A/N – As always a huge thanks for the reviews/alerts/favourites, it makes to all worthwhile especially when this fic is so dark, it's good to see how it's being received. And a special mention to Kat for another awesome review! Thank you!

It's interesting to me that people seem to want to hear more about Quinn, I will say that this fic is Santana-centric and deals primarily with her reaction but there are later chapters which will feature the reappearance of Quinn and a little insight into her head.

Chapter Seven

The room is quiet now and Santana listens to the gentle sound of the small girl's breathing, she swears she was only just residing herself to the fact she'll be awake forever when the sound of a scream rips through the room. It takes Santana a while to realise that it's her screaming and that she must have fallen asleep at some point because when she jolts up in bed the room seems lighter and casting a glance to the clock across the room she sees it's coming up to just past five in the morning.

Her heart is pounding in her chest, blood surging through her ears and deafening her to the terrified pleas of the girl next to her as she feels tears running down her face. Her body is aching and protesting as she shakes, her arms curling around her body as she tucks into a ball at the top of the bed ignoring the wave of pain that flashes through her.

She can hear herself chanting, a mess of pleads running together as she sobs '"I'm sorry, please stop, please, I'll be good I promise"

A gentle hand on her shoulder pulls the Latina from her trance and again she finds herself falling into Rachel's arms seeking comfort. The singer doesn't say anything but Santana can feel the smaller girl crying along with her, it breaks her heart a little to know she's dragged the other girl into this mess and she tries to pull away, her apologies directed at Rachel now.

The singer girl holds on though "It's okay, you're safe. I've got you"

And Santana believes her; she lets herself melt into the embrace her hands clutching at the fabric of the other girls top. She wants to beg her not to let go but she's knows how pathetic it would sound so she settles for burrowing as close as she can, her tears subsiding when she realises Rachel is more than happy to hold her.

When the tears finally stop Santana is happy Rachel doesn't push her with any more questions, instead she picks up on the Latina's discomfort and mumbles something trivial about breakfast and the two amble downstairs to the kitchen. It's still early by the time they start putting together food, or Rachel does at least, Santana takes a seat and watches the other girl busy herself making coffee and cereal insistent that the Latina stay seated.

They are just tucking into a second bowl of cornflakes when Rachel's Dad, a different one from last night, makes his presence known. It's all Santana can do to stay still, she wants to run back upstairs and hide from the stare she knows he's giving her even as she gazes blankly at the table in front of her.

"Morning girls" Rachel's other Dad, Hiram, says as he pops ups behind his husband, the Latina watches them each pour a cup of coffee and move to stand by the counter. If it wasn't for Rachel's words of comfort the Latina knows she would have bolted right then and there.

"How are you this morning Santana?" Hiram asks carefully as he eyes her bruised features.

The Latina is only to aware that it was probably her scream that woke them so early but she simply shrugs and lies in the way she is used to "Fine"

It's not a convincing lie and it doesn't make her feel any less pathetic, especially when she can't even look at them. Hiram is about to reply when the sound of a phone blaring makes them all jump.

"It's been doing that all night" Rachel's other Dad, Leroy, states shifting to retrieve the phone from a nearby draw "I'm guessing it belongs to you?"

Santana takes her phone from the older man, barely concealing the tremble in her hand that has nothing to do with him and everything to do with what is waiting for her on her cell. She flicks it open, her eyes scrolling down the list of missed calls and texts all from Quinn. She has a separate number for Santana of course, her cell only showing an unidentified contact spewing filth into her mailbox.

It's twisted she knows to even contemplate opening the messages, but part of her wonders if maybe Quinn was worried when she couldn't get hold of her. After all the Latina has been at her every beck and call for a long time now, surely she'd be a little concerned that the cheerleader had disappeared, even for one night?

Opening a text at random Santana wishes she didn't have an audience, she wishes it twice as hard when she reads the words waiting for her. Tears prick at her eyes as the opens another and another, it's not long before she has to hold back a sob her hand clamped against her mouth as she scrolls through the hateful texts.

"At least her spellings improved" Santana laughs bitterly "Finally learnt to spell whore with a w"

The room is silent and Santana knows it's awkward and that she's about to make it worse but she figures that Rachel and her parents should know what they're letting themselves in for. She starts reading snippets of messages out loud; most of them are the usual hate filled messages calling her names.

You're a disgusting little whore.

No-one would ever want to touch a slut like you.

You make me sick.

Worthless.

It's the message that has just filtered through that makes the Latina stop, her hands shaking so hard she nearly drops her phone. She has to read it twice to make sure she's seeing things right, when she does it only makes her heart beat harder against her ribs. Her voice is weaker this time as she whispers.

No one will ever believe that you didn't ask for it.

Santana's eyes snap down to the table as she processes the words, if possible it sounds harsher out loud and Santana jumps when Rachel slams her coffee mug down on the table. She can't look at her friend and chooses instead to stare across the room her eyes meeting Leroy and Hiram's instead. She's not surprised to see they both look disgusted; she tends to get that look a lot.

"No-one would ever believe you asked for it" Hiram states, his tone low and intense "How could they?"

Santana shrinks back at the words a guilty expression on her face as she shifts in her seat "I did though"

Three pairs of eyes snap in her direction but Santana doesn't do much more than shrug.

"Santana…" Rachel tries, her words failing as the Latina lets out a sharp sob of disgust.

"I let her do it okay?"

Rachel frowns, "You never tried to stop her? You never said no?"

The Latina stumbles here "Well…I…"

"I know you think this is your fault somehow but it's not. You can't blame yourself-"

"Of course it's my fucking fault" Santana yells suddenly, her hands slamming down on the table loudly "Don't you get it? I let her do it. There's something wrong with me, no-wants me not even my own parents. Brittany can't stand to look at me anymore, I have no friends, nothing. The only person who wants me in anyway beats the crap out of me and makes me to do…things that….and I like it. What the hell does that say about me?"

"Do you?" Leroy spoke up quietly.

"Do I what?"

"Do you like it? I mean…do you ever go to her? Do you hunt her down, do you initiate it?" the older man asks, his eyes locking with the Latina's as she hears his words "Do you hurt her too?"

Santana her cheeks burn with shame, "No…but-"

"There are no buts Santana. She's hurting you"

"It's not that easy…I…when I'm around her, when she's…I can't control myself I can't…" the Latina let out a strangled sob "If what she's doing is so wrong, then why do I like it?"

The blank faces staring at her only made the Latina feel angrier and more ashamed, the words were out before she can stop "She makes me cum, how the fuck is that right?"

She hears Rachel gasp next to her, and in a strangely defiant act she risks a look at the girl's fathers. She wants them to see her for what she is, twisted and fucked-up, the kind of girl they should be throwing out the front door along with the rest of the morning's trash.

"How long has this been going on?" the singer asks, her voice strained.

"A while" the cheerleader grimaces "Don't be so shocked Rachel, I mean come on its fucking obvious isn't it, I'm so desperate that I let her beat me and hurt me if it means that even for a second I can pretend that someone could actually give two flying fucks about me"

The room falls silent and Santana hears her own words echoing around her, it's the first time she's really thought about what it is that's happening between her and Quinn. Normally she just blocks it out, too afraid to deal with it and to worried that if she does she'll somehow risk losing the one form of contact she has with someone.

"You think letting someone do this to you means they care, you think this is love or even affection?" the singer asks, turning in her chair to face the Latina.

The Latina shakes her head her mind racing as she battles to deal with the realisations flowing through her brain, "I'm not that stupid…when's she's with me I don't feel so alone but I guess….I guess…"

Rachel places a hand on top of the one Santana has clenched angrily on the table.

"I'm terrified all the time" the Latina finally mumbles "I'm terrified waiting for her to turn up because I never know what she'll do but then when she leaves…I'm terrified she won't ever come back"

Santana exhales loudly, the whole situation is so tremendously fucked-up that she wonders how the other three can even bare to be in the same room as her. She glances down at her hand that's now intertwined with the singers and waits for her to pull back. She doesn't, if anything Santana swears she feels the other girl grip a little tighter.

It's Hiram that speaks next and just the sound of him clearing his throat is enough to make the cheerleader shudder as she waits to be kicked out and back into the cold. It's with some shock that she realises he is holding back his own tears "Where are you parents Santana?"

The girl shrugs "My mum is in Miami I think, or San Diego she travels around a lot for work and I haven't seen her in a while. My Dads works a lot too, he hasn't been around much lately but he's working from home this week, not that it means I'll see him"

"And neither of them knows what's going on?" Hiram presses, a frown on his face as he shares a look with his partner.

"Like I said, they're busy"

Hiram sighs at this, shaking his head sadly "I'm sure they'd want to know what's been happening. To help you, perhaps you should call them?"

Santana feels her shoulders sag, she knows what Rachel's Dad really means. He wants her gone and he's too polite to say it outright. She doesn't blame him; instead she nods and quickly pulls herself away from Rachel as she stands up "Yeah, you're right. I'll get my stuff. Sorry"

She's halfway across the room and to the door when a voice stops her "Santana, wait"

The Latina is surprised to find Hiram approaching her, he keeps his distance as he strides over to face her.

"Its fine" the cheerleader states, a fake smile plastered over her face "I didn't mean to…impose or whatever. Thanks, for letting me stay"

She turns to leave again when the older man replies "I didn't mean you should leave, you're more than welcome to stay as long as you need. I just mean that, if that situation was reversed I'd want to be there for my daughter"

"I guess you and my parents have pretty different ideas then" Santana sighs, her mind catching up with the older man's words "Wait, you…it's okay if I stay? You're not kicking me out?"

Hiram shakes his head, a gentle smile on his face as he gestures for the Latina to sit back down "Of course you can stay. There is one condition though…"

He trails off and Santana hesitates before sitting down.

"We're not going to pressure you into telling your parents or anyone else for that matter, that's your decision, but…" Hiram looks to his husband and to his daughter before taking a deep breath "You need stop whatever it is that you having doing on with this girl. It's unhealthy and I don't think you realise how bad it is"

Santana frowns, her eyes flicking to each of the people in the room. She doesn't really understand why they care so much, but it feels good to have someone looking out for her so she finds herself nodding a smile breaking out when she feels Rachel reach out to take her hand again.

"Good" Hiram sighs, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he surveys the girl in front of him "I want you to feel safe here Santana, okay? So if you need us to do anything, just let us know and we'll sort it"

Santana nods, trying not to look to shocked she smiles awkwardly. Her mind is already racing through the various ulterior motives the two Berry men might have, but she is surprised when she comes up blank. As she watches the two men finish their coffees and move off into the living room the Latina finds her attention drawn back to Rachel.

Santana knows it can't be this easy, she can't simply cut Quinn out of her life there is no way the blonde would let her leave so easily. The thought of the other girl makes the Latina shiver as she imagines just how angry Quinn must be, the memory of the text messages alone make Santana feel sick as her imagination starts to conjure up ways Quinn might punish her.

"Hey…" Rachel soft voice breaks through the Latina's panic "It's going to be okay, you're safe now"

Santana frowns, her eyes flicking down to their intertwined hands she feels a jolt of something that feels a lot like hope and offering Rachel a small smile the Latina tries to believe that the diva could be right.