A/N: This story is rated M. There are triggers within each chapter as the subject is a delicate one. Please read at your own discretion.

Prologue

The tune from Quinn's favorite song suddenly echoed through the kitchen as her phone started to buzz along the kitchen counter next to her. The blonde didn't need to look to know who was calling, the ringtone gave it away. She nonchalantly wiped her hand on a nearby towel before quickly answering the mobile device.

"Hey girl, what's up?" Quinn said as she answered her phone before turning back to the sink full of dishes. Living on her own sure did have it's perks; however it also meant no more maid to help clean up after her. You would think after three years of living on her own, out of her parent's house, she would be used to the household chores... but somehow college Quinn seemed to be more focused on other things and less focused on housework. The blonde stared at the huge pile of dirty dishes next to her on her counter. Boy did she miss her maid.

"I need...I need to talk to you..." Santana breathed into the phone as she bit her bottom lip nervously.

"Obviously, or else you wouldn't have called me, silly." Quinn smiled. Santana was her best friend in the whole world. Smartalic remarks back and forth between the two were not uncommon. The blonde continued to grip the phone between her shoulder and the side of her face as she dried off another plate from the sink.

There was a pause before Santana's shaky voice broke through the phone again. "Quinn, I'm being serious."

Quinn paused and immediately wiped her hands dry with a nearby towel before setting it onto the counter as she frowned. "San?" It was now that the blonde noticed that her best friend's voice sounded...off.

"I need to talk to you about something..." The twenty one year old repeated again to her best friend.

"Anything, San, anytime." She replied quickly.

Santana's voice shook weakly. "Can I come over?"

...

Quinn swung open the door and immediately froze at the sight of her best friend. Santana's usual straight posture was completely distorted, her shoulders were hunched over and her head was hung low. The blonde stepped aside and motioned for Santana to come inside but quickly felt her breath catch in her throat as the brunette lifted her head.

"Oh my god! Santana! What the hell happened!?"

"I..." Santana brought her hand up and gingerly touched her nearly swollen shut eye.

Quinn pulled Santana into her apartment and closed the door quickly behind her. She pulled the brunette to the nearest chair and after sitting her down in it, she squat down in front of the brunette to get a better look at her face. Santana's eye was an incredibly dark shade of blue and was swollen beyond belief. Her upper lip was also swollen and had a mean gash along it as well. Along Santana's hairline she noticed a thick bandage covering what she could only assume was another cut. The site made her stomach churn while making a fire ignite within her.

"Who did this." Quinn's question came out more like a statement. She was demanding to know, she wasn't asking.

Santana lowered her eyes from her friend's. "Quinn...I need you to help me..."

"Absolutely." Quinn said with a firm nod. "Who the fuck did this?"

Santana shook her head. "No... I need...I need you to help me...to fix me up. I'm...I-I'm supposed to meet up with my cousin tomorrow...I can't...I can't look like this." Her voice shook so much as she spoke, it was near impossible to choke out all the words so audibly.

Quinn frowned and then pulled her head back away from her best friend as she looked Santana up and down, taking a once over of all her injuries again. The fire that was burning within her only grew more. Santana didn't want help for her...she wanted help hiding whatever the hell had happened to her. This wasn't going to happen like this. Quinn needed answers.

"Santana, who did this?"

"Quinn-"

"No!" Quinn suddenly shouted which was followed by a feeling of regret when she witnessed her best friend flinch at the sudden outburst. She lowered her voice. "I'm not hiding anything until you tell me what the hell happened. Who the fuck laid their hands on you?"

Santana let out a sob as her chin quivered. "Quinn, please..."

The blonde shook her head and immediately stood up. "Tell me that Matt didn't do this, San. Tell me it wasn't him." The thought of Santana's live in boyfriend laying even a finger on her best friend made that fire explode within her.

"I..." Santana briefly brought her eyes back up to meet Quinn's. "I can't tell you that..." her voice was so soft she wasn't even completely sure it was audible for Quinn's ears.

It was. Quinn's eyes darkened. "I'm going to kill him." She took a step away from her friend as she looked over her shoulder towards where her car keys were hung. "I'm going to fucking kill him. He is-"

"Quinn...please..." Santana's eyes begun to water. She shook her head as tears ran down her face.

"Stay here. I'll be back."

"No!" Santana's sudden jolt of energy brought immediate pain to the fallacies covering her face. "Ow, damnit!" She hissed as she hunched back over, hesitating bringing her hands to her face. She shook her head as she felt her eyes well with more tears. "I can't." She shook her head again. "You can't."

At the sound of her friend's pain, Quinn hesitated. She was torn. She didn't know if she should grab her keys and disappear into the night to go hunt down Santana's boyfriend or if she should rush over to her best friend to pull her into the world's tightest hug. She looked between her car keys and her best friend then back again. Finally her eyes rested on Santana. The brunette was trying to hold her head up as she attempted to keep from crying, but it was like she couldn't find a spot on her face to rest her hands. There wasn't a single spot that didn't look swollen or wasn't bleeding or darkened. Quinn felt her shoulders sag even as her heart continued to flutter wildly in her chest with anger.

Santana looked up slowly at her best friend. "Please..."

That was all it took. Quinn's decision was made. She couldn't leave her best friend... not right now...not like this.

...