Author's Note: So, here's chapter 3. I'm kinda surprised I cranked it out so quickly but I was having trouble sleeping because I kept thinking about scenes to write for this chapter. This chapter is also slightly longer than usual for me. Yay! No flashbacks in this chapter and we're still looking from Quinn's POV. This may be my last update until after Memorial Day. I'm going out of town for a long weekend and am already stressed about the trip so I might not have time to get anything up before I leave.

The disclaimer from chapter one still applies.


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Chapter 3
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Quinn could barely hear the sound of her footsteps as her feet pounded the pavement. The music on her iPod was turned up high in an attempt to simultaneously drown out the world around her and distract her from her thoughts. After one rushed mile, she settled into a steady pace. The blonde decided to take a different route than usual for her run today. A change of scenery was necessary to keep her distracted. There was a bike trail that started at a park near her house. She hadn't had a chance to explore it before and now was as good a time as ever.

The afternoon sun was bright shining down upon her, causing the light to glisten off the sweat forming on her brow. The slight burning sensation in her muscles felt good. She needed this.

Up ahead, she noticed the bike trail was coming to an end. Quinn had been so focused on her run, she failed to realize just how far she'd gone. If she was coming to the trail's end, she was halfway across Lima by now, at least a good six miles or so from her house. Glancing at her watch to check the time, she figured she should start making her way back home. It was almost three o'clock now and the fact that she had missed both breakfast and lunch was starting to catch up with her.

She broke away from the end of the path and turned the corner to start down the next street. Keeping with her desire for a change of scenery, the blonde decided to return through town instead of doubling back and taking the trail again. This street looked familiar to her for some reason even though she didn't usually come to this part of town. The houses were all similar in design, many with neatly manicured lawns and the cliché white picket fences. It took a few moments before Quinn realized why this neighborhood looked familiar. She had driven here for a party once. A party at Rachel Berry's house. Crap.

She let out a laugh at the irony of the situation. Here she was, going out of her way to avoid anything having to do with the memory of last night and by some stupid, invisible force, she was practically on the doorstep of the one person she wanted most to forget about. Her feet brought her here without any conscious thought. This only served to reinforce her previous thought that some sort of karma must be at work. If it was indeed karma playing a part, it was a real bitch. As she neared the end of the street, she saw none other than Rachel Berry standing behind her car in her driveway. Freakin' perfect.

The petite brunette popped the trunk open on her car and bent over to rummage around inside, looking for who knows what. Quinn slowed her stride and took a moment to drink in her appearance. Rachel was wearing what looked to be a set of workout clothes. She had on a tiny pair of pink shorts and a tight fitting white tank top. The blonde didn't think it was possible for anything to be shorter than the skirts the brunette wore to school but those shorts were practically indecent. Did the girl have no sense of propriety? At least it was better than the animal sweaters and penny loafers she wore to school. Rachel looked almost normal in that outfit. One could even say she was attractive, showing off smooth, tan legs that were impossibly long for someone so short. Quinn faltered a bit at that thought. Why were Rachel's legs the only vision in her mind at the moment? Ugh! Must. Stop. Thinking. Again.

Quinn figured she had two options here. One would be to run by the Berry house without another thought and head home. The other option would be to stop and say hi. Instinct told her to choose option number one. If she stopped to talk with Rachel, she probably wouldn't get home until dark with the way she rambles on. However, once again, some damnable unseen force was silently prodding her to choose option number two. She could stop and be polite, chat for a few minutes and thank Rachel for her concerned text message last night. As much as she hated to admit it, she did find it sweet that even after her poor behavior toward Rachel at prom, the brunette cared enough to make sure she was alright. Quinn had a feeling she was going to regret this but she decided to take the risk and started up the Berry's driveway.

Rachel didn't appear to have heard Quinn walk up behind her. She was oblivious, still digging around in her trunk for something. Not wanting to scare her, Quinn quietly said, "Hey Rachel."

Well, so much for not scaring her. At the sound of her name, Rachel jumped up with enough force to bang her head on the underside of the trunk lid. Quinn heard the thud of the impact and winced. The brunette hit her head hard enough to cause her knees to buckle and begin to give out on her. Quinn rushed up to catch her, just in time to prevent her from crashing down onto the blacktop of the driveway. She caught her around the waist and gently eased her down into a sitting position behind the car. Quinn knelt down in front of Rachel and spoke again. "Rachel? Are you ok?"

The brunette stared at her with a look of confusion plastered on her face. "Quinn? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I was out for a run and somehow managed to end up on your street," she said. "I don't usually run on this side of town. Anyway, I recognized your house and saw you in the driveway. I came up to say hi but apparently that wasn't such a good idea, seeing as I scared the living crap out of you and made you hit your head on the trunk of your car."

Rachel winced as she reached back and gently ran her fingers across the back of her head. She hissed in pain, feeling a lump already forming. Seeing her discomfort, Quinn moved to inspect the brunette's injuries. "Here, Rachel," she said softly. "Let me take a look at it and then I'll help you inside. Ok?" Rachel gave a small nod and slowly leaned forward so the blonde could get a better look. Quinn scrutinized the affected area, assessing the extent of the injury. As she surveyed the brunette's head, she mentally berated herself. This was all her fault. She had intended on just saying hi, thanking Rachel for her concern last night and apologizing again for her behavior. Instead she gave the poor girl a concussion. Way to go Fabray.

"Well, it looks like you've got a nasty bump and there's also a small cut. It's not really bleeding but we should clean it up anyway to prevent infection," said Quinn. "How are you feeling? Are you dizzy at all? Do you think you can stand up?"

"It was just a little bump, Quinn," she stated plainly. "I'm quite capable of making my way into my home without assistance. If you would be so kind as to move out of my way, I'll grab my things from the trunk and go inside."

Rachel pushed up off the pavement and managed to almost get to a standing position before she wobbled and lost her balance. Quinn was quick to catch her again. "Woah there, tiger," she said with a slight smile. She put one arm around the brunette's waist and brought Rachel's other arm up to rest across her shoulders. "It was obviously more than a little bump and you need some help. Lemme grab your bag from the trunk. Where are your keys?"

"Quinn, really, I don't need the help. I –" Quinn cut her off. She was starting to get impatient.

"You're not really in any position to argue with me at the moment so just shut up and let me help you. Unless you'd rather sit in the driveway all night long?" she said with a smirk.

Rachel scowled at her but relented. "Fine. My keys are there on top of my bag," she said with a huff.

Quinn scooped up the bag and keys with her free hand and shut the trunk. She slung the duffel over he shoulder and tightened her grip on Rachel's waist. If the brunette lost her balance again, Quinn didn't want to go down with her. They slowly walked toward the house with most of Rachel's weight supported by the blonde. It was no surprise to Quinn that she was light, considering how short she was. As they moved together, Quinn realized this is probably the closest she's ever physically been to Rachel. The brunette let out a small groan and Quinn flushed a bit. Talk about awkward. Mortal enemies Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray, walking pressed side by side, arms around each other. Santana would have a field day if she saw this.

They reached the door and Quinn eased Rachel over the threshold. Maneuvering her over to the living room, the blonde gently sat Rachel down on the sofa. "Where do you keep your first aid kit?" she asked. Rachel looked liked she was about to protest but before she could Quinn said, "Don't even bother arguing with me. It's my fault you whacked your head and I'm going to help you get cleaned up. Just sit there and deal with it."

Rachel heaved a sigh before she responded. "It's under the sink in the bathroom. Down the hall, first door on the right."

"Stay put," Quinn ordered. Rachel gave her a dramatic eye roll before she set off down the hall to grab the kit.

First aid kit in hand, Quinn returned to the living room. She was amazed that Rachel didn't try to get up. The little diva never took direction well. She was still on the sofa but now she was leaning forward with her head in her hands. "Alright, let's get that cut cleaned up and then we'll get some ice for that bump." Quinn rummaged in the box to find the necessary items for the task. "Are you feeling dizzy? Nauseous?"

Rachel didn't move but responded, "A little of both. It's not so bad if I lean forward like this and close my eyes."

"If that works for you, keep it up. I'm gonna start cleaning the cut so be prepared for a little sting," said Quinn. She grabbed an alcohol wipe and gently pulled Rachel's hair aside to expose the cut. The blonde could smell a light lavender scent as she did so, probably the smell of Rachel's shampoo. The brunette whimpered a little as Quinn cleaned the cut.

"Is this really necessary?" Rachel asked, somewhat perturbed. "I am quite aware of the importance of proper wound care but are you qualified to administer first aid sufficiently?"

Quinn ground her teeth. "Yes, Berry, I am," she said through her clenched teeth. "Coach Sylvester makes us take first aid classes every year so we can take care of any injuries during practice. She's been known to choose a girl at random to suffer an injury and then whips out a stop watch to time the rest of the squad on administering first aid. It's supposed to keep us on our toes."

"That's horrible!" Rachel gasped. "I honestly don't understand why that woman is allowed to continue to teach at any school. She's a horrible influence. I wouldn't be surprised if she worked for some sort of terrorist organization." Quinn couldn't help but laugh at that. Coach Sylvester did have some very controversial methods for teaching.

"Ok, all cleaned up," Quinn stated as she gently let Rachel's hair down and started cleaning up the used supplies. "I'm gonna go put this back and then I'll grab you an ice pack from the kitchen. Probably should get you a couple of ibuprofen too for the pain. Where would I find that?"

"There should be some in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom where you got the first aid kit from," she replied. Quinn got up and came back a few minutes later with a glass of water, pills and ice pack. Rachel took the pills and after a few sips, handed the glass of water back to the blonde. Quinn went to place the ice pack against the back of Rachel's head but the brunette stopped her, grabbing her wrist.

"What exactly are you doing, Quinn?"she asked. "Concussion notwithstanding, I'm a bit confused as to why you are even here in the first place."

Quinn lowered her hand but Rachel didn't release her wrist. She sighed. "Like I said before, I was out running and somehow ended up in front of your house. I saw you at your car and thought I'd come up and say hello."

"So this is a social call then?" Rachel asked sarcastically.

"No, not really. I mean, I hadn't intended on coming over but when I saw you outside I decided I should talk to you," she admitted. She braced herself for what she was about to say. Apologies were not something Quinn was well versed in. "First, I wanted to thank you for the text message you sent me last night. I know I didn't reply to it... I was too upset at the time." She gave Rachel a sad smile. The hand on her wrist gave her a gentle squeeze in understanding. "I also wanted to apologize again for hitting you. It was completely uncalled for and I'm so sorry for lashing out at you like that." She raised her eyes to meet Rachel's. "I'm not good at handling my emotions, especially in front of other people." Quinn had no idea why she was saying all this. The words were just pouring out against her will. Jeez, get a grip Fabray!

Rachel was silent for a moment as she absorbed Quinn's words. She finally released Quinn's wrist but the blonde could still feel a warmth lingering where Rachel's hand had been. "Thank you for telling me that Quinn," Rachel started. "I was genuinely concerned for you and your wellbeing after last evening's events. Despite what you may think, given our rocky past, I don't harbor any animosity toward you. Finn's behavior was deplorable and you didn't deserve what happened."

Quinn could do nothing but stare dumbfounded at the brunette as she spoke. How was it that Rachel could just let bygones be bygones and move on? She had tortured this girl for years now and here she is sitting in front of her, after Quinn physically assaulted her two days in a row, granted today's assault was an accident... But still, she's sitting here telling her how she doesn't hate her and is offering comfort. If Rachel Berry was nothing else, she was certainly an enigma. The blonde wasn't sure where to go from here. Both girls were sitting in a suffocating silence.

Quinn was the first to speak. "I don't deserve your compassion or comfort Rachel but thank you anyway." She hated to sound ungrateful but she really didn't feel the brunette owed her anything. The blonde stood up from the sofa and said, "Well, I guess I should get going. I've been out longer than I thought I would be. Mom's probably wondering where I'm at." Rachel gave her a nod and smiled. "Make sure you keep that ice pack on your head," Quinn ordered. "It's gonna hurt like a bitch but trust me, you'll be thankful you did."

"Thank you," Rachel said softly. "I'd offer to walk you to the door but I'd probably fall on my face and I'd rather not have to deal with another injury right now."

Quinn turned back and gave her a small smile. "Just stay off your feet for a while and you'll be good." She turned back to the door and was about to exit when she remembered something she wanted to ask the brunette. "Oh hey, Rachel? One last thing before I go." Rachel waited patiently for her to continue. "In your text message last night, why did you say I deserved to win prom queen?" she asked.

Rachel beamed at her and stated simply, "Because I voted for you."

Quinn had no idea what to make of that but gave a small laugh and replied, "It's nice to know I had at least one other vote." She gave Rachel one last look and then slipped out the door, shutting it quietly behind her. Replacing her earbuds, she took a few deep breaths and started back down the driveway and began her journey back home. She cranked up the music as loud as she could stand it. She'd analyze her conversation with Rachel after she got back home. For now, all she wanted was to feel the pavement under her feet and the burn in her muscles.


Author's Note (again): I'm really interested in hearing your thoughts on characterization. I don't have much trouble writing Rachel's dialog, since I have a tendency to have diarrhea of the mouth like her in real life. But what about Quinn? I don't want her to be too nasty but I don't want to write her too nice either. She's dropped the name calling on the show and I've reflected that in my story. Also with the apology, I didn't want Quinn to launch into some sort of massive outpouring of how horrible she's been and apologize for everything she's ever done to her and blah, blah, blah. Right now she's apologizing for prom night, even though she is starting to think about the other shitty things she's done to Rachel. It'll be a gradual process of her taking a look at who she is and who she would like to be. Anyway, now I'm rambling like Rachel. Please take a moment to review and let me know what you think and feel free to give suggestions as to what you'd like to see happen. The story isn't already written so it could go anywhere at this point. :)