Protect and Serve
Chapter Four
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A gasp and silence was all it took. Quinn was off and running faster than she ever had before – even in her track days. "Quinn?" Santana yelled out when she saw the slender figure bolt by her. "Quinn! What's wrong?" In an instant she was off and running, following behind her long time partner.
"Something's wrong," was all the blond said before she turned a corner, pushing a random cast member out of her way. She nearly broke the door down, gun drawn as she scanned the room. Brittany and Rachel were sitting side by side looking at the blond with fearful eyes. "What the fuck, Berry?" She briskly walked over to Rachel and grabbed the microphone dangling over the leather couch. "I told you to keep this on!" She yelled as she tried to catch her breath.
"You don't need to hear every single thing I do! I wanted to have a private conversation with Brittany. She had questions and you didn't need to hear them!" Rachel stood up and got in Quinn's face.
"You mention being scared all the time and when I try to remedy that, you do the exact opposite. I'm starting to think you don't even want my help," She stepped closer but was immediately pulled away by her partner, Santana.
"Q, come on. Calm your skinny white ass down," Santana said through gritted teeth. "It was a false alarm," she then whispered in Quinn's ear. "Now she knows that if she needs you, you'll be right there… calm down."
Quinn gritted her teeth and stormed out, not noticing Brittany comforting Rachel, who finally let her guard down and sat down on the chair nearest her. Standing near Quinn when she was that angry was horrifying. She had never seen someone that angry. The only sound in the room was voices echoing from the hallway.
"She's such an idiot! Why the fuck would she do that?"
"Q, calm the fuck down. There's no reason to get upset over it. She's safe."
"I don't really give a shit, San. She needs to listen to me. What happened two years ago nearly broke me in two. We're living proof of that."
"I know that, Q. Believe me, but if you continue to shut people out then your life is going to be a miserable one. You know I love you, but I'm not on your side this time."
"…"
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The ride home was silent – nothing but the radio serenading them. Rachel couldn't rid the memory of Quinn's anger from only a few hours ago. The detective found herself gripping the steering wheel subconsciously, causing the knuckles to whiten. Rachel opened her mouth to say something but Quinn's demeanor shut her up quickly. She wasn't sorry in the slightest but what had happened caused more unwanted tension between the two.
Quinn couldn't believe she nearly ripped Rachel's head off. If looks could kill, Rachel would be nothing but a chalk outline in the corner of her dressing room.
All she wanted was for the damn woman to keep the microphone on her. There was nothing else she wanted but that.
As the two silent women pulled into the parking lot of Rachel's apartment complex, they tensed.
Quinn knew her guilty conscience would get the better of her and she would apologize profusely. But knowing the Broadway star, she would continue to pout all night, causing Quinn to feel even worse.
Quinn took a deep breath and stepped out of the car, Rachel only a few feet behind her.
Left.
Right.
Right. Ugh no.
"Quinn?" Rachel started as the elevator started going up. "I'm sorry."
'What?' Quinn thought. "Excuse me?" Repeat that.
"I said, I'm sorry. I just wanted privacy. It is extremely unfair that I am to wear that device at all times before a performance and after, as well as during. It is a violation of my privacy, something that is rare in my line of work. There has to be an alternative and I demand that you find one."
Quinn pulled her jacket tighter, the cold air nipping at her skin. "The only other option is that I never leave your side. Even when you go to the bathroom. Would you prefer that instead?" It came out bitter. Nothing like she intended… it was supposed to come out gentle. Comforting.
Rachel looked away from Quinn and stepped off when the elevator doors opened to her floor. Quinn looked up at the ceiling of the elevator and sighed. Fuck. She quickly followed Rachel before the doors shut and walked into the apartment. She threw her jacket off and walked into the kitchen. Quinn opened the refrigerator door and reached for a beer she saw earlier that morning.
A beer was the only thing she wanted.
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Quinn had been sitting in the living room with the news on for a few hours before she heard a quiet sniffle come from the bedroom. She muted the television and closed her eyes guiltily when she heard it again.
She felt guilty. She didn't mean to lash out at Rachel like she had. She knew she scared Rachel half to death but…
She stood up and looked in the bedroom. "Rachel?" She took a step closer to her but Rachel shook her head.
"Go away."
Quinn just walked closer and sat at the edge of the bed nearest Rachel.
"Two years ago there was this teenage girl. Her parents were concerned about an ex boyfriend who had been retaliating against the girls wishes. She broke up with him because he was becoming extremely violent and controlling…"
Rachel just listened as she wiped a tear away from her eyes.
"I was assigned to protect the girl until we found good evidence that she had been abused. Something, anything, to get him in jail… Lucy, the girl, and I had been talking in her room about this television show she liked so much when I heard something in the backyard. The dogs started to bark so I went to investigate…" Quinn found herself playing with the hem of her shirt. "There was nothing there. When I went back up to the room, Lucy was gone. A few days went by before an elderly couple on a stroll heard a gunshot. They called the cops and sure enough… that bastard had shot her in the head. We found him cradling her naked body." Quinn swallowed hard. "He raped and killed her."
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Two Years Ago
Detectives Quinn Fabray and Santana Lopez ran into the warehouse, guns drawn. They were first on the scene and they knew they were breaking protocol but neither woman cared. They heard deep crying from behind a crate. "I love you, baby. Don't go. Why did you go? Why?" Quinn felt herself grip her gun tighter. She looked behind the crate and immediately saw red.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" She gripped the boy by the bare shoulders, ripping him off of the naked teenager. "Slap cuffs on him, now!"
Santana slammed him against a metal crate and started reading him the Miranda Rights. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?" Santana held in her anger as she saw Quinn run a gentle hand across Lucy's bloodied face. "Quinn… don't… touch the crime scene…"
It was then… Quinn broke down into sobs.
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"Quinn…" Rachel sat up.
"I… thought of her as my little sister. I had been living with the family for a month and grew so close to them. The family blames me for what happened. If I wasn't so distracted, Lucy would still be alive. And that's why I don't like to leave your side. That's why I… why I'm so protective. I don't want that to happen again. I can't let it happen again."
"That would explain why you were so closed off… am I correct?"
"Rachel, the last person who got close to me ended up raped and dead. Can you blame me for being closed off?"
Rachel sunk back against her pillows. Quinn's story of her past had helped her to understand a lot. It also helped her to realize that what the detective was doing was for nothing but her own protection. "I'm sorry, Quinn…"
"It's not your fault… Can you… lock your windows for me and keep your door open? I'll let you have some privacy…" She stood up but Rachel's voice stopped her.
"Stay… until I fall asleep. Please?"
Quinn nodded and went to the opposite side of the bed. "Okay… Goodnight, Rachel."
"Goodnight, Quinn."
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A groan and shift of the sheet came from beside her on the bed. Her eyes snapped open as a thousand different scenarios ran through her head. What if Quinn was tied up and dead in her living room? What if Raymond was now curling himself against her back, staring at her while she slept?
Carefully, Rachel shifted to look over her shoulder only to smile. Quinn was curled into herself tightly as she shivered some. Quinn's white tank top rode up slightly, exposing the woman's toned abs. 'Must be athletic...' Rachel stood up from the bed with shaky legs and stretched. She looked at her alarm clock.
5:58AM
Damn her internal alarm clock. She turned the switch off, so she wouldn't wake the slumbering detective. She walked over to a chair near the bathroom and picked up the dark wool blanket. She walked over to the side of the bed Quinn was sleeping on.
'This should warm you up a bit…' Rachel smiled softly down at the sleeping detective. She ran her fingers through her hair as she thought of how her and the blond had already had their disagreements. It's only been one day and she'd already forced her onto an uncomfortable sofa and woke her up after a mere two hours of sleep. She knew Quinn deserved to sleep some.
She walked out of the bedroom and left the door open slightly ajar. And with that…
She started on her routine – quietly.
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Quinn opened her eyes, and examined her surroundings. The noise – or lack of… It was extremely quiet in the apartment. 'Too quiet.' She stood up and walked to the door, peeking through it. The only thing she saw was Rachel sitting at the television while sipping on a cup of coffee. "Rachel? Are you okay?"
Rachel jumped slightly but relaxed when she saw Quinn's disheveled hair in the doorway. She nodded. "Yes, Quinn. I am just fine. Come and sit down… I'll go get you a cup of coffee and check on breakfast."
'Great… A vegan breakfast…' Quinn nodded and sat down on the couch, pulling a blanket over herself. Her legs were tucked under her comfortably. She leaned back and closed her eyes, trying to catch a few more moments of peaceful sleep.
"Quinn!"
Quinn's eyes snapped open and threw the blanket off of her. She ran towards Rachel's voice, noticing the brunette leaning against the doorway with her robe pulled tighter. She put a hand on Rachel's soft shoulder. "What's wrong, Berry?"
"The newspaper… has a letter. It's Raymond's."
Quinn glanced down at the paper to see a plain white envelope with a simple 'To Rachel' written on the front of it before looking back at Rachel. "Do you have a first aid kit with gloves in it? Or even just a napkin. We can't touch it."
Rachel quickly went off to get the first aid kit. Quinn reached into her pocket and grabbed her phone, quickly dialing Santana's number.
"Really, Q?"
"This is important, Lopez. Raymond wrote another letter. We need to get it down to the station now. He could be watching outside and I can't leave Rachel by herself. Come down here and pick it up. Now." Santana muttered something before hanging up. Rachel quickly returned with two pairs of latex gloves. "Thanks." She put them on hastily and grabbed the newspaper. Closing the door, she heard Rachel lock it behind her. "I'm going to see what this says..."
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Dearest Rachel,
I'm a bit confused. I could have sworn you and I were to be together. Why do you continue to disobey me, huh? Why in the world would you let some blond bimbo into your life. A woman at that! You're not gay. You can't be gay. I saw you and her last night, and the night before when she was carrying a suitcase. Don't tell me you let that little whore move in with you.
But last night, I saw the look on your face. What did that bitch do to upset you? If you'd just come to me baby, I'd never hurt you. I'd never talk down to you. I'd never lay a finger on you. I'd give you my world.
Hell, I already have.
Why don't you do the right thing and leave her behind? That little whore doesn't deserve you.
You deserve better than her.
And that's ME.
I'll treat you like the queen you truly are.
Forever yours,
Raymond.
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So... yeah. I was gonna post this earlier but I didn't like it and no matter what I tried I couldn't fix the chapter... so ya'll get it as is. Sorry.
If you have any ideas, let me know. I'm all for them. And it might take me a while to post. I'm going to be cross-trained at my job so I might actually be working a full 40 hours every week. So, yeah... Hope ya'll enjoyed it. *smile*