Chapter One: Don't crash, don't burn.

I was not the lion, but it fell to me to give the lion's roar.

- Winston Churchill

xXx

"No liquids, no food of any kind and certainly no disgusting colognes are to touch my car!" Santana exclaimed loudly before grabbing the fragrance from Puck's hands as she raised an eyebrow, "My car means my rules; I get control of the music, air conditioning and heat. If any of you so much as scratch my leather seats you will be in for a world of hurt. You'll die. Got that?"

The collective nods from Puck, Sam, Rachel, Brittany, Quinn and Mercedes silently filled the small pause. They were all standing in Santana's drive way. Each looking over the bright red car Santana was running her hand over, almost lovingly it seemed. The vehicle itself could hold eight people, which had shocked Rachel, amused Sam, delighted Mercedes and made Quinn raise one eyebrow. It really didn't look that big from the outside.

"This road trip ain't gunna work if any one gets in my grill about wanting to drive; if I'm not driving it'll be Puck. No one else!" Santana added moving her hand from her car as she crossed her arms and looked at the vehicle blissfully. Puck's cologne was still held in her hand.

The road trip had been Pucks idea, casually mentioned one day in Glee club and then again by Sam.

Two weeks later the thought came back up and the few Glee members that wanted to go had happily planned their destination. It was a small lodge on the outskirts of Lima Ohio; Puck said it was basically off the beaten track and a few miles through thick forest.

Rachel stepped forward, "Why does Noah get to drive?"

"Cause I said so Dwarf!" Snapped Santana, her attention still focused on her car. Puck moved closer to both women his arms full with two large bags; one of which was his and the other was Mercedes. He smiled confidently and came across slightly smug, Rachel deduced it was merely his facial structure that gave him an always-there smirk. Santana just pursed her lips.

"Anyone gunna open the trunk?" He said with slight strain, "I'm sick of standing around, let's go already."

"I agree, Santana as much as I respect your list of rules about the safety and cleanliness of your car, I am with Noah. I too am quite eager to get this road trip started."

Rolling her eyes at Rachel's words Santana moved to open the trunk for Puck, he quickly hurled the two bags into the boot without much care to how they landed before allowing Sam to place the rest in.

It was a tight fit.

"I call shotgun!" Brittany all but yelled once the boot door had been shut, Santana gave her a sweet smile while Rachel sighed disapprovingly in the back ground.

"I get car sick if I can't see where I'm going!" She said loudly.

Quinn's huff followed after, "Of course you do."

"Wait, why does Brittany get to sit in the front seat?" Puck asked skeptically, Santana looked to him slowly, "I'm second in command when it comes to driving, shouldn't I have the pick of seats?"

"But I called shotgun," Muttered Brittany and again Santana was smiling at her.

"We should have a vote," Rachel said, loudly once again. It seemed she seriously couldn't whisper, either that or she was deaf to her own voice Santana thought. "Who thinks I should get the privilege of sitting in the passenger seat?" Her own hand rose eagerly. No one else even twitched a finger.

"I don't." Quinn nearly growled and Mercedes nodded in agreement.

"Hold on," Sam said lowly, "I think it should be me."

"Second in command," added Puck folding his arms across his chest, "This isn't even a debate, Puckzilla gets the front."

Brittany shook her head, "Shotgun, I called shotgun."

"Noah please, we both know it's me who should be up front. Car sickness is a serious condition, my dad's both have it, which makes family trips out insufferable because there's always one of us in the back and let me tell you it gets messy. On more than one occasion I've brought up my lunch-"

"-That's disgusting!" Mercedes yelled cutting off the small brunette.

Rachel merely nodded sincerely, "Exactly, do you really want that to happen, because it will, if I don't get the front seat."

"Okay that's enough!" Santana exclaimed, throwing down Puck's cologne as she stormed over to Rachel; her finger pointing at the shocked girl in frustration. "You don't get the front seat so stop talking about vomit, you get the backseat." Rachel blanched as Santana looked away, "Mercedes, Quinn…you're with the Hobbit."

"Oh hell to the no I ain't!" Mercedes said quickly shaking her head as her hands landed upon her hips Santana merely raised an eyebrow slowly.

"My car, my rules…I gets to decide where you all sit, Puck and Sam you take the middle seat." There was a groan from Puck, however Santana talked over him, "Britt called shotgun, and so she get's to sit up with me."

The blonde Cheerio clapped happily as Puck whined, Sam frowned, Mercedes damn near stomped her foot, Rachel paled even more and Quinn again just raised one eyebrow.

Quinn's head rested lightly upon the window of the car as she blinked slowly.

They had been driving for at least an hour and the soothing vibrations of the vehicle plus the hot sun that drifted through seemingly all the windows was calming, it made Quinn tired, warm…relaxed.

She may just have nodded off to sleep if it weren't for the fact Rachel was sitting next to her, breathing heavily and chanting under her breath 'In through the nose, out through the mouth' while she simultaneously clutched at her stomach and gritted her teeth. Mercedes was out right ignoring her, ear phones in her ears as she hummed to a tune only she could hear. Puck and Sam were to busy bellowing out the lyrics on the radio to even turn back and notice the brunette's discomfort, it was a song Quinn didn't know although they obviously did…Sam was singing into his fisted hand dramatically.

As far as Quinn was aware Santana was quietly talking to Brittany as she focused on the road, she supposed even if the Latina could hear Rachel's chanting and breathing the chances of her caring were slim.

The car wasn't hot, nor cold however when Quinn glanced over at Rachel she seemed flushed and more than a little green. The colour palate her face currently was made Quinn wonder if perhaps there was a bag, bucket or even someone willing to hold there hands out so that if the singer vomited it wouldn't go all over Santana's car.

She actually found herself flinching when Rachel's hand grabbed at her arm; she expected to be wearing the girl's lunch, instead the brunette just turned to look at her.

"Quinn…" She said through a deep exhale and then shut her eyes tightly as her head ducked, "Quinn,"

For a moment Quinn thought Rachel was going to pass out, however the girl just sat with her eyes closed and hand holding on tightly to her wrist. It was uncomfortable and for what seemed like hours Quinn desperately tried to get the attention of Mercedes; subtly moving her head then out right waving in the hopes it'd capture the Diva's sight of view.

It didn't.

Not even Puck or Sam noticed her obvious movements, or if they did both were too caught up in singing and mimicking guitar sounds to care.

"Are you going to be sick?" Quinn asked after failing to get anyone's awareness, her voice was quiet although Rachel must have heard because a moment later the brunette was nodding.

"Yes, I think so."

Crap.

Quinn frowned, "Car sickness?" She had actually truly thought Rachel was faking the whole 'car sick' thing just to get the front seat, now she wasn't so sure.

Rachel opened her eyes although she didn't look up, "Yes, I've motion sickness."

"Ugh, do you want some water?" Quinn's hand fumbled for the plastic bottle that rested by her feet as she picked it up. Santana would have killed her if she found out that she'd snuck liquid into the car, although Quinn wasn't about to spend hours on the road with no hydration.

Rachel didn't seem to question why there was water she just hesitantly reached for the bottle, "Thank you, Quinn." She smiled slightly and quickly took a mouthful of the offered drink, swallowing thickly she repeated her actions twice more.

Quinn watched her until the water was handed back.

She had just shared her water with Rachel Berry and not thought twice about it!

Rachel At-least-I-didn't-fall-and-break-my-talent Berry!

Grabbing the water bottle Quinn placed it back on the ground, her feet making sure it didn't roll anywhere. Rachel's breathing was still heavy, although hardly as distracting as it was before and Quinn slowly rested her head against the window again. The sun was bright and warm upon her face and without much conscious thought; Quinn shut her eyes, just to rest them from the light. Just for a minute.

All Quinn knew was that she felt like she was falling, like honest to god, I-just-jumped-off-a-cliff kind of falling. The feeling you get when you trip mid run or when you almost fall out of bed in that half-awake, half-asleep moment.

Her heart dropped and her lungs filled with air as a gasp brushed over her lips, and suddenly her eyes were opening and the previous sunlight had been replaced by nightfall. She must have fallen asleep.

Was she still dreaming?

No, she was falling…and then she was pretty certain a knife had been thrown at her neck, it was her seatbelt. Yet Quinn wouldn't have been surprised if her head had nearly been severed.

"What the hell! Put the brakes on! Put the damn brakes on!"

"I'm trying Puck! I can't stop!"

Quinn grimaced from the loud voices of Santana and Puck, they seemed scared. It was strange.

"Hell no! Look out for the tree!" Mercedes yelled a moment later and Quinn heard Sam grunting as the car violently swerved and bumped. The cover of darkness wasn't helping things and Quinn grabbed swiftly at her seatbelt, trying to loosen it from around her body.

"I can't stop! I can't even see…Fuck!"

"We're gunna die!"

The seatbelt felt suffocating against Quinn and she wanted to scream although the painful grip of someone's hand upon her upper arm stopped any sound from leaving her mouth. The car veered brutally left and then right and the grip on her arm disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared, Quinn reached instinctively forward for the person and her own hands collided with their body, clutching strongly to the soft fabric of their jumper.

"Stop, stop! Stop, stop!" Brittany's voice sounded distant as she screamed commands at a still yelling Santana, both girls drowning each other out and mixing with Puck's frantic exclamation that they were all going to die.

Quinn grunted when the vehicle again jeered suddenly and her grip on the soft jumper slipped, there was a loud thud seconds later and over the screaming Quinn heard the faintest groan.

"Rachel," She whispered, partly because her belt was near choking her but also because she was trying to see in the dark and as far as she could tell the brunette wasn't sitting next to her anymore.

"Stop, San! Stop, stop!"

"I can't even see; the brakes aren't working!"

"We're gunna fucking die!"

"Rachel," Her voice grew loud against the screaming and noise of the car and she found herself reaching further, "Rachel!"

"We're dead! We're dead! We're dead!"

"Shut up Puckerman!"

"I said look out for the damn trees girl!" Mercedes appeared to be seeing a lot better than anyone else.

"I already said I can't see!"

"Well, they're all around us! Did we drive off the road or something? You all heard that loud bang before right. Please tell me you all heard the bang!"

"I think it was a tire or something," Sam sounded like he was hyperventilating as he spoke.

"We're dead! We're gunna die!"

Quinn heard Mercedes breathe in, "we're down a tire, hell no! That don't sit right with me, you need to pull over girl!"

"I can't!"

"What's so hard 'bout that?"

"For one I seriously can't see where I'm going and secondly the brakes aren't working!" Santana was screaming and Quinn felt physically sick at how scared the Latina was, her own fear seemed to get caught in her throat and she swallowed at the sudden urge to cry.

Mercedes breathing was laboured, "You ain't got no control! Oh, hell…"

"We're gunna die man!"

"Shut up, will you-"

The violent force of the car smashing to a stop made Quinn shut her eyes. It was just a second, just a moment of glass breaking and metal being crunched aggressively together; just a tiny second, no more or less.

A second where the last thing Quinn heard was her own voice screaming, in much the same way Santana and Puck had been.

"Where's Rachel!"

Continue? :)