New chapter guys. Sorry for the wait but I needed a bit of time to figure out the epilogue of "not ready" and write the new chapters of both stories.

To clear things up: this will be eventually a Faberry story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

Chapter 3

Sometimes your Dragon helps you, sometimes you help your Dragon

xxx

Coach Sylvester was mad.

In just about any meaning of the word and sure it didn't take a genius to figure it out.

And lately she was more on the side of spitting mad angry than crazy mad. It was so easy to understand the difference since Sue wasn't exactly a subtle person when she was angry.

If she was mad at you, you knew. Coach Sylvester screaming in your face was pretty obvious and if for some reason you didn't get it on your own you got clued it when you found yourself throwing up after the nth lap. And you knew if she was mad at your Glee Club director and the cut on her budget. Weeks of double practice for the Cheerios made it pretty obvious. More so when the scheduled time overlapped with Glee rehearsals.

Really the only one who didn't get that Sue was really angry was Mr Shue. And that made Quinn angry, because the man had even had the nerve to tell to Santana, Brittany and she to be on time at rehearsals like it was their fault and not his that they were almost always late. Probably in his rose-colored glasses' world Sue sudden need to schedule the new practice time so that it overlapped with Glee was just a random thing.

To be honest what worried Quinn wasn't that Coach had got angry at Mr Shue's betrayal or the cut of the budget, what worried her was that she was still mad weeks after. But what really frightened Quinn was the sort of satisfied gleam Sue's eyes got today when they were talking about cannons in her office just before practice. The Coach had stopped in mid sentence and got a far-away look for just moment then she had smirked. Evilly.

And even if Quinn didn't know how she knew they were screwed. Really screwed.

So even as the blonde dragged herself in the locker room after the second practice of the day, her mind was going a mile a minute trying to figure out exactly what the Couch angle was. At least until her eyes fell on Santana. And Brittany.

They were changing side by side but they weren't looking at each other, or talking.

Quinn frowned. Seeing her two best friends so out of sort made her forget about Coach Sylvester and her plans. This was much more important.

She had noticed the tension in Santana's frame as soon as she had stepped in the field this morning but when she had asked about it the Latina had told her everything was fine. Quinn hadn't believed her for a minute but had let it go since it wasn't nor the time nor the place to talk about it. And when Brittany had joined them it had been painful clear that the two of them had had a fight. A bad fight.

Quinn had never seen them so cold and tentative with each other. And it worried her.

She couldn't believe her eyes when Santana asked something to Brittany and all the blonde did was shake her head, grab her gym bag and leave the room.

There it was something seriously wrong with her friends. And she had every intention to help them through it.

xxx

Rachel knew she was selfish person. Really. She was an only daughter. And even if she had told Finn she wanted to throw the competition so to make the new kid feel welcome, that wasn't the truth. She had told him that only because Rachel knew he wouldn't go along with the plan if he knew really why she wanted to throw the completion. Because she didn't really care if the boy won the duet competition or not. She cared if Quinn did.

Because really it was high time that she did something nice for her Dragon. So far their relationship had been totally one sided. Quinn had protected her, supported her and helped whenever asked and Rachel didn't do anything for the blonde.

Quinn had even helped her with the Sunshine "incident".

"Quinn!"

The blonde whipped her head at the frantic tone immediately zeroing on the small blur running down the hallway. "What happened?" She asked alarmed. Quinn knew Rachel didn't run nor did she scream for fear of damaging her vocal chords. Whatever it was it had to be a big thing.

Quinn had to grab Rachel's shoulder to stop the brunette from crashing in the lockers as she skidded to a stop. "There is this girl Sunshine Corazon, she… she is a problem."

"She hurt you?" Quinn narrowed her eyes. If someone had hurt Rachel heads would roll, she had made her wishes clear. Rachel was under her protection. And nobody in McKinley got to break her rules.

"No." Rachel said almost scared at Quinn's sudden intensity. She could practically feel the anger pouring off the blonde, it sent a shiver down her back. "But she has to reconsider joining glee club."

"She is that bad?" Quinn asked frowning at the brunette's request, trying to meet her gaze but the smaller girl kept looking at the floor. Like she was ashamed. "Rachel?" She asked softly, beginning to believe there was more behind this request and the almost panic Rachel was in. "Hey, look at me… whatever it is, it'll be alright."

"She is that good." Rachel said in a whisper before raising her head and looking pleadingly at Quinn, tears already gathering in her eyes."And if I'm not the best singer anymore, I'm not anything. I won't have a place in Glee Club anymore. And Glee is all I have."

Quinn looked at her for a long moment before taking Rachel's hand in hers and squeezing them gently her eyes softening even more at seeing the mind numbing fear in those brown orbs. "Brittany is a better tumbler than me."

"I don't see the relevance with the situation Quinn." After seeing the Cheerios practice for more than a week, and after a thorough research for info about cheerleading, Rachel knew enough to know that Quinn was talking about, still she didn't quite get why the blonde had just told her this.

"Just because she is a better tumbler than me it doesn't mean I'm out of the squad Rachel or that she is the only tumbler. It means I get a partner to do complex choreographies with. Without Brittany I wouldn't get the chance to go full out." Quinn explained patiently. "It just means I have someone to train with and from which to learn to be better…"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you don't need to be scared of this Sunshine." Quinn said softly, gently lacing her finger with Rachel's and squeezing them. "That she can be your Quinn to your awesome Brittany," She smiled at this. "…because I really doubt that she is better than you." This last part was told in such a matter of fact tone that Rachel couldn't help but believe it. And suddenly the idea of Sunshine in Glee wasn't so scary anymore.

"I… thanks Quinn. Really." Rachel said trying to convey in word what she felt and knowing she could only fail. Because really how do you thank someone for believing in you as much as Quinn did in her.

"Of course Rachel. Whenever you need me I'm here ok?" The blonde said simply, squeezing her hand on more time before letting it go.

"I'll see you later?" Rachel asked suddenly needing to know for certain.

"Of course." Quinn said winking at Rachel before leaving the room.

And today Rachel had realized this one-sidedness didn't sit well with her at all. It just wasn't right. She too wanted to make Quinn feel special like the blonde did for her.

And Rachel just knew how to do it.

Because even if she tried to not show it Rachel had seen more than once the longing in Quinn's eyes when the solos were assigned or when Mr Shue failed to praised her efforts in Glee Club. With hers not being the most powerful voice in the club she often got overlooked.

Yeah, Rachel just knew how to make Quinn feel special.

She would make her win the duets competition.

xxx

Hearing Brittany saying hi to Artie with that tone made Quinn stop dead on her tracks. When she heard the taller blonde saying she was into him she turned on her heels and practically run up to them. "I have to speak to you B." Quinn said stepping neatly between them. "Now." She ground out when Brittany didn't start to move right away.

Brittany could see Quinn wouldn't take no she said goodbye to Artie throwing him a last, lascivious glance before following the other blonde.

"Don't drag Artie in this mess B." Quinn said once they were alone in an empty classroom.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Q." Brittany said choosing to look at a spot just over Quinn's shoulder instead that meeting her friend's eyes.

"I know Santana hurt you." Quinn said softly. "I know she has her head so far up her ass she doesn't even known up from down lately, but don't drag Artie in this. All you will get out of it is hurting him too."

"She told me I was just something warm to make out with because Puck is in juvie, Quinn!" Brittany almost screamed. "She called me a something warm." Her voice sounded so sad that Quinn felt her heart break hearing it. "You know how much that hurt?"

"I can't even image it." Quinn admitted taking a step closer and hugging the taller blonde. "But you know she loves you even if she is scared out of her mind and says stupid, hurtful things. Just please give her another chance."

"I won't make it right this time Q." Brittany said, because she was tired to be always be the one to take the first step.

"And I don't ask you to." Quinn soothed. "But if she ask, only if she ask, and she apologize to you, just give her another chance. I look at the two of you and hope to find something like that in my life, you know? Because I envy what you have. Don't throw it all away, please."

"Of course I'll give her another chance, Q." Brittany said smiling a bit, knowing that Quinn really meant what she had just said. Knowing that the blonde had gone out of her comfort zone to tell her that, because Quinn didn't do love, her own words. Brittany thought she just hadn't found it yet. "I love her too much to not do it."

xxx

"You threw the competition." Quinn said walking in Rachel's room.

"You should be at Breadstix." The brunette said, not really believing to her eyes. Quinn hadn't ever set foot in her home and now she was in her room. It didn't really compute in Rachel's mind.

"I gave the coupon to Sam." Quinn shrugged, like it didn't matter, taking a seat on the desk chair. She looked around the room, curious. It wasn't like she hadn't imagined it and at the same time it was exactly like she had always imagined it. The Broadway posters she had expected but the soft yellow of walls was a surprise. "I think he asked Sandy out to a date." She added with a satisfied smile.

"Sam and Sandy? Alliteration much?" Rachel said with a frown, sitting up on her bed.

"Yeah, I know, but it could be worse."

"Worse than that?" Rachel couldn't help but sound skeptical.

"He could date a Samantha." Quinn deadpanned, cracking a smile from Rachel. "Sandy likes him and I saw him check her out. So I set them up. Sam seemed to appreciate it." The boy had been so happy he hugged her when she had told him about it. It had lasted only for a moment before he released her like she was a scalding iron. When he had apologized to her blushing and stammering at his forwardness, Quinn had realized exactly how sweet Sam was. Sandy and him would make a great couple, she was sure of it. "But let's return to us. You threw the competition."

"I don't know what you're talking about Quinn." Rachel denied with a innocent look so perfect it was obvious it was totally fake.

"It wasn't a question Rachel." She said with a smirk.

"Well, you're mistaken." Rachel ground out crossing her arms. "I went all out to win as always."

Quinn could swear she could see the beginning of a pout on the brunette's lips. "Rachel you and Finn performed With You I'm Born Again dressed as a priest and a schoolgirl." She didn't even use sarcasm to make that point. She didn't need it.

"It doesn't prove anything." The brunette repeated again, stubbornly.

"It proves one of two things: one you went completely mad, because it's sure as hell Finn isn't the one who chose your songs, or two you threw the competition." Quinn said completely ignoring Rachel's words. "What I don't know is why you did it."

"Maybe you're getting paranoid. I mean you even questioned my intentions when I talked to you in the bathroom to get you to compete."

"I questioned them because it didn't make sense for you to help out your competition. And Rachel, I know you lied to me in the bathroom. Second place? Really?" She scoffed. "I went along only to find out what you were planning."

"Maybe I wanted to do something nice." Rachel huffed.

"A welcome gift to Sam?" Quinn tried the most logical explanation, hoping she was wrong.

"That too." Rachel admitted blushing a little.

"And what else Rachel?" Quinn asked with a smile.

"I wanted you to win," She blushed some more. "for once I wanted you to win a sing competition. You never really get to sing in Glee."

Quinn stared at her for a long moment before speaking. "Nobody ever fixed the odds for me." Quinn said with a blinding smile. "Thanks Rach."

"Anything to make my Dragon happy." Rachel beamed back.

They stood like that, smiling at each other for a long time before the brunette broke the silence, "Have you ever seen Funny Girl?"

"No." Quinn admitted, by now used to Rachel's seemingly non-sequiturs in a talk.

"I can't believe it." Rachel exclaimed mock horrified. "There isn't like a rule about having to see your captain's favorite movie?"

"Well there are many rules." Quinn said playing along.

"Then it's decided." Rachel said smiling. "You'll see Funny Girl tonight. Hop on the bed, I have it right on my computer."

"Of course Captain." Quinn agreed, chucking her shoes off before climbing on the bed.

xxx

"I was an idiot." Brittany didn't hear the door of her room open but then again Santana had spent enough time in her house to know how to work the knob without making it creak.

"You were." Brittany acknowledged turning on her bed and taking Santana in. There was a cut on her bottom lip and her right cheek was beginning to bruise. "What happened to your face?"

"Q pushed me face first against the lockers. Hard." The Latina explained with an half shrug. She hadn't even noticed the blonde walk up behind her, she had been that out of sorts today. "She said that maybe that way I would get how much someone you care about can hurt you just because she feels like it." The cutting words had made her feel like maybe an inch tall. Quinn really had a way with words. "Then she said if I ever tell you something like that again she will do it harder, just so that maybe I will get in my thick head that it's wrong." Santana smiled a bit, nervously playing with her hands. "It sure as hell helped me to pull my head out of my ass."

"She is a good friend like that." Brittany said, nodding.

Santana shrugged, ashamed to admit she had fucked up so bad that her best friend had to slam her against a locker to make her realize how wrong she was. "I'm scared, B." She admitted looking right in Brittany's eyes. The sadness in those blue orbs almost killed her, but she forced herself to look on because she had put it there.

"I know San."

"Give me another chance?" Santana asked pleading with her eyes taking an hesitant step towards the bed. Two days ago she would have just dived in it and Brittany would have laughed at her goofiness before rolling over her and kissing her senseless.

"Always." Brittany whispered holding out her hand, silently asking Santana to join her.

With a relieved smile the Latina laced their fingers, happily snuggling down with the blonde.

xxx