CHAPTER ONE

UNEXPECTED FRIENDSHIP

Rachel's Hospital Room

(Flashback)

Rachel blinked as the door opened, and there stood the last person she ever thought would be visiting her. Quinn Fabray was staring at her with such intensity that it was unnerving her. Rachel all ready felt weak from all the tests that she had been put through that day. She just didn't have the energy to do battle with the HBIC of WMHS. "Hello Quinn," Rachel said straightened up in the bed. "My fathers are such worry warts – that all because I haven't been up to par lately they decided to check me in the hospital. I'm quite all right, and I'll be back at school in another day or two. You didn't have to come here to make sure your favorite target is actually sick or anything." She laughed low in her voice. She winched as she felt the sob try to burst out. She managed to hide it through.

"We both know the truth, Rachel." Quinn said her hands fidgeting in front of her.

Rachel couldn't help it she bit back with more force then she thought possible. "The truth that we both know, Quinn Fabray, is that you are the head dog and I'm nothing." Her eyes grew fiery, "The truth that we both know is that will never change. The truth that we both know is that you will always be a royal bitch towards me – even as I continue to offer my hand in friendship."

"You have cancer." Quinn said in the strained silence.

"Get out." Rachel said in a low growl.

Quinn didn't move.

"I said get out." Rachel's voice rose.

"I can't." Quinn whispered.

"GET OUT! GET OUT!" Rachel screamed. "GET OUT! GET THE FUCK OUT! GET OUT!" She felt arms wrap themselves firmly around her, and she kept screaming, and beating against the being that had her imprisoned.

Everything went black.

Rachel whimpered as her eyes slowly opened. The light hurt them. She just wanted to close them and go back to the blackness. But her body wasn't going to grant her wish. She felt a hand gently cover her eyes. She was grateful for her mother's thoughtfulness. "M-mom." She chocked.

She felt the hand stiffen above her eyes. "M-mom." She said once more. The hand slowly removed itself from her eyes. She looked up into the hazel eyes of one Quinn Fabray. "P-please get out."

"I can't." Quinn whispered.

Chocolate brown eyes searched hazel eyes. "I should have known that you weren't going to grant me my wish." Her voice came stronger then before. She had taken the time that she needed to swallow around the cotton that had formed. "Would you grant my wish for some water?"

She watched as Quinn broke eye contact so she could pick up the picture. "I made sure that the nurses only gave you the purest of all waters." She said pouring it into the plastic ugly brown cup – that matched the pitcher. "Whenever I ended up in the hospital – I wished that they would spurge, and get better colors for the pitchers and cups. But they never did." Quinn turned around in the chair and held the cup close to her chest.

"Only way I can drink if I have it next to my mouth." Rachel raised her right eye brow. She reached out for it. Her hand was shaky.

Quinn moved her left hand behind Rachel's neck, and gently lifted it. Moving closer so she could place the edge of the cup to Rachel's lips. She held the cup as Rachel took the much needed sips of the cool water down her patch throat.

When she knew that Rachel was finished she pulled the cup away. Keeping her fingers on the brunette's neck, she placed the cup onto swing table. Lightly running her fingers across Rachel's neck she sighed deeply, "Was this the first time you broke?"

"Yes." Rachel sighed. She leaned back against the pillow and Quinn's soft hand. "I have been too busy with fighting this horrible disease to allow myself to break." She looked into Quinn's hazel eyes. "Why are you here, Quinn? Why are you visiting me? Why are you being so kind and careful with me?"

"I don't want you to die." Quinn whispered.

"I'm not going to die." Rachel said with a slight chocked up laugh. "The survival rate for our age group for Acute myelogenous leukemia is in the 70% range – especially seeing how the doctors caught it right in beginning stages."

"All I heard was that you had Acute leukemia." Quinn whispered. She thought back to what she had read on the internet about the form of cancer – and she remembered what little she read about the myelogenous form of it. She had been happy and relieved that Rachel only had the Acute. But now her soul crashed down at her feet when she learned that Rachel had AML. Her right hand rose and traced the side of Rachel's face. "I wish it was me."

"I don't." Rachel whispered. She suddenly jerked forward and was gasping for air. She felt Quinn's arms wrap firmly around her, and she was just held against the blond cheerleader. Her eyes wide in shock as the pain of her breathing pattern changed from smooth to very raggedy and jagged. She slammed her eyes shut as her hands moved up Quinn's back. She fought the panic as she felt Quinn's inner strength enter her essence.

Quinn breathed with relief as Rachel's breathing finally managed to slow. She just held the Diva to her until Rachel's breathing returned to normal. She carefully leaned forward and placed Rachel's back against the bed. Making sure the pillow was just underneath Rachel's head, she gently guided the Diva's head to pillow. Not removing herself from her position, she just scooted to the right until she was laying length wise against the other girl.

"Thank you." Rachel breathed out. Her hands rose and covered Quinn's. The left hand was across her waist, while the right was up near her heart. "You don't have to be this close to me, you know. I'm quite all right."

"Do you want me away from you?" Quinn murmured.

"Are you trying to prove a point?" Rachel asked curiously. "I mean everyone is afraid that cancer is contagious. It's just funny is all. Funny not in hahaha …. but funny how ironic that you find that my having cancer is the okay moment for you to be so close to me. After all you have taunted that my 'gayness family style', 'man-hands' was the most contagious." She started to laugh hysterical.

Quinn wrapped her arms tightly around the brunette, and just held Rachel close to her chest – as she small Diva broke for the second time since she first walked into the room. She felt the wetness of Rachel's tears against her shirt – seeping into her skin. Her head turned slightly as she heard the door open. She looked into the fiery eyes of Shelby Corcoran. She saw the raw emotions playing on the older woman's eyes as she looked at her oldest daughter breaking down in the arms of her main tormentor. But, the tormentor was also the biological mother to your youngest daughter.

Shelby reached out as if trying to reach Rachel. Her decision on what to do was made for her. Rachel snuggled her head into Quinn's chest just where her heart was. Rachel snuggled as close as she could as her cries turned into whimpers. Shelby nodded and turned to leave the room.

Quinn heard the door softly shut. She rested her head against the curve of Rachel's warm neck. "I need to calm yourself down, Rach. You are just wearing yourself out. I need you to remain strong so you can fight against this disease that is eating you."

"Can we just not talk right now, Quinn? I mean every time one of us talk it makes me feel over whelmed. Can you just hold me and allow me to seep in the comfort that you obviously are freely offering me tonight?" Rachel's chocolate brown eyes had locked onto Quinn's hazel ones. "Just give me this one night of comfort. Then you can go back to hating me."

"I will never go back to hating you, Rach." Quinn whispered. "If you will have me, I will be your friend."

Rachel searched Quinn's eyes deeply. "Friends for life."

"Friends for life." Quinn promised. Rachel closed her eyes and fell asleep.

(End Flashback)

"This can't be the end, Rach." Quinn gently used a cool wash cloth on the pale brunette's forehead. "This can't be the end of our friends for life. I won't allow it. I can't allow it. We deserve so much more time then just mere weeks."

Rachel whimpered. "I'm so cold, Quinn. So cold."

"I know baby, I know." Quinn said reaching for yet another blanket to cover the pale shaking Diva. "They need to bring you more warmer blankets in here." She whispered as she sat back down on the chair.

"I'm so cold and hot, Quinn." Rachel whined. "I'm in so much pain." Hot tears fell onto her cold cheeks. "Why is this happening to me?"

Quinn didn't have the answer to that question. She remained silent and continued to bath Rachel's face with the cloth. The mask over her mouth and nose was bothering her something fierce. But there was no way in hell that she was going to remove it. Rachel would be at more of a risk of the world's simplest diseases than ever before.

The hospital room that Rachel was in was completely sterile. It had too be. Because Rachel's immune system had been so compromised. One little flu bug could actually kill the seventeen year old Diva at the moment.

Quinn prayed that Shelby, and the Berry's would return very soon. She was alone in the room to care for Rachel – as the adults were in the doctor's office finding out the results of the bone marrow tests. She prayed that they found the perfect match for Rachel all ready.

"Q-quinn." Rachel's teeth clattered. She whimpered in the sheer pain of the motion. Her entire being hurt. Even the edges of her hair hurt. She just wanted the pain to stop. She never wanted to feel any pain ever again. Her chest tightened as her breathing rasped even worse.

"Yes baby?" Quinn whispered trying to hide the tears. She hated seeing Rachel like this. Fighting for her life. Simply fighting for her very life – she knew that Rachel was beginning to lose the fight.

The door opened. "How is she?" Kristopher asked as he bent down to place a hand against Rachel's forehead.

"The same." Quinn whispered. Rachel had been lost in her delirium for the past ten minutes. "The fever just won't leave her alone. Not for one second." She wanted to scream and never stop.

"Quinn, I need you to go out in the hallway for a little bit. Shelby and Giovanni have some important things to discuss with you." Kristopher said in a gentle but firm voice.

"I'm not leaving her." Quinn said refusing to let go of Rachel's hand.

"Quinn," Kristopher had turned from his daughter's face to place his hand over Quinn and Rachel's hands. "Rachel will be all right, she's not going anywhere. I need you to go and talk with Shelby and Giovanni for Rachel."

A single tear rolled down her right cheek. "I don't want to leave her. I can't."

"Q-quinn." Rachel whimpered.

Quinn eyes looked into Rachel's calm clear chocolate brown ones. "Rachel." She cried in relief.

"Go see my mom and daddy." Rachel said in a quiet voice. "Dad is here." Her mouth lifted slightly.

"I won't." Quinn said in quiet firm voice. "I won't leave you."

"Quinn," Rachel managed to use a very firm voice. "I want you out of here. I promise that I'll be right here waiting for you. I'm not going anywhere. Go."

Closing her eyes briefly and allowing herself to breathe. Quinn opened her eyes, "Okay." She whispered. She stood up and leaned forward. "I'll be back." She whispered as she kissed Rachel's forehead. "I promise." Pulling slowly away and just staring into the firm but very weak chocolate brown eyes. She straightened to her fall height, and left the room.

"I'm worried about her, dad. I don't know if she'll make it after I'm -" Rachel couldn't go on.

Kristopher just wrapped his arms around his baby girl, and allowed her to cuddle into his chest.

PRIVATE WAITING AREA

"Quinn, come with us." Shelby said wrapping her arms around Quinn's thin waist. She led the dull leaded Quinn down the hallway after Giovanni. They had agree to break the horrifying news to Quinn in the private waiting area which was closets to Rachel's room.

Quinn found herself being seated. "Which one of you is the perfect match for Rachel." Quinn turned her eyes onto Shelby's chocolate ones – one of the many things Rachel inheritance from her mother.

"None of us are." Giovanni said standing in front of the teenage blond.

"Wait, how is that possible? You are Rachel's parents. Well we know for a fact that Shelby is Rachel's biological mother. But," she turned her eyes to stare up into Giovanni's eyes, "We just need to learn whom is Rachel's biological father is all."

"We all ready got the DNA results." Giovanni sighed running his fingers through the back of his head.

"Okay so which one of you is a perfect match for Rachel then?" Quinn's right eye brow rose high on her forehead.

"Kristopher and I aren't Rachel's biological father." Giovanni said after taking a deep breath.

Quinn jumped to her feet quickly. "What the hell do you mean, Mr. Berry? This is no time for a sick practical joke. Rachel's very life is hanging in the balance here, and you think that this is time for a joke!" She rushed the shorter Jew, and started to beat against his chest with her fists. "How dare you! How dare you! How dare you!" Her forehead came into contact with his chest. "Please tell me you are joking." She whimpered.

Giovanni wrapped his arms tightly around the teenage girl's back. He just silently held her as she broke down. He looked over Quinn's head at Shelby whom had quietly broken down during Quinn's rage.

"Quinn." Shelby's voice finally broke the silence.

Quinn pulled away from Giovanni and turned to Rachel's mother. Her heart broke even more at the sight of a mother whom was on the edge of losing her child. She knew fully on how Shelby felt. Granted Beth was still among the living – but Quinn wasn't with her daughter full time. Quinn hadn't chosen to keep her child close to her. But if Beth's life was in danger then Quinn would be where Shelby is in this moment.

"Quinn." Shelby held out her right hand for the teenage blond to take.

Quinn took the offered hand and sat back in the chair. "Whom is Rachel's biological father?"

"I d-don't know. I used a sperm donor." Shelby sighed. "There was no names – just a number."

"Shit." Quinn breathed. "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"The search is all ready on. Rachel is on the top ten list for the bone marrow." Giovanni sighed. "But Quinn, the chances are very slim that we'll find Rachel's biological father in time. For all we know he may be dead."

Quinn's breath hitched. "He can't be dead. He just can't be."

"I pray that he isn't." Shelby said. "Quinn, I need your help. I need you to get the Glee club to get tested. It's a long shot. But perhaps one of them is the perfect match for Rachel. I don't know if the rest of the kids whom are of age at McKinley would care to help my daughter. I don't know about the teachers either. But, the Glee club surely would want to try to make sure that their captain, and lead female signer would be around to help them. Right?" Shelby looked fearfully into the hazel eyes of Rachel's old number one tormenter.

"Shelby, everyone in Glee loves Rachel. It had taken her having cancer for us to realize this fact. All of us would do anything in this world to make sure Rachel stays alive." Quinn reached up, and pushed back the older woman's hair from the right side. "I'll get them tested. Everyone of age will be tested."

Shelby pulled Quinn into her and quietly broke for the second time since learning the truth.

END CHAPTER ONE