A/N: Apologies for the delay, my job and Uni is slowly killing me and relationship problems aren't helping matters. Anyway, things should start to pick up from here and I hope this chapter was worth the wait even if it is kind of short. By the way, it picks up straight from where the last chapter left off, with about half an hour time difference.

Just a heads up too, you may have to wait a while (hopefully not too long) for the next update. I have a lot of studying to do for some exams that I've been putting on hold because, well who wants to study?

Thank you all for the reviews, I do appreciate them (:

Her head rolled backwards causing a tense strain to spread down her taught neck, dark tendrils of hair spilled down the length of her upper back, tickling her bare shoulder blades. Her eyes were loosely closed, her top lids occasionally flickered under the pulsing spot lights as they glared through the thin layer of skin. Full, dry lips were parted as an irritated groan slipped from an equally dry throat, her temples was beginning to ache.

Rachel's head lolled forward heavily into her waiting hands. Her elbows dug uncomfortably into the rough, wooden bar counter from the pressure of keeping her head supported. Lazy fingers threaded through her thick hair, her trimmed nails scratched and massaged her scalp in a soothing manner. Rachel's knees were bent and torso hunched, she was finding it difficult keeping herself upright.

Of course, Rachel has never been drunk before. Sure, she has had alcohol on numerous occasions but never enough to intoxicate her. She has never seen the appeal. Kids from school would often boast to their friends just how ''hammered'' they had gotten over the weekend in class. She could never understand why someone would willingly want to loose control over their bodies and loose the ability to form a coherent sentence. It wasn't attractive and it certainly wasn't ''big'' in her books.

The live music pounded through her head relentlessly. The low, deep bass throbbed behind her eye sockets and her calves vibrated with the force of the electric guitar. She raised her head which felt like a tonne when a calloused hand placed itself at the small of her back.

Rachel's bleary eyes met those of the man's who had stayed uninvited by her side since her dispute with Puck. He hadn't spoken much since Puck had stormed off to return to the stage for the bands second half. She appreciated his interference but now, she kind of wanted to be left alone.

"You wanna dance?" He had lent in close, his hot alcoholic breath stained with the stench of cheap beer washed over her face.

Rachel angled her face to the side as she cringed at the smell and shook her head no. Her eye caught the still active stage, her focus became settled and she grimaced at Puck's prancing form. She wanted him to shut up- she was sick of hearing his whiny voice drill through her already sensitive ears. In fact, she wanted the entire band to stop. The drum beat began to sound repetitive, the bass made her eyes hurt and the electric guitar currently being hammered within an inch of it's life made her plain angry.

"Another drink then," It wasn't a question. This was what the guy had also been doing a lot of since he had occupied the space next to Rachel. He never waited for her to protest, he would just buy her another glass filled to the brim of the golden liquor. Her taste buds had become accustomed to the taste, though she still would consider it polite for him to ask what she would like instead.

She lifted the glass to her parched lips and sipped. And then swigged and then gulped- she was so thirsty. Rachel supposed this was the affects of spirits and the hot stuffy air within the bar didn't help matters. She dabbed her fingertips against her lips collecting the excess liquid that had gathered there.

The now empty glass was placed on top of the bar surface and she signalled for a bar tender to come and serve her. The bar girl raised her eyebrows in askance and Rachel was in the middle of requesting a pint of water when the voice next to her interrupted.

"...another Southern Comfort," The guy clasped a strong hand over her own and squeezed ever so slightly. The bar girl regarded him for a second before confirming with lemonade and he nodded.

The girl slid the drink over which the man picked up, handing it over to Rachel. His lips were curled into that not really there smile which she found was quite clearly forced. She nodded at him in thanks and sipped at the drink- she was too thirsty to pass up on something that could temporarily quench her dry throat.

"So, are you gonna tell me your name?" The guy asked, leaning the length of his forearm against the bar counter.

"You could tell me yours," she retorted.

The guy nodded, running a loose hand through his greasy hair and then shrugged. "Suit yourself. I was just asking since I am buying you drinks." He all but grumbled.

"I didn't ask you to," she eyed the side of his profile since he had turned to face the front of the bar. He looked irritated as he swigged from his near empty bottle of beer, she sighed. "Thank you, though."

He grunted in response and she fought the urge to tut. She took another swig of the drink and grimaced- she really couldn't stomach anymore. Her head was insistently becoming foggy and light with every sip of the liquor, she had had enough. Rachel pushed the still fairly full glass to the side and cleared her throat.

"I appreciate your gratitude and your interference from before but I must go. Um, thank you," She nodded to herself, her eyes cast blearily over the figure before her.

The guy seemed to perk up at the mention of her leaving and turned quickly to regard Rachel- the movement made her feel nauseous. "You can't leave yet. The night is just starting!" His grin revealed a row of yellow stained teeth.

"No, I can't stay, I have-" The guy cut her off.

"Is this because of that jerk from earlier? Because I told him and he won't bother you. C'mon, let's have a dance. He won't be back," The man edged forward and wrapped a unwelcome hand around the curve of her waist, pulling her body into his.

Her hands automatically reached up and placed themselves flat against his chest, keeping a distance so their bodies didn't connect. "No. I really must leave. I have to get home."

His face lit up and he quirked an eyebrow, his lips taking on a smirk. "I like forwardness."

Rachel stared questioningly up at him, her mouth forming a slight 'O'. The guy's smirk deepened, his rough hand sliding further down her waist, following the curve until it reached the swell of her ass.

"Don't act so innocent," he cooed, lowering his head so his lips were level with her ear. "I'd much rather go back to yours," his voice blew across the shell of her ear, swirling a few strands of her hair.

Rachel remained still as her slacking mind caught up with his words, when she had processed what he had said she snorted and shook her head. "That wasn't an invite for you to join me. I have to go."

She pushed away from him and lightly slapped his hand away from her waist as she turned to leave. She was in the middle of maneuvering herself through a large crowd of people when an arm wrapped around her middle and pulled her backwards. She squeaked with surprise, the arm twisting her around to face the dishevelled man.

"Don't go, we were having fun," he all but slurred, "another drink, yeah?" His tone brightened at the end of the sentence as he wrapped his large hand around Rachel's wrist, ready to lead her back towards the bar.

Rachel let him drag her a few yards until her mind played catch up again. She tugged at his own wrist in an attempt to free hers from his grip. "No, I need to go," she irritably said.

If the guy heard, he didn't listen.

Her foot tripped over a loose floorboard and she stumbled forward into the guys back, the fall gave her the right amount of leverage to pull her wrist from his firm hand. "I said I need to go," she hotly protested as she yanked her wrist free.

The man's brow furrowed as he checked over his large hand and narrowed his eyes at Rachel. "You cut me," he accused bluntly.

She stared at him incredulously. "Look!" He held up his ring finger directly in her line of sight, in the hopes of proving his accusations. Though due to the dim light of the bar and the smoky air, Rachel couldn't see this supposed 'cut.'

"Really? Well, I'm sorry if I accidentally scratched you with a nail but you wouldn't release me from your hold. Your actions were most inappropriate and now, childish," She said derisively.

Rachel rolled her eyes at the picture of the intoxicated man in front of, inspecting and nursing his finger- he clearly wasn't interested in listening to her. She sighed and turned for what felt like the hundredth time to leave the bar, hoping this time she would be successful.

Though of course, she shouldn't of spoke, or more so thought so soon. "Wait! No, don't leave," he dragged the word out as he caught hold of her shoulder and spun her round. Rachel was now only one thing- pissed off.

"You can buy me a drink to make up for cutting me," the way he said it made Rachel sound like she had unleashed a ten inch knife on him and had sliced his finger clean off. "Come on, what d'you say?"

She gritted her teeth. "I say you get your hands off of me and leave. Me. The fuck. Alone," Rachel snarled, forcefully slapping his hand away that was clutched around her shoulder.

He appeared surprised for a moment at her demand but then recovered swiftly. His lips curled into a sneer as he stared down at her small, defiant form. "Ungrateful dumb bitch," he spat.

Her jaw clenched as she took two slow steps forward and entered his personal space. Her eyebrows were brought together as she glowered at the man in front of her. "Fuck you," she spoke with distaste, her voice low.

Rachel was indeed surprised with herself for using such foul language for her standards, but this situation caused her to verbally lash out. She supposed her actions were also caused by the ample amount of alcohol pumping through her.

The man stared her down for half a minute or so before grunting his annoyance and shoved his way through a crowd of people. She sighed with relief as she watched his head bob above the gathering of patrons before disappearing out of sight, she ran a hand through her loose hair and turned, again, to finally leave.

Rachel checked her phone for the time, it was only 9:37p.m, she was okay for time but she didn't want to stick around any longer, she had had enough and she didn't want to tempt the opportunity for the drunken man to reappear. Puck and his band were still in full flow, they were now playing an assortment of songs by a band she didn't recognise. She let her hand slide from the door handle as she swivelled her head for one last look at the stage. Her brow raised in surprise when she saw the blonde was missing, her electric guitar was neatly placed in it's stand off to the side. Rachel supposed they didn't need her, Puck was swaying along to the music he and the rest of the band were creating as he sang into the mic, strumming on his own acoustic.

She mentally shrugged and swiftly pulled open the door and stepped into the frigid night air. Rachel gave a soft goodbye to Keith the bouncer and immediately berated herself for dressing for appearance, again neglecting the fact that the weather was fast approaching winter; the nights were now so bitter. Rachel picked her steps carefully as her heels clicked against the asphalt, the street lamps cast enough light for her to see that the pavement was sparkling with a fresh but dangerous layer of black ice.

She hugged her arms around her middle securely for warmth, white plumes of her breath swirled and vanished before her eyes. Her teeth chattered almost comically as she entered the cobbled street which was treacherous due to the uneven pebbles and rocks coated in the slick frost. Her steps became even more careful and precise, she just wished there was another route for her to take to save her the risk of braking her neck if she slipped.

Her steps faltered slightly when she heard the shuffle and scuff of shoes in the distance. They became more pronounced as they neared the opening of the cobbled lane and she realised she wasn't the only one risking their neck to get home, this knowledge made her feel better. She extended her arms for balance as she navigated her way around a particular icy clump of cobbles and as she did so she noticed the steps behind her became more hurried, the slap of their shoes neared closer.

Rachel was about to stop and turn around and tell this person to be careful, especially of this particular bend when the steps turned into flat out running. "Are you kidding me?" She muttered as she prepared herself to give this person a scolding for being so irresponsible of their health.

But before she could so, she was without warning shoved up against the brick wall that lined the street. The force resulted in her head smacking against the rough bricks and her legs loosing their footing as she stumbled to regain her balance. A pained groan rumbled from deep in her throat as her head lolled forward, her eyes blearily focused on two large hands that were pressing roughly into her abdomen. Rachel wheezed a breath as they pressed themselves more harshly into her soft stomach. The persons hands snaked further up her body and settled on her ribs where two thick thumbs rubbed hard massaging circles into the protruding bones.

"I told you, you're not leaving yet."

Rachel recognised that voice. Her drooped head slowly began to rise as she tried to blink away the dizziness she was overcome with; the knock to the head combined with alcohol made it extremely difficult for her to focus. Her eyes narrowed as the face of a man blurred in front of her, finally her vision settled and she could quite clearly see who had a hold of her.

Her eyes widened in horror and she knew straight away she was in trouble. As if the man could tell what her next move was inevitably going to be, he slapped a hand over her already parted mouth, his fingers digging into her cheeks. "I don't think so," he chuckled darkly.

Her screams of protest were muffled by his hand as she struggled and fought to release herself from his hold but he was too strong. "Shut the fuck up. No one is going to hear you," the man cruelly teased.

This only made her attempt to scream louder. The guy growled as one of her kicking legs connected with his shin, the hand over her mouth loosened and slipped as the sharp pain shot through the man's leg. "Stupid bitch!" He barked in her face, his other hand released itself from gripping her side and formed a fist.

The pain must have been one of the worst she had ever felt. The hard knuckled fist connected with her abdomen, the force of the punch caused an eruption of shooting pains to course through her stomach and upper body. Rachel chocked a cough as her torso involuntarily hunched due to the pain, she realised then that her mouth was no longer covered.

"Serves you right. Now are you going to shut that hole in your face or am I gonna have to, hm?" He emphasised his point by lowering his still clenched fist to the the zipper of his jeans.

Rachel all but heaved at the thought. She wheezed from the throbbing pain in her stomach and violently shook her head, her lower lip trembled as silent tears streaked down her cheeks and dripped off the curve of her jaw. The man seemed to approve of her decision as he answered, "good girl."

She whimpered when the man lowered his head so it was level with her neck. He began to kiss up her taught throat as she tried to strain away from his insistent lips. He chuckled at her actions and grabbed a hold of her neck, stilling her from any more movement. "Relax," he told her, "you'll enjoy this."

A stammered chorus of "no's," and weak wails escaped from her chapped lips. The hand around her neck flexed and squeezed tightly around her throat preventing her from anymore attempts at using her voice. He titled her neck to the side and licked a tight line up to her ear where he then pulled her earlobe between his teeth and bit down. Rachel thrashed against him as she felt a calloused hand run up the length of her thigh which disappeared underneath the hem of her skirt.

When the distinctive zip of a zipper being pulled pierced the air around them through her desperate sobs and his heavy pants, she screamed so hard against the hand clamped around her throat her eyes streamed with tears at the strain.

And later she will be so glad that she had tried because her efforts were rewarded. She hears the slap of shoes hitting the iced cobbles and then the stumble as they obviously falter and skid on the slick frost, but then they're running again and this person is so close Rachel can almost sigh with relief.

The guy doesn't seem to notice the distinctive sound of another person fast approaching or the way Rachel was furiously beating her closed fists against his chest until an echoing thump resounds through the bitter air. His assault came to a halt from the punch to his back, his hand slipped from gripping Rachel's throat as he turned slowly with an unreadable expression.

A deep, pained yelp suddenly filled the space around it's occupants. Rachel watched in shock from her slumped position on the ground as the man staggered backwards, fiercely clutching his nose between both hands. Her eyes swivelled from the now slumped figure to that of a girl. The dim street lamps didn't provide much light but it was enough for Rachel to decipher who her saviour was.

She continued to watch on with pure shock as the blonde guitarist stalked forward towards the whimpering man who was inspecting his dark stained hands with what was unmistakably blood. He looked up when he saw her approaching form and his expression transformed from what was frightened to anger.

"You fucking broke my nose!" He yelled, pushing himself off of the brick wall. The blonde didn't stop, she marched forward with curling hands and when the two met halfway, she threw her forearm back without any amount of hesitation and swung her fist to connect again with the already broken nose.

The guy positively wailed in pain. His hands flew up to grasp once more at the nose that was spurting blood and fell to the ground along side Rachel with the force of the punch. Rachel shifted as far away as possible from the drunk and stared up at the guitarist who was once again advancing on the groaning man. In a situation like this, Rachel felt compelled to say something, anything but she was stunned into silence. Of course, the man deserved the punches from the blonde but now, Rachel thought he had had enough.

The blonde's eyes were screwed into furious slits while her face was contorted with absolute rage as she relentlessly pounded and kicked the unmoving figure on the ground. Her blows never ceased or slowed as she attacked the man who was making weak noises of protest. The thing that Rachel was finding most hard to believe was that through the entire ordeal, the blonde remained completely silent.

"Stop," she croaked as she reached out towards the blonde, her other hand gingerly rubbed at her sore throat. But the blonde didn't listen. The air was now filled with the guitarists strained grunts of breath as she continued to beat the man with the same continues vigour.

And she didn't slow even when the shouts of a man echoed down towards them from the opening of the cobbled street. Rachel reluctantly turned her concerned attention away from the scene before her when the shouts became clearer as they guy neared closer.

"Quinn!" Rachel knew that voice. Her suspicions were confirmed when Puck came sprinting into view and skidded to a halt when he saw the scene playing out in front of his shocked eyes.

He remained still as he just watched with an open mouth as the blonde guitarist punched, slapped, kicked, and kneed the crumpled guy on the frozen floor. His wide eyes flickered to those of Rachel's who was still slumped on the floor clutching her throat and he seemed to snap out of his trance.

"Quinn!" Puck yelled, his voice was laced with an abundance of concern and utter disbelief. He rushed forward and wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist and dragged her backwards.

The blonde, who Rachel had learnt the girls name was Quinn, immediately deflated once she was enveloped in Puck's strong arms. She buried her face into the crook of Pucks wide neck as her chest heaved with exertion. Puck began to soothingly stroke the back of the girls head in comfort while muttering reassuring words under his breath.

"Fuckin' crazy bitch," the weak groan which came from just behind Quinn's turned back alerted Puck's attention. He tilted his head to side to the see the figure of man crouched over himself, clutching his right side and nose, wheezing.

When he thought she was was calm enough and her breathing was under control, he released her from his hold. Rachel watched as the blonde girl slumped against the opposite wall, wrapping her arms around her brought up knees as she hid her face from view in the dip her raised thighs provided.

Puck's face became an expression of stone. His entire jaw clenched, causing the vain in his forehead to pulse and twitch as his eyes became lit with a dangerous fire. Rachel just knew then that the singer had figured out the situation. As he advanced on the beaten man his eyes shifted to Rachel's. He held her frightened gaze for a moment before they became focused solely on the figure before him.

"You." He spoke with a low, monotone voice.

The guy still hunched on the floor squinted up through his blackened eyes at the large man before him. He attempted to gain his footing and stand but stumbled forward and fell due to the pain. He groaned and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Puck recognised the man through the bruising and swollen, bloodied nose as the one from before. The one who had interfered with the confrontation between him and Rachel. He knew he shouldn't have left her with him. He could smell the alcohol on the guy from a mile off, he just didn't want any trouble and reluctantly left.

He took another step forward so his feet were virtually in the man's face and bent down. He grabbed the guy around the neck of his stained top and heaved him to his feet. Puck shoved him up against the rough brick wall and although he was shorter than the drunken guy he still made sure he was glowering down at him.

The man chuckled in Puck's face and leaned forward so their brows were barely touching. "What are you gonna do? Bitch deserved it."

Puck sucked in a sharp breath through his flared nostrils, his lips were reduced to a thin white line. He drew a strong fist back and without warning, hit the guy square in the stomach effectively knocking him to the ground once more. He spluttered and groaned as he rolled over onto his back, gripping his abdomen in complete pain. Puck drew back his leg with clenched fists, ready to give the man another few beatings before he was sufficiently satisfied when Rachel scrambled to her feet and grabbed a hold of his stiff bicep.

"Stop! Please, no more. He's had enough, look at him," Rachel frantically gestured towards the pathetic heap on the floor before Puck took no notice and pursued his attack.

Puck's breathing was heavy as he glared down at the man but relaxed his arms and unclenched his fists. He sighed and turned to face Rachel. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, j-just a bit sore. And cold." She stammered with a shaky smile.

He gave a slow nod and then looked at her questioningly, "he didn't, y'know..." He eyed her ruffled skirt and her ripped skin tone tights.

"No, I'm fine. He didn't do anything except well, he hit me-" Puck seemed to puff up at the mention of this and took a threatening step forward but she quickly rushed to rectify herself. "But, I'm okay, honestly. She came just in time."

Puck already knew who she was referring to but followed the brunettes warm gaze to the hunched form that was Quinn's. "Puck, what the hell is going on?"

Puck sighed and ran a wide hand over the length of his face. He turned and carefully approached the blonde who was slightly rocking back and forth against the wall, her face still buried from view. He gently prised her crossed arms away from her knees and hooked his hands underneath her armpits. She followed his silent instructions and let him guide her to her feet, he brought his lips to her ear and whispered something in which the blonde gave a barely there nod.

He wrapped a careful arm around Quinn's waist and turned to face Rachel with a tired expression. "Come on, I'll explain everything."