaning against Quinn’s arms. There was nothing to worry about. She trusted Quinn. She didn’t have to be nervous.

“I just want you close, Rachel.” Quinn’s eyes filled with tears. “I missed you so much last night. I was so lonely without you.”

“I was, too.” Rachel kissed the side of her neck. “That- it sounds silly. I mean, it’s not like I spend every night with you but- But you were upset and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

“That wasn’t your fault. Besides, it’s all over now. We’re here together.” Quinn spun Rachel so that they were facing each other.

“We are.” Rachel yawned. “Oh, God, I’m sorry.”

“It’s been a long couple of days. Hell, it’s been a long summer.” Quinn laughed. “Why don’t we go to sleep?”

“Together.” Rachel’s heart sped up at the thought of spending the night together. She’d spent the night holding Quinn before but that was when she was hurt. This- cuddling with Quinn because they cared about each other- sounded like the best thing in the world.

“I’d like it. If you want. I don’t want to be away from you right now.” Quinn looked so vulnerable that Rachel just wanted to gather her up in her arms and never let go.

“Oh, I want.” Rachel slipped her arms around her. “You’re the only one I want. And being with you all night sounds amazing.”

“Yeah.” Quinn tightened her hold on Rachel, burying her face in her hair. “I don’t want to let you go.”

“You don’t have to. I’m yours as long as you want me.” Rachel sank into Quinn’s embrace. She understood completely. It felt like nothing would ever be enough. Like as long as there was an inch of space, it would be awful. She knew it sounded clingy and codependent but she didn’t care. So long as she had Quinn, nothing else mattered. Quinn was all she wanted and it felt perfect.

--------------

Quinn woke up the next morning feeling completely content. She felt Rachel pressed up against her back, her arms wrapped around her torso. Quinn smiled, remembering the night before. Rachel wanted to be with her. For real. Not out of pity but because she cared about her. She hadn’t let herself hope that this was a possibility. It seemed like the best dream she could ever have. She was always on the outside looking in. But this time, it was all working out. She wanted to squeal with happiness.

“Hey, are you awake?” Rachel asked, pressing a kiss to the back of Quinn’s neck.

“Mmm hmm. How’d you sleep?” Quinn turned in Rachel’s arms so that she could see her.

“Perfect.” Rachel bit her lip, looking timid.

“Yeah? No regrets?” Quinn was pretty sure they were feeling the same but she had a small lingering doubt that she needed Rachel to destroy.

“None. I’m exactly where I should be.” Rachel kissed her briefly. “Sorry, I didn’t think about morning breath.”

“It’s good. I don’t care. I’d kiss you anytime.” Quinn’s smile grew.

“I love you, Quinn,” Rachel said suddenly.

“You- you do?” Quinn stared at her in shock.

“I didn’t mean to say that, it just slipped but I know it’s too soon for that and-”

“It’s not.” Quinn cut her off, kissing her again. That was unexpected but she liked hearing it.

“It is,” Rachel said against Quinn’s lips. “We haven’t even gone on a real date and this is all so new.”

“Maybe we’re moving fast by normal standards,” Quinn said, charmed by Rachel’s nervous rambling. “But this doesn’t feel normal to me. I’ve never felt like this before.”

“Still, I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s weird.”

“No. Rachel, I love you, too.” Quinn’s heart beat wildly in her chest.

‘You don’t have to say that.” Rachel rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to make me feel better.”

“Rachel. Sweetheart.” Quinn pressed her cheek to Rachel’s. “I mean it. I just never would have said it first. I’m not brave like you are.”

“Are you kidding me?” Rachel looked at her incredulously. “Quinn, you’ve been through so much in your life and you came through it.”

“You make me feel brave. And I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you.” Quinn felt so much emotion that she thought she just might burst.

“Wow.” Rachel closed her eyes. “I- This- I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s a first.” Quinn teased, a silly grin on her face.

“Hush.” Rachel shoved her shoulder.

“Seriously. You don’t have to worry. I- I’m not an optimistic person but we’re going to be all right,” Quinn said confidently. “Look at how far we’ve come. At prom, would you have ever guessed you’d be in bed with me now?”

“Well, no. You did slap me.”

Quinn rubbed Rachel’s cheek. “I’m sorry about that.”

“You already apologized and you’re right. It’s been a short time but we’ve both changed. And I think we’ve changed so that we’d be right together.” Rachel captured Quinn’s hand kissed it.

“So, we’re good and you won’t panic again?” Quinn traced Rachel’s lips with her finger.

“I’ll try not to. This all seems so surreal.” Rachel looked at her in wonder. “I never would have dreamed this would happen.”

“Me, either. I think the feelings were always there but I wasn’t ready to deal with them until now,” Quinn said.

“I think we both had to be ready for each other,” Rachel declared. “And now we are.”

“What happens now?” Quinn asked, unable to stop touching Rachel. Now that she had the chance, she didn’t want it to end.

“What do you mean?” Rachel asked, scrunching her face in the cutest way.

“Well, we’re dating now, right?” Quinn waited for Rachel to nod before she continued. “How does this work? I live with you. What about your dads? And our friends? How are we going to handle this?”

“I don’t know exactly,” Rachel said slowly, clearly thinking over Quinn’s questions. “We’ve been in this little bubble with each other since you didn’t really want to see anybody.”

“And it’s nice. I loved being so close to you and not having to share you with anyone else. But that can’t last.” Quinn rubbed circles over Rachel’s back.

“It can’t,” Rachel agreed falling silent.

“What are you thinking?” Quinn smiled, pressing a teasing kiss to Rachel’s lips.

“I know that we’re going to have to tell everyone eventually and my dads will impose restrictions and they’ll be questions and judgments. But there’s still a while until school starts and my dads are gone a lot. I want to keep this quiet until we see how we work together,” Rachel said.

“Are- are you ashamed of me?” Quinn closed her eyes and released her hold on Rachel. She didn’t want to believe that’s what Rachel meant but she was hurt.

“No! Never, Quinn.” Rachel crawled on top of her, palming her cheeks until Quinn opened her eyes. “Honey, I’m not ashamed of you. You’re everything I always wanted. You’re the strongest, bravest person I know. I’m proud to be with you. I’ll go wake up my dads and tell them right now.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Quinn said, marveling at the way Rachel could make her feel so happy just by talking to her.

“I do if you think I’m ashamed of you,” Rachel insisted.

“I- I’m- you’re not someone who wants to hide. So, I’m wondering why you want to do that this time.” Quinn looked at her timidly.

“I don’t want to hide.” Rachel exhaled, gathering her thoughts. “And if it really makes a difference to you, we don’t have to. But I just don’t want to deal with everyone sticking their noses into our business. Everyone will have an opinion and it’ll ruin this. I just want to enjoy loving you for a little while.”

“Oh.” Quinn understood what Rachel meant. Their friends weren’t shy about expressing their opinions. God, Finn would have a fit about his exes dating. “I understand.”

“Do you really? Because I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to.” Rachel leaned down to kiss her.

“I’m not. You’re right. This is good and I don’t want it ruined because everyone thinks it’s wrong or whatever excuse they’ll have to angry.” Quinn rolled her eyes.

“I adore you, Quinn Fabray.” Rachel stroked Quinn’s cheeks.

“You’re wonderful.” Quinn beamed, placing her hands on Rachel’s back.

“So,” Rachel said, placing soft kisses all over Quinn’s face. “I have an idea.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” Quinn pulled Rachel down for a deeper kiss.

“I want to take you out. On a date.”

“That sounds perfect.”

“Good,” Rachel squealed before jumping up, displacing Quinn on the bed.

“Wait, where are you going?” Quinn called after her before she could leave.

“I have to figure out what we’re going to do on our date.”

“But- but we could spend a few more hours in bed.” Quinn pouted. As much as she liked the idea of going on a date with Rachel, she didn’t want to let her go.”

“Mmm no.” Rachel came back to Quinn, quickly kissing her. “I want to make you feel special. Meet me downstairs in three hours.”

“I’ll feel ordinary if I can have another two hours with you,” Quinn shouted as Rachel left the room. She rolled over onto her stomach, letting out a laugh. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She was dating Rachel. It seemed too good to be true. But it was true and Quinn was happier than she’d been in a long time. She’d never dreamed she could feel like this but she wasn’t going to give Rachel up. She would hold on and never let go.