Title: Anthem Of The Angels

Pairing: Quinn/Rachel

Rating: PG-13. Has a death theme, but no character death.

Spoilers: Takes place after EP22 'Journey'. May contain spoilers

Timeline: On the day of Regionals.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, the songs, or even the characters.

Author's Note:Un-beta-ed so feel free to point out errors. Happy Reading and please R&R. Reviews are my lifeline.

"You're being ridiculous! Can't you even try to understand that this situation is different?" Will was talking to one of the neurosurgeons who was working on Rachel's dad, trying to get some information out of the man.

"I do, but even that doesn't change anything. It's against hospital policy to discuss this case with you."

"Listen, Rachel's just a child. She's not equipped to deal with this and her grandparents won't be arriving till tomorrow."

"And that's fine, since there's nothing for her to deal with. The insurance company has already contacted us and we have the financial part of it in place... As for Mr. Berry's condition, I doubt it'll change very drastically by tomorrow. Honestly, Mr. Schuester, if you'd like to help Rachel you should take her out of the hospital for some time. The change will take her mind off things." He patter Will lightly on the shoulder and walked off, leaving a very frustrated man behind.

"Mr. Schue, what the heck's going on?" said Puck, coming up from behind Will. "We tried to ask Coach Sylvester, but she said something about gutting rabbits and made Britt cry... so can you just tell me already."

"Nothing."

"You've been in the hospital this long and you didn't even come once to see how Quinn and the baby are doing. Doesn't seem like nothing."

"Puck, it's just not my place to say. You should just... go be with them for now. I'll talk to you guys later."

"But -"

"But nothing. It's none of your business so leave it alone."

"Listen, I get that you're trying to protect Rachel and stuff, but you're the one who said that we're all just a big family, right? So we should... I dunno, be there for her or something." Will looked at Puck and saw the concern the boy was trying to mask with indifference. It reminded him of the egging incident when they'd been willing to put their necks on the line for her - friends or not, Rachel needed people around her.

"You... are right. You're right. Just um... wait with the others and I'll be there in a minute. I'd rather not repeat this stuff again and again."

Shelby was sitting on one of the hospital benches, Rachel's head resting on her shoulder. She wasn't sure if the girl was asleep or not, but hadn't moved for the past half an hour just in case. It was a good thing for her - to get some time in the middle of all the madness to just think peacefully.

The irony of their situation didn't escape her - she'd been pushing Rachel out of her life so hard just a few days ago even as Rachel had been clinging on to her, and now she was the one having to cling. Since news of the accident had come in, Rachel had been behaving very distant with her. Shelby didn't expect anything else - after all, Rachel had far more pressing matters to attend to - but it was still quite a role-reversal.

The situation they were in also made it necessary for her to hang on no matter what. Shelby knew that even though it seemed a bit heartless, she would have walked away from Rachel and this town tonight for good if her parents weren't in a coma. It wasn't like she didn't care, because she sort of did even if it was more of an obligatory, guilty kind of caring. It was just that she wasn't good with emotions and relationships and stuff. Her music took care of that for her.

And then there was Quinn. Oh God, Quinn... The thought of the baby and adoption had almost slipped from her mind till now. There was no way, no fucking way that she could do baby stuff and Rachel stuff and ICU stuff all at the same time. Filling in the adoption forms, making that commitment itself had been a huge thing for her with doubts filling her head every step of the way and that had been without any other responsibilities attached. She could not take the baby from Quinn if she had to think of Rachel as well.

"Shelby?" She lifted her head to look at Will, who had just gotten back from his futile meeting with one of the doctors.

"How is he?" she whispered, not wanting to disturb the sleeping girl. But even the slight sound broke Rachel's light sleep and she jerked awake, looking around groggily for a moment before she focused on Will.

"Is daddy awake yet?"

"No, Rachel, not yet... But we're hoping he will be soon. Why don't you go freshen up a little for now? Miss. Pillsbury brought you a change of clothes." He held up a parcel in his hand, giving Rachel what he hoped was an encouraging smile, hoping she'd accept the offer so he could talk to Shelby alone for a moment. Thankfully, the girl nodded and took the package from him, heading in the direction of the washroom. Shelby got up as soon as she went, ushering Will into a relatively quiet corner.

"How is he?"

"I have no idea. The doctors here are refusing to tell me anything. Rachel's going to have to talk to them if we want information, and I dunno if that's the best thing to do. I don't want them to tell her something that she can't handle."

"This is ridiculous. She's a damn kid. What the hell do they expect?"

"I don't know, but you need to stay calm. Rachel needs you right now, and you need to keep cool."

"Stop telling me what I need to do. I - " she took a breath, and started again. "I'll take care of Rachel. You don't need to worry about that. But I also need to meet Quinn."

"Quinn? What for?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know so forget that. When are her grandparents arriving. ?"

"The hospital called them and they're taking the next flight out, but they still won't get here till tomorrow. I was wondering if maybe you could take Rachel home with you till then. Keep her there overnight, maybe. It can't be good for her to be here for that long.

"Of course. I should have thought of that myself." Will caught the insecurity in her voice, and knew that he had to keep that at bay.

"No, you've had far too many other things to think of right now. In fact, it'll be good for you to get away from here as well, even if for a short time. So just go home now, okay? I've given them your number, so they'll contact you if anything comes up."

"Thanks Will." Shelby looked over Will's shoulder to see Rachel coming up to them, her change of clothing doing nothing to erase the tired air around her.

"Um... excuse me."

"Hmm?"

"Can you take me to Daddy please? I'd like to see him properly."

"Um... right now?"

"Well, right now would be good."

"I was thinking," said Shelby slowly, "that maybe we could go to my place for some time and er... rest and see him in the morning."

"We can go after that. Just give me some time with him."

"Alright then, come on."

Shelby led Rachel to one of the Executive Suites of the ICU ward, where Archer was currently being monitored. The Berrys apparently had an insurance plan good enough to be able to afford the best healthcare. She was about to go in with Rachel when the girl stopped her.

"I'm sorry, but I'd rather go in alone."

"Sure. I'll be waiting here."

"No, it's okay... Can you just go for a little while?"

"I want to -"

"Not long. I just want a little time."

"Fine. Send me a message when you're done." She'd use the time to go find the other girl she needed to talk to.

"Guys, settle down for a moment... There's something I need to tell you and I'd rather say it all at once, so no interruptions till I'm done, alright?" said Will, waiting for a moment to give them time to pay attention to what he was saying.

"I think everyone knows by now that something happened that involves Rachel. Well, that something was that her parents... they had a car accident while driving up to the show choir competition." The gasps and questions that followed his statement didn't let him get a word out till Puck shouted over everyone's heads to make them shut up.

"Thank you, Puck... Like I said, accident," he said as Kurt, who'd previously been paying no attention to him, sat in rapt attention. "And... and I don't know how to say this."

"Oh God, Mr. Schue. They made it, right?"

"One. One of them did... he's not doing so well, but he made it. But her other dad..." he trailed off and just shook his head. He looked down, not wanting to face the barrage of questions he was expecting, but none came. The kids in front of him sat in stunned silence, the concept of death and loss presenting itself in such a personal manner to them that they didn't know what to say.

Rachel was like the annoying relative who planned all the get-togethers and got on everyone's nerves, but who was also the glue that held everyone together. None of them would go so far as to say that they were great friends with her, but they had come to care for her in their own twisted teenager way... or at least care enough for the news to affect them as well. She didn't deserve that... hell, no one deserved that. After a few moments, Kurt spoke up.

"Mr. Schue, I'd like to visit Rachel if she's alright with it."

"Yeah, yeah. Me too.. she'll want me with her."

"Guys, that's sweet of you but it'll be better if you leave her alone for now. She needs some time to herself and with her family. I'll tell her you asked and you can see her when she's ready."

"Of course," said Kurt, backing off. He knew Mr. Schue had no clue what he was talking about, but he was right about one thing - Rachel needed some space today. Not too much space, because he knew that when his mom had died, he would never had come out of his shell if people hadn't pushed into his space and forced him out. Still, there was no point arguing with Will as Finn was doing.

"I said no, Finn and that's final."

"She wants -"

"Enough! What she wants and needs is not for you to decide. If she wants to see you, she'll tell me. Now go sit down."

"Who's with her right now if you're here with us?"

"Shelby's with her."

"Oh... No offense Mr. Schue, but are you sure that's a good idea? I saw what went down between those two and let me tell you, it wasn't pretty for Rachel," said Mercedes.

"It - it's not like that anymore."

"You don't sound all that sure."

"No, I am... I don't know precisely what happened between those two, but I'm sure Shelby won't bail in this situation. I trust her that much. And I also trust the rest of you to go home and get some rest now. It's been a really long day and I have the bus is waiting outside for you guys."

"That's okay Mr. Schue. We want to stay."

"Guys, there's no point... I'll keep you updated on whatever happens, but you roaming around without sleep for a few days won't help anyone. Go home. Seriously, okay? I'll come back in some time and I don't want to see you guys here."

There was silence for some time after Mr. Schue left, till Brittany suddenly spoke up.

"Does this mean Rachel's auctioned now?"

"Auctioned?"

"Yeah, like Brett was, remember? When his mom and dad died and those people came to take him away."

"You mean orphaned." This was the first time Santana had spoken since Mr. Schue had arrived. She felt bad for Rachel, she honestly did, but the whole condolence act just wasn't her thing. Talking in the middle of something like that just made her uncomfortable.

"Don't be stupid, Britt. No one's gonna take Rachel away 'cause her dad's gonna be fine."

"Um... No he's not." Trust Brittany to be blunt.

"Maybe not, but no one will take Rachel either way," said Shelby, making them jump. She'd been listening in on the conversation for some time now, standing in one corner.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here with Rachel, as I'm sure you guys know by now... and what are you doing here, by the way? Shouldn't you have gone home by now?"

"We were just leaving... Listen, Ms. Corcoran, not to be rude or anything, but you didn't seem all that into Rachel last time I saw you. She's gonna need someone who wants to be there for her and you..."

"And I want to be there. No one's forcing anything on me, Mercedes. I understand your concern, but I'm doing this for Rachel. So if you'll excuse me, there's somewhere I need to be," said Shelby, dismissing the students in front of her and making her way to Quinn's room.

"Well, that certainly went well. Come on, we'll think about this stuff later," said Kurt, coming up next to Mercedes.

"And I thought Rachel was bad."

"Mercedes, leave it."

"What? I'm just saying' -"

"I said just leave it. Now let's get out of here."

Quinn opened her eyes at the sound of the door opening and watched Shelby come in, wondering how the woman had come to know so fast. Maybe these processes had some sort of automatic alert or something.

This was the moment then – the time when she'd get her old life, her old identity back and forget this past year ever happened. Quinn knew there was something wrong with her because she was supposed to be feeling wonderful right now. In all the pictures she'd painted in her head, she was supposed to feel wonderful… but she didn't. It's not as if she had any sudden urge to keep the baby, but the joy she was expecting wasn't there – in its place was a hollow, disenchanted feeling.

"How are you feeling?"

"I just squeezed something the size of a pumpkin out of something the size of a lemon. How do you think I'm feeling?" Still cranky, apparently.

"Um... right, yes. I'm sure that you'd rather rest right now, but this was a bit urgent."

"I've already signed all the papers, and so had Puck. So you can just take her. I don't want any last meeting or anything, if that's what you're here for."

"No, that's not really it… I can't take her right now."

"What do you mean?" Shelby sat down on the side of Quinn's bed and explained what had happened over the last few hours in brief.

"I don't understand. They're... I mean, are you sure it wasn't a mistake or something?"

"I wish it was. But the fact is that there doesn't seem to be much chance of his waking up in the next few days. So you see, I just can't go through with this adoption right now. It would be too much, on top of everything else."

"You can't do that. We have everything finalized. You cannot just cancel everything at the last minute."

"Quinn, please try to understand. That was then, this is now."

Quinn sat silently for a few moments – at first glance, this was a brilliant chance for her to reverse her decision without seeming like the one who couldn't make up her mind. She could quell the growing doubts in her mind and keep her child. With her mom ready to take her back in and her dad out of the picture, it would work out.

Only she knew it wouldn't. No matter how much the hormones may be messing with her rational thinking, she still remembered the fact that sixteen year olds were not meant to raise babies. Especially sixteen year olds like her. She had dreams that couldn't be contained within Lima, and if the baby got in the way, she'd become bitter and resentful. This adoption had to go through.

"I can't understand. You promised. You told me that you would take care of her. I am not letting you back out of that. "

"Listen-"

"No, you listen… You're just too used to backing out and running away when things get tough, right? Look at what you did to Rachel. But I'm not that nice. You don't get to cut and run this time."

"This isn't my choice!"

"Oh yeah? Did you think that when you adopted a baby you'd get to plan every second of every day for the next eighteen years, that there wouldn't be anything happening that wasn't your choice?... This baby happened to me and it wasn't my choice! Noah Puckerman as the father was not my damn choice… but I still had to deal with it. You are getting a baby, for heaven's sake. Take this as your first multi-tasking lesson."

"That is so easy for you to say… But I cannot take care of both Beth and Rachel. Just not happening."

"Beth?"

"Noah told me her name. It's sweet." Shelby had gotten up by now, and was slowly pacing the room. Confrontations were so not her thing. For almost a decade, she'd become accustomed to giving orders and seeing them followed. Discussion and debate weren't her strong points, especially when they were with an immature teenager. Although the way Quinn was talking right now made her feel that the girl was probably more mature than her.

"D'you like that name?"

"Beth? Sure. I wouldn't have kept it otherwise."

"So it's not just because Puck said it?"

"You don't like the name?"

"I… never thought about it. He sang me a song called 'Beth' and I thought it was kinda sweet but I always thought the parents would decide her name in the end."

"Well, I did. Beth's a very nice name," said Shelby, smiling at Quinn.

"Have you seen her yet?"

"Yeah… I went up before I came to see you. She's... she's just perfect."

"And you're still going to give her up?"

"Quinn…"

"No, seriously. I'm not trying to attack you or anything… Just explain to me why you can't take care of both of them. It's not like Rachel's five or something."

"Oh, it'd be so much easier if she were… Quinn, Rachel wanted something from me that I just couldn't give her, and I damaged our relationship a lot by just pushing her away without explaining anything to her. It's going to take so much work from me to fix that in some way… to be able to help her right now. I don't have to make her breakfast and give her a bath and stuff, but what I do need to do is so much more exhausting. You tell me how I'm supposed to do that while trying to learn to be a mother to a new-born at the same time."

"You… why d'you need to do that? I mean, what deep emotional connection are you trying to establish here anyway?... Her grandparents are coming soon, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are… But I just feel… I don't know."

"Obligated? Guilty?"

"Yes and yes, but that's not all. I can't explain it properly… Think of it like this – if I run away from Rachel right now for Beth, what assurance would you have about me not running away from Beth? You said it yourself – I'm used to cutting and running. But I don't want to do that anymore."

"You sure as hell have picked a good time to reform." Shelby gave a humourless laugh.

"I'm sorry Quinn. I really am… I waited a long time for my adoption request to be granted, and I'm not going to get another chance after I give this one up."

"You don't have to."

"Please don't –"

"No, wait. Hear me out, alright?... There is one thing we can do."

"What?"

"You just need some time with Rachel, right? It's not like she's going to be with you permanently now… So for that some time, I can still take care of Beth. I was going to drop by from time to time anyway, so it'll just be an extension of that. Go through with the adoption, and till the time you're preoccupied, I'll help out with Beth… I'd help with Rachel too, honestly, but I don't think she'd like that much."

"I don't know. It seems a bit dicey… This was supposed to be a bonding period for us. What's the point if you're there?"

"Oh for Christ's sake! You're supposed to be the rational adult here, right? Well you cannot take care of her right now, and I can't keep her forever and lord knows how much time it'll take to find another couple. This is perfect for us. Just say yes already." Quinn felt slightly ashamed of the way that came out – it sounded more like they were bartering for a piece of meat than deciding the fate of a child.

"You're right. I do want to kee-" Shelby was interrupted by a beeping from her phone, indicating that Rachel was done with her dad. "Rachel's calling me. I need to go now, but we'll figure out the details later."

"Don't leave me hanging."

"I won't." Shelby had done enough of that, and now seemed to be the perfect time to stop. Who would have thought Quinn Fabray would be the one to make her realize that.

Rachel walked into the ICU ward where her father lay on the bed, hooked up to numerous monitors. She'd prepared herself for seeing them, but even then the sight of his battered body made her recoil. The man lying on that bed, with only the steady beeping of the monitor indicating he was alive was so far removed from her last image of her father that for a moment she felt tempted to go out there and telling everyone that they'd made a mistake – this wasn't her daddy.

But the moment passed, and she was left with the silence of the ward and her own sinking hope. That was Archer Berry, no matter how much she may wish otherwise.

Carefully circumnavigating all the tubes and wires to sit down on a chair next to her dad, Rachel lightly traced the protruding veins on his hand with her fingers. They had some sort of a connection, Archer and her. Ever since the time she was little, he was always the one who could sense her distress, far better even than her other father. He knew what every gesture, every twitch, every gesture meant even without her telling him. Rachel prayed that he knew know, that he felt how much she needed him.

"Daddy?" She spoke in a soft whisper, not able to make a louder sound than that. The knot in her throat was growing by the second, but she had promised herself that she wouldn't cry yet.

"I- No one's telling me how you are, but I think you can hear me... Daddy, please wake up. There isn't anyone else, and I can't do this alone. You know I can't... I'm not feeling good, and I really need you to get me a glass of water."

Rachel couldn't stop few tears from escaping then, thinking back to all the times she'd taken her parents for granted. She wasn't the most ideal child to have around by any means; she loved and raged in equal measures. For every day of telling her dads how awesome they were, there had been one of telling them they were horrible and that she wanted nothing more than to escape to New York and never look back. She wanted so desperately to take all that back, to be able to tell both of them that they had been so much better than she ever deserved.

"I love you, Daddy. I love you so much and I know you do too, even if you're not saying it. I don't care how long it takes, just please wake up for me... And don't worry too much, okay? I'll be fine till you're up and running. But you can't stay like this. That's not allowed."

She stayed like that for a few more minutes, taking some assurance from the steady rise and fall of her dad's chest. He was still alive, and he was going to stay that way. Eventually, she removed her hand from his and got up, sniffling and brushing off the few stray tears that had made their way down her face. Showing everyone that everything was okay would make it okay. She left the room, turning to look at her dad one last time, and messaged Shelby.

'Sweetie, are you sure you don't want something to eat?" said Shelby, as she practically ran along the corridor to keep up with Rachel's unusually fast pace. Ever since she'd come out of the ICU, Rachel seemed to be making every effort to maintain an aloof air and distance herself from Shelby. The older woman cursed herself for thinking that it was a good idea for Rachel to go there alone. Stupid, stupid idea.

"I'm sure, just like I was the first ten times you asked."

"But Rachel, I really think you should just -"

"Shelby, please stop thinking. You and I are both aware of the fact that you're doing this out of some warped sense of duty, but please, feel free to drop the concerned parent act. You don't seem to be very good at it."

"Rachel, wait… You have every right to feel like that. It's not like I ever did anything to prove it, but I do care about you. I'm not doing this because I have to… I'm doing it because I care."

"No you don't. You do not care about me and nor, for that matter, does anyone else. I am scared right now. Scared and anxious, but I am not an idiot. Now can we go please?" Shelby reluctantly loosened the grip she had on Rachel's hand and they stepped into the elevator, at which time they noticed Quinn trailing behind them. Shelby wondered how much the blonde had heard while Rachel just ignored her, staring straight ahead.

Quinn had only heard the last few sentences, but that in itself was more than enough to make her wonder who that brunette was and what she'd done to Rachel Berry. The Rachel she knew was pushy and irritating and loud, but she wasn't hurtful and malicious.

Then again, Quinn also knew first hand how fast the circumstances in your life changed your behaviour. Their situations weren't the same, but then they weren't all that different either – having the earth yanked out from under your feet, the prospect of living the rest of your life without the safety your parents had provided till then, feeling like you had all the wrong people on your side – these were all things both of them were familiar with, which was why Quinn went after Rachel, motioning for Shelby to stay behind.

Author's Note: Thank you all so so so much for all the reviews/story alerts. I wouldn't have been able to write so fast if it wasn't for all of you.

ailed: Thank you:) Hope you liked this as well

fan: I hope he makes it too:) Let's see how the characters flesh out

kristen: Thanks. Here's the next one, and it was pretty soon:)