"Hey, Brittany" Quinn said, sitting down across from Brittany. This was one of the rare occasions Brittany was alone.
"Hey, pinky"
Quinn frowned at the nickname but decided to ignore it "Can I talk to you?"
"Sure, 'bout what?"
"Rachel"
"of course. What's up?"
"How long did you room with her?"
"About two months, why?"
"Did she ever end up in your bed? Maybe because she had nightmares or something?"
"She had nightmare, yea. She woke up screaming, a lot actually, but she never ended up in my bed. Why, did she end up in yours?"
"Well kind of. Do you think it's because she had a nightmare?"
"Probably. The nightmares seemed horrible. She would cry and everything but when I asked if everything was alright she just turned her back to me"
"So you don't know what the nightmares were about?"
"Nah, but they were bad"
"Hey BrittBritt. Fabray"
"Lopez" Quinn mumbled getting to her feet.
"What, do I smell that bad?"
"You smell awful, Lopez" Quinn called over her shoulder as she walked out of the canteen and into her room where Rachel was sat on her own bed "Hi"
Quinn sat down on the floor across from Rachel "You had a nightmare last night, didn't you?"
Rachel nodded, resting her forehead against her knees.
"Hey, it's alright" Quinn scooted across the floor, kneeling in front of Rachel. The pink haired girl lightly ran her hands through Rachel's hair "You know you're welcome to come into my bed whenever you have a nightmare or whenever anything happens, alright?"
Rachel nodded again, not lifting her head from her knees "Thank you" it was so low Quinn was almost sure she'd imagined it but she hadn't Rachel had actually spoken for what could be the first time in years.
"Uh, n-no problem, sweetie"
Quinn smiled just as there was a knock on the door "The councilor is ready for you, Rachel"
Quinn moved back and stood giving Rachel enough room to stand which the girl did before doing something Quinn didn't expect. Rachel wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck.
Quinn stood shocked for a second before wrapping her arms around Rachel's waist "You don't have to worry anymore, alright? Whatever it is that happened I won't let it happen to you again" Quinn whispered against Rachel's hair before pulling back and allowing Rachel to leave the room.
"Q, the movie starts in ten lets get going" Santana said, poking her head into the room.
"Sure" Quinn mumbled but made no attempted to move
"Come on, Q-ball, let's go" Santana frowned when Quinn didn't move "What's going on with you?"
"What?" Quinn asked, blinking twice to focus on Santana.
"What's your deal, you were in a completely different world just then"
"Um, nothing. It's nothing, you go watch the movie, I'm not really in the mood" Quinn walked past a confused Santana and down the hallway.
"Where the hell are you going?"
"Just, nowhere. I'll see you later" Quinn walked the rest of the way to Rebecca's office.
"Oh, come on in, Miss Fabray" the woman mumbled sarcastically when Quinn just walked into her office.
"Do you think if I told Rachel about my sister it would help her?"
Rebecca frowned "Not sure why Rachel would care about your sister but if you think it will help go for it"
"My sister was mute for four years. She didn't utter a single word in that time and I feel like if Rachel knows I've been though this before it will help"
"And you're willing to just lay yourself out like that? There's a difference between talking to your shrink and talking to Rachel. Your shrinks job is to listen without judging but Rachel might judge you"
"She has nothing to judge me on besides Rachel isn't like that. She wouldn't judge me"
"I just want to make sure you know that yea, you can tell Rachel as much as you like about your life but that doesn't mean she will talk to you"
"I know that but what do you think. Might it help?"
"Yes, it might"
"So it's worth a try?"
"Yes but like I said she probably won't say anything"
"That's fine, I don't care. Thanks, Rebecca" Quinn smiled before heading back to her room to wait for Rachel.
She had been sat on her bed for about an hour and a half before Rachel appeared "Hey"
Rachel just shuffled across to her bed and sat down. Quinn could tell she felt a little weird about talking this morning, like Quinn would some how judge her "Can I talk to you, it's about my sister I guess"
Quinn saw Rachel's brows cress slightly, clearly not expecting that that was what Quinn wanted to talk about.
"Ok" Quinn mumbled, taking her normal seat on the floor in front of Rachel "I have a baby sister, well she's ten now but when she was five she stopped talking completely" Quinn waited for a reaction from Rachel but all she got was a small frown "It was my dads fault, he, uh, he hit her. When ever she said something wrong, which, according to him, was all the time and it just got to the point were my sister never said anything at all, not to anyone. She saw shrink after shrink but it didn't help, not while my dad was still in the house and I was to scared to say anything. It took my mom two years to get ride of my dad and another two for my sister to talk again. She only talks to me. Not my mom or her shrink, just me. I don't know why, I didn't do anything to make her feel like she could talk to me"
Rachel looked up at Quinn through her eyelashes waiting for the older girl to continue.
"That's not why I like you though, because of my sister. I just, uh, feel draw to you, I don't know why but I am"
Rachel just stared up at Quinn, maintaining eye contact "I just felt like you had to know that. I don't know why I just did" Quinn said, about to stand and walk over to her bed when Rachel grabbed on to her hand and leant her cheek against Quinn's palm "You'll get through this, Rachel. I know you will" Quinn lightly ran her thumb across Rachel's cheekbone making Rachel close her eyes and nod "Let's go eat, yea?"
Rachel got to her feet and dropped Quinn's hand from her cheek but didn't let go instead she laced their hands together and held on like her life depended on it.
Quinn headed towards the door, wondering if they should really leave holding hands but decided that Rachel needed the comfort and if she didn't care about what any of the others thought neither did Quinn.
It was only a matter of seconds before the whispered rippled through the hall, Quinn didn't catch much of what people were saying but she caught the odd 'I told you' and 'they must be fooling around'
Rachel ducked her head more than usual, if that was even possible, but Quinn held her chin up not willing to give them the satisfaction of making her uncomfortable.
"Yea, Fabray, get some!" Puck cheered and Quinn almost bared her teeth at him.
"Shut the fuck up, Puckerman!" she growled, squeezing Rachel's hand and Rachel's lightly squeezed back "Ignore him, he's an idiot"
The girls got their food and took a seat at the table on the far back of the room. Quinn wasn't about to let go of Rachel's hand, she had expected Rachel to let go though, but her hand gripped onto Quinn's as strongly as before they started eating.
"Fabray, what's going on? You've been AWOL all day?" Santana asked dropping her tray and sitting across from Rachel and Quinn closely followed by Brittany and Sugar.
"Yea, I just wasn't in the mood for the movie is all"
"How about you, Berry? Haven't see you much all day either. You both been together?" Santana popes one of her fries into her mouth and grinned.
"Some of the day. We both had counseling today"
"So Puck was wrong? You weren't 'getting some'"
"No, Santana of course I wasn't. We aren't all like you and Brittany"
"Thank goodness" Sugar mumbled, looking down at her food with a grin.
Santanas cheeks turned a little red, normally people walking in on her wouldn't bother her but the fact the it was Sugar was some how mortifying.
"Are you blushing, Lopez?"
"Fuck you, Fabray"
Quinn laughed, looking over and noticing Rachel's tray was empty "We're going to get going. See you when I see you"
"Whatever" Santana hissed, clearly still pissed at Quinn laughing at her.
"See you later"
"Bye guys" Quinn smiled, turning to walk to her room but stopped when she noticed Demi stood in front of her. Quinn clenched her just, willing herself not to smack her.
Demi's eyes downcast to their joined hands before looking back up at Quinn with a grin "Cute"
Quinn sucked in a breath, waiting for Demi to move.
Demi turned her eyes from Quinn to Rachel and snapped her fingers in Rachel's face "Hey"
Quinn lurched forward, grabbing Demi by the shoulders and slamming her on to the closest table before circling her fingers around her neck more as a way of keeping her down than to actually hurt her.
"You're like some sort of uncontrollable animal. They should keep you in a cage" Demi growled and Quinn was going to swing her arm back to punch her but stopped when a hand gripped into her bicep.
Quinn growled to herself, grabbing Demi's collar and slammed her down against the table again before turning back to Rachel who looked like she was about to freak.
Quinn drew in another breath before smiled at Rachel and heading towards the exit.
"You're so fucking whipped. Psychopath" Demi called as Rachel and Quinn left the room.
Once in their room, Quinn closed the door and leant her head against it, calming herself a little more before turning and was surprised when Rachel's arms wrapped around her neck.
The remainder of her angry drained and Quinn relaxed against Rachel, circling her arms around her waist.
"Stop fighting" Rachel huffed against her ear and Quinn wondered if her voice was naturally that husky or if it was just because Rachel hadn't spoke for a while.
"I'm try" Quinn mumbled, letting get head rest against Rachel's "I really am but she's just... Ugh!" Rachel nodded, her fingertips playing with the hair on the back of Quinn's neck. Quinn sighed, noticing the book on Rachel's bed "What're you reading?" Quinn mumbled against Rachel's head making the girl lets her go and walk over to the bed. Quinn could tell she was only really talking when she had to.
Rachel picked up the book, looking down at it for a second, contemplating whether or not to show Quinn, but held the book out towards Quinn "Stephen King?" Quinn asked, looking down the the book in her hand. Stephen Kings, IT. Quinn looked up at Rachel with a slanted smile "Not what I expected"
"He's my favorite" Rachel whispered, looking down at her hands as she rung her fingers together.
"Yea, mine to"
"Yea?"
Quinn nodded "But I'm the kind of person you'd expect to like him but you, not so much"
"He might take you away into some horrible world but at least it isn't this horrible one"
Quinn couldn't agree more, his writing had a way of making you feel like you're actually there, especially IT, but, killer clown or not, that was still better than reality "You look exhausted. You should get some sleep"
Rachel nodded, looking at Quinn. Quinn felt like she was almost begging her for something and Quinn knew full well what.
Smiling, Quinn shuffling fully onto the bed and sat with her back pressed against the wall. She looked at Rachel and patted her legs "It's about five o'clock so chances are you won't sleep all night"
Rachel laid down on her side, resting her cheek against the pillow on Quinn's thighs. Quinn lightly ran her right hand through her hair using the only hand to flick through the large book. She'd read this book, twice actually, but it didn't fail to just completely take her out of reality both times.
She was intending on reading some of it again but she found watching the slumbering girl in front of her and much better use of her time. Rachel had fallen asleep almost instantly, her left hand sandwiched between her cheek and the pillow while her right hand rested just above Quinn's knee.
Quinn's mind wandered to the fact she was seeing her sister tomorrow, another girl who refused to talk to anyone other than her. What was so special about her? What was it about her that made them feel like she was the one worth talking to? Quinn figured she'd have been the last person either would have wanted to talk to. Cassie because Quinn sat by and allowed their dad to hit her and Rachel because everyone seemed to find Quinn terrifying. But not Rachel and Rachel never seemed to, not even when she first saw her pown Demi Or attacked Finn.
Quinn leant her head back against the wall an closed her eyes.
She'd only really intended on getting a few hours sleep and when she saw the clock flashing nine she thought she had but it was light outside and she could sleep breakfast. She groaned as she pulled her head and back away from the wall, the bones all down her spine aching because of how long they'd been pressed against the wall.
Rachel was still asleep, in the same position actually, Quinn had to put her hand on the brunettes ribs to make sure she was still breathing. Once satisfied that Rachel was alive she softly lifted the girls head from her lap and rested it on the bed. She was seeing her sister in ten minutes and she had to get ready.
A thousand questions rallied through Quinn's mind as she walked along the hallway to where her sister was waiting. What if her mom had took her dad back? What if Cassie forgot who she was? What of she hadn't seen her for so long that she didn't talk?
Quinn took in a breath before walking into the room. Her sisters face instantly lit up when she noticed Quinn "Hey, bear" Quinn smiled. That nickname had actually started off as Quinn teasing Cassie about the teddy she took to bed with her was she was a kid and the name just stuck. Quinn groaned as the preteen run up to her and wrapped her legs around her waist "God, you're heavy"
"That's what happens when you're not six anymore"
"You haven't been six for four years and you were never this heavy"
"Are you ok?" straight to the point, that's one thing Quinn and Cassie had in common.
"Fine, how're you, bear?"
"Fine. I miss you, mom said you weren't coming home" and she had said that, that she wouldn't go back to the house, but at that time she hadn't really taken Cassie into consideration.
"I'll be home, soon"
"Good, because it's not the same without you. Mom won't watch Balto with me and I don't like watching it on my own"
Quinn smiled and nodded "So how's things with you?"
"Good, I got second place in the art fair at school"
"Well that's great"
Cassie shrugged "I would have gotten first if you were there to help"
"I doubt I could have made it any better. You know what I'm like with glue"
Cassie laughed "You glued one of the sticks to your head last time"
"Damn glue gun was useless"
"What's it like in here? Do you have friends?"
"I have a few people that I talk to but there's this one girl, Rachel, she's like you"
"Ten years old?"
"No" Quinn chuckled "She doesn't talk, not to anyone but me"
"And are you trying to help her?"
"I guess so. I like her"
"Like her or like her" Cassie wiggled her eyebrows once as she emphasized the last 'like'
"None of your business, Dweeb"
"Ooh you like her. Is she pretty?"
"Shut up. I'm not talk to you about this, you're my baby sister"
"I'm not a baby"
"Aw, my baby sister!" Quinn cooed, wrapping her arms around the child's shoulders and hugging her "Aw, bear"
Cassie tutted, pushing Quinn away "Get off, gumdrop!" that nickname had started when Quinn dyed her hair and Cassie had thought she looked like a gumdrop.
"So what'dya say, bear? You think you can hold on a little while longer?"
"Yes, now tell me more about Rachel?"
