Standard disclaimer, I don't own Glee or any of its characters. This story takes place after the girls have graduated high school but is before the chapter Q&A or is that B. They are near the end of their second semester at college maybe a month before finals so a little over a year since the crash. On My Way aired in February so that's when the crash took place. I don't know if that's canon or not but it is in this story.

As A Family

"So then Rachel just starts screaming!" Santana cackles. "'Get it off, get it off.' Oh man…hehehe, watching scary movies with her is one of the best things ever." She finishes with a sigh. She looks at the screen and sees Quinn smiling politely back. Not exactly the reaction Santana had been hoping for. Quinn had been acting weird all night. She had been quiet and reserved and was behaving like she was sitting through an old Fabray family dinner. It was Wednesday and tonight it was just her and Quinn skyping. Normally Brittany and Rachel would be here at their apartment that the three of them shared while they talked to Quinn who was over at Yale in her dorm room. "That's right bitches my girls in Yale, suck it!" Santana couldn't be prouder. She was studying drama there, and Quinn was finding that she really loved writing plays and directing them and all of the behind the scenes stuff. However it was just the two of them tonight, both Brit and Rachel were out at some play that they both had to see for a class. So they decided to go together. Neither was particularly thrilled with it. "It's kinda boring and the story drags on." Brittany had said and Rachel had actually said "I can't believe I have to watch this shit." Santana, who had been drinking milk at the time, had shot some of it out of her nose. Rachel eyes had bugged out after realizing what she had said, she then turned beet red and covered her mouth with both hands, looking completely horrified. Santana had started to full on belly laugh and Brittany joined her. Rachel, however upon hearing Santana laugh turned to her, stomped her foot and glared at her. "This is your fault! I have been spending way too much time with you and you… you have corrupted me!" This of course had only made her laugh even harder. Oh she loved that little diva.

They were all finishing up their second semesters at their chosen schools. Quinn of course at Yale and Rachel had gotten into some dramatic arts school, NYADA, weird name but I guess it had a stellar program and Rachel seemed happy there… except for that bitch dance teacher of hers and that Brody guy. Okay so Brody wasn't that bad, actually he was pretty cool, but without Quinn there to help with the jealousy issue, being jealous not preventing it, Santana felt it was her duty to be extra… protective, yes that's the word she' s going to go with, protective, of her girls. And since Brits was helping Rach with her moves, the dance teacher whore couldn't complain too much, at least not about the dancing. She still found things to complain about, just not the dancing. Oh and speaking of Brittany her girl had rocked her audition and she had actually gotten a scholarship for Julliard's dance program. 'Both my babies are going to be stars.' Santana thinks with pride.

Santana had been the only one of the four to go a little more conventional in her career choice. Lawyer. It had been a real surprise for her too. She had originally just wanted to get her general's out of the way before she decided on a major but she had been late for selecting her classes at NYU that first semester and had to find a class any class that would push her over to full time student status. The only two available that had fit her criteria of not being before ten o' clock were a 'yoga and me class' and a kind of intro to law class. Well she had gone with the law class, because yoga freaked her out, and she had just absolutely loved it. Also Santana figured if her girls were going to be writing and singing and dancing with all of those entertainment sharks out there, just waiting to take advantage of them, well then she was going to represent them. Santana was very protective of her girls and she didn't really trust them with anyone outside of family and maybe the glee club. So she was going to become a badass lawyer and heaven help whatever fool thought they could take advantage of her girls.

That however was still a ways off and tonight was all about her girl who she hadn't seen in person for three weeks. Yeah they skyped every other night, and they called and they texted all of the time. They also had those metro passes but it still wasn't the same as having Quinn there every day and she missed Q terribly. "Okay so, how's the leg?" Santana asked. After the crash Quinn had been paralyzed from the waist down, 'thank God it was only temporary,' for about three months. Those had been three of the most difficult months of her entire life and Santana didn't like to think about them if she could help it. She still to this day would wake up in a cold sweat, having dreamed about the day of the accident and the days that followed. The spinal injury had been scary, but it was her left leg however, that had really put a bump in her recovery. There had even been talk of amputation, which had been shot down very quickly, and very fiercely. It had been her father who had made the possible suggestion and Santana couldn't remember in her entire life ever yelling so much at her father or even ever being as mad at him as she was when he had brought that up. He was her superman, but that had just flipped a switch in her and she had gone to town on him. The leg remained, but it had turned the physical therapy from just torture into a tour de force' through the nine rings of hell. Even now Quinn still needed to use a cane if she was going to be doing any prolonged periods of walking or standing. And if the weather was too cold, or too dry, or too anything really it would stiffen up and ache.

"It's okay, I guess, a little sorer than I'm used to but… I actually managed to go all day without needing my cane." Quinn said with a smile though it seemed a little forced. "I guess I'm paying for it now though." Any day when Quinn didn't need to use her cane was a good day as far as Quinn was concerned.

"That's great mi amor!" Santana exclaimed. Normally Santana would have scolded Quinn for pushing herself too hard and for not using her cane but Quinn seemed a little off so she decided to go with a more supportive route. "You're not pushing yourself too hard are you?"

"No, not really." Quinn says her face going from a forced, polite smile to a blank face.

"Hey what's wrong, are you oka-"

"I have to go." Quinn cuts Santana off.

"No Quinn, wait, stay and talk…to…me." But it was too late Quinn had already logged off and left Santana hanging.

"…the hell." Santana instantly picks up her phone and tries calling Quinn but it goes straight to voice mail. She tries again eight more times before she starts texting her. She doesn't get a reply. She spends the next hour texting and calling Quinn trying to get some sort of response and getting nothing. By the time Rachel and Brittany get home Santana was officially freaking out, crying and almost hyperventilating.

"San what's wrong!?" Brittany asks as she and Rachel come over and hug the panicking girl.

"I don't know! It's Quinn, one moment we're talking and the next moment she tells me she has to go and she's logged off and she won't return any of my calls or text's! Nothing! I don't, I don't know what I did!"

"Okay, Brit you go get your phone and try and I'll try as well, and let's see if maybe one of us gets through." Rachel says and Brittany nods in agreement.

"Now Santana, calm down and come with me." Rachel says as she pulls the Latina over to the couch and sits them down with Santana curled up on her lap.

"I'm sure everything is fine, and we'll work this out. Okay?" Rachel says softly to the other girl trying to sound calm and reassuring, keeping the worry out of her voice. Santana just nods and sniffles in response her breathing shaky as she tries to calm down.

"Nothing on my end." Brittany says with a frown as she joins them on the couch. "But I'll keep trying." And begins to type another text into her phone.

Rachel nods and picks up her phone to call Quinn. "Hi you've reached the phone of Quinn Fabray, I can't come to the phone right now please leave a message-"Rachel hangs up and try's again. For the next fifteen minutes both Rachel and Brittany try to reach Quinn, but don't hear anything back.

"Okay that's it! I'm calling Judy and then I'm going down there!" Santana says as she jumps up from Rachel's lap and heads over to the counter where she had left her phone. Just as she's about grab it, it starts playing Untouched, Quinn's ringtone. Santana quickly grabs the phone and fumbles with it for a few seconds trying to calm her nerves before being able to answer. Rachel and Brittany are watching on and share a glance, looking anxious.

"Quinn, baby, please talk to me what's-"Santana speaks quickly but is cut off.

"Please… please don't talk, just, just let me speak." Quinn's says, by the sound of her voice she had been crying recently. "I'm sorry I didn't answer you, I turned my phone off. I'm fine though."

"You're not fine, please talk-"

"Please, just let me speak, I need you to listen, so please don't, don't talk I need to talk right now and I need you to listen, and I need… then I need you to tell Brittany and Rachel, Okay?" Quinn sounds angry and scared right now and it pierces Santana's heart like an arrow. "O..okay." Santana stutters back.

"I… Oh God, I just, I need some time to myself right now. I need to think about me, and what I want for my future, I need… I need you and the others to give me some space. I need to think. So please don't call me, please don't text me. I just, I need to think and I need to see if I can keep doing this and I need to do it on my own and I need you to respect that." Quinn is crying at this point and so is Santana.

"Quinn, baby, please no." Santana sobs.

Santana hears Quinn take a few shaky breathes and then in a calm voice says, "Please tell the others and I'll call you in a few days." Quinn then hangs up.

"QUINN! QUINN! Please QUINN!" Santana then breaks down completely. Powerful sobs wracking her body. She can't breathe. She can't think all she can do is cry out for Quinn and try to hold herself together even as she feels herself fall apart. Both Rachel and Brittany have Santana in a tight embrace both crying and trying to comfort the girl but both fearing the worst. The uncertainty, not knowing what Quinn had said over the phone gripping their hearts like a vice.

"San… San, what did Quinn say?" Brittany asks in a shaky voice.

"She…*sob*… She…*sob*… She said to, to not call her or, or, or contact her…I *sob* I think she's going to leave us!" Santana is unable to get anything else out. She just cries harder and harder and her girls join her. They're losing her. No they've lost her. They've lost their Quinn. Nothing would be okay again, nothing! Santana just wants to go crawl into a corner and die.

xXx-Scene Break-xXx

The next five days pass in a blur. Each minute running into the other. The girls honor Quinn's request and don't call her or contact her, though it's killing them inside. Rachel hasn't sung once and just stumbles from room to room looking lost. Brittany either stays in bed and cries or goes to the studio to dance only returning home when she is too exhausted to stay awake. Santana alternates between long bouts of soul consuming despair and quick moments of white hot rage. It's Monday and Brittany and Rachel are in class. Both trying to keep their minds occupied both trying and failing to not think about what they've lost. Santana has decided to skip her classes, she just doesn't care. Quinn was leaving them and nothing else mattered.

'I can't believe it's over. After everything we've been through, and it's over, she's calling it quits.'

'No… no…NO, NO, NO, NO! This is not how this is going to end! In fact it's not going to end at all! I'm going to go down there right now and beat some sense into her! I'm going to get our girl back and I'm going to set this right!" Santana gets a determined glint in her eye. She writes down a quick note for Rachel and Brittany and then grabs her metro pass and storms out the door. As she slams the door shut and starts to lock it she looks down and to her right. There sitting on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest is Quinn. She is wearing her NYU sweat shirt; each of the girls had a sweat shirt for each other's chosen schools. She's wearing sweat pants as well. Her hair is all messed up and slightly greasy, like it hasn't been washed in a few days. She's wearing her old sneakers and next to her is a full duffle bag with her cane propped up against the wall. Her eyes are blood shot and have dark bags under them and she looks ghostly pale. Quinn is looking up at Santana and she looks so scared and so pathetic right now, that Santana feels all the anger drain out of her.

"Quinn," Santana takes a seat next the girl "how long have you been here?"

"A couple hours." Quinn shrugs her shoulders.

"How come you didn't come in?" Santana asks uncertainly. She hates that, since when is she ever uncertain about anything.

"I didn't think anyone would be home right now… and I forgot my keys." Quinn says with a weak smile.

Santana smiles back, but her lips begin to quiver and before she knows it she is hugging the blonde and crying into her. Quinn hugs Santana and whispers to her. "Hey, hey now, why are you crying?"

"I… thought you, I thought you were leaving. I thought you were leaving us and I wouldn't ever see you again."

"What!? No, never! I could never leave you guys, I love you. You're my everything. I'm nothing without you. Where in the world did you get that idea?" Quinn's really confused she doesn't recall saying anything about leaving them, God no.

"I just thought… well, you said you needed time to think, and, and not to call you. And you said you needed to see if you could keep doing 'this' so I thought you meant, well "us." And then you hung up and… and we didn't hear from you again so… I thought… we thought the worst"

"Oh sweetie, no, I'll always need you, I'm not going anywhere. I was talking… talking about something else. I will never ever leave you though."

Santana nods her head and then pulls back from the hug. "Well then what were you talking about?"

"I'll talk to you about that later, it's not important right now. What is important is that you thought I was leaving." Quinn reaches out and takes Santana's hands in her own and brings them to her lips and places gentle kisses on them. "God, I can't even imagine what you guys must have been going through. I am so, so, so sorry I made you guys think that."

"It's okay." Santana whispers, completely forgetting the hell that these past few days have been. The relief, the joy that Quinn wasn't leaving them pushing all other thoughts and feelings from her heart.

"No it's not okay." Quinn says with a sad smile and a shake of her head." I should have been more clear. I am so sorry. Come on, let's get up off this floor and out of the hallway and I'll start making it up to you." Quinn's smile changes from sad to seductive.

Santana's mind however is stuck on 'get off the floor.' "Oh Quinn, I'm so sorry, I wasn't even thinking. Your leg, oh man you must be in so much pain right now!" Santana jumps up quickly and helps Quinn to her feet.

"It's fine, it doesn't hurt." Quinn says but Santana just gives her a pointed look. "No really it's fine San. Let me grab my bag and we'll head inside." Santana however quickly reaches around Quinn and grabs her duffle bag and shoulders it. She then grabs Quinn's cane and offers it to her. Quinn gives the cane a look, like it's her mortal enemy but still takes it. This more than anything that Quinn could say tells Santana that Quinn's in pain. She hates that thing. They head inside and Santana leads Quinn to the couch and then hurry's and drops the duffle bag in her room, sends a quick text to Brittany and Rachel to come home quick, before rejoining Quinn. She sits down next to the blonde who begins to lay back on the couch pulling the Latina with her. Eventually both are lying on the couch with Santana laying on top of Quinn looking up into her beautiful hazel eyes.

"I am so sorry." Quinn whispers and then begins to make out with Santana.

"It's."

*Kiss*

"O,"

*Kiss*

"kay." Santana responds, more focused on the taste of Quinn's lips than anything else. She runs her hands underneath Quinn's sweatshirt and t-shirt and up along Quinn's toned stomach and then up further until she palms the girl's breasts. She is pleased to find the blonde is not wearing a bra. "But what were you talking about?" Santana asks as she quickly removes Quinn's sweatshirt and t-shirt. She then sits up straddling the blonde and removes her own top. "We'll talk about that later. Right now, I have a lot of apologizing to do." Quinn says with a smirk and then quickly sits up, pushes Santana on to her back and then closes in, a hungry look in her eye.

xXx-Scene Break-xXx

Santana regains coherent thought sometime later. They were however no longer on the couch, but lying naked in Santana's bed. Santana snuggling into the crook of Quinn's neck and enjoying the warmth emanating off her body. She lets a Cheshire grin spread across her face. Santana would definitely say that this had been one of her more satisfying experiences and that was certainly saying something. But Santana knew a diversionary tactic when she saw one and now that they had had their fun it was time to get down to business. "So… Quinn?"

"Mmmhmm?" The sleepy blonde mumbled, lightly running her fingers up and down Santana's side.

"What's going on? What happened?" Santana could feel the blonde stiffen briefly and halt her movements for a second. Santana didn't need to see the girls face to know that she had a look of surprise on it and that it would quickly be schooled off. Santana was proven right when a couple moments later Quinn continued her ministrations. And spoke in that overly calm voice she got whenever she felt backed into a corner.

"I'm dropping out of school." Quinn tries to say as nonchalantly as she can, as if commenting on the weather. Santana however couldn't believe what she had just heard. She pulls away from Quinn and sits up and looks at the girl in shock.

"What! Why!?" Santana asks. "You've always wanted to go to Yale. You love it there and you worked so hard to get in. So why, why would you want drop out? It's your dream." Santana is so confused. "Are you having trouble with your classes, or… or is somebody bothering you? Tell me, let me help you but don't, don't just drop out. At least not until you've talked with someone first."

"Oh San," Quinn sighs and rolls over onto her back and folds her hands behind her head. She stares straight up not letting any emotion show on her face. "Look this is why I didn't want to talk to any one while I was deciding this. I knew everyone would try to talk me out of it. Yes, Yale was my dream, yes I've wanted to go there since I was little. It's great really, I love it there, but it's just not a good fit anymore. Okay? Things change, people change, and dreams change and quite frankly it's nobody's decision but mine." Quinn had started off calm at the beginning of her speech but by the end of it sounded angry.

Santana knew she had to proceed carefully at this point. If she didn't handle this just right then Quinn would just close up and it would be weeks before she could try again. "You're right mi amor, of course you are. It's your life and if you don't think Yale is a good fit any more then it's not." Santana watched as Quinn visibly relaxed at that. "But Quinn, and I need you to look at me for this." Santana waits for Quinn to turn and look at her before she continues. "Quinn I will always support you one hundred and ten percent, I'm just trying to get inside your head. Understand what your thought processes are. What's changed, why isn't it a good fit anymore? Help me to understand baby."

Quinn looks a little annoyed now. "Really, what's changed? Come on Santana do I really have to tell you why it doesn't fit anymore!?"

"Quinn?"

"Wow, you're really going to make me come out and say it aren't you? Fine. I'm dropping out because of this, because… because of us okay! Yale would be great if it was just me and I didn't have anything else in my life. But I got together with you three and I miss you guys so much, and I just can't be away from you guys anymore. It's too hard. I thought I could do it and I've tried but I can't. So I'm dropping out and that's that. I'm choosing between you and Yale and it's not even a close contest. I choose you guys." Quinn's voice is as steady as ever but there are tears running down her face.

"Quinn no one is making you choose between us and Yale. We know how important it is to you and we'll be right here waiting for you. You can do both, we're not going anywhere." Santana says, still trying to wrap her mind around where Quinn is coming from.

"That's just it! You guys are 'all' here 'all' together, here in New York! You guys get to see each other every single day and every single night! You can talk to each other whenever you want, hold each other whenever you want, and just be together whenever you want. And me, HA, me I'm stuck in fucking New Haven! You guys are all together happy and you're creating all of these new memories together and, and I'm stuck there and…It's so much harder than… *sob* than I thought. *sob*and, and I'm all alone…*sob*… and, and you, you all, you're moving on without me!" When Quinn finishes speaking she curls up into a ball and continues crying.

"Oh Quinn…" Tears are streaming down Santana's face. Her poor girl, it was so hard for the three of them to be without her, she didn't even stop to consider how much worse it would be for her girl. The phone calls and the skyping and the texts and the occasional visit didn't make it any easier for them and they were together. And her girl had spent the last two semesters facing that alone. Add on top of that her ongoing physical recovery and it was amazing that her girl had lasted this long. Santana adjusted her position and places herself so that she can place Quinn's head on her lap. She then begins to run her fingers through Quinn's hair in a comforting manner. "Quinn I am so, so sorry. I didn't even think of it like that. You're right, I thought it was equally hard for all of us but you're right. You are there all alone and we're here all together. But Quinn I'm not going to let you give up Yale."

"Please I have to, I can't…. I can't…" But Quinn is unable to finish speaking.

"No shhhh, let me talk now okay?" Quinn continues to cry but nods her head to show that she's listening. "We really dropped the ball on this one Q. I don't know how many times I'm going to have to apologize for this but it won't be enough. We really let you down on this. We thought the phone calls and occasional visits would be enough and it isn't, is it?" Quinn shakes her head no.

"So here's what we're going to do. You are not going to drop out of Yale-"

"Please San, no please I need you guys, please, don't make me leave!"

"No sh, sh, sh, it's my turn to speak and it's your turn to listen. You are not going to drop out of Yale, and I was thinking maybe I could follow you back to New Haven and you know, live there with you. How does that sound? I'll leave New York and come live with you."

Quinn abruptly sits up and stares at Santana with wild and surprised eyes. "WHAT!? No San no, you can't drop out of NYU, you love it there, and you love it here in New York with Brit and Rachel. I can't let you give that up for me. Me moving here makes the most sense and, and it works out better for everyone!"

"Okay first, I'm not dropping out of school. I was thinking more of a transfer to a school closer to you. And who knows my grades are pretty good, maybe I could get into Yale with you." Santana smiles as she says this. 'It's worth a shot.' "And second of all your decision doesn't work out best for you. You can't give up Yale for us, it would bother you so much. It would eat you alive inside and you would resent us for it eventually."

"And how do you know that transferring out of NYU won't do the same to you, how do you know that moving won't do that to you?" Quinn challenges.

Santana just rolls her eyes. "Because Quinn, NYU and New York were never my dream, not like Yale was your dream, or Julliard was Brittany's, or New York was Rachel's. Those were all your guys' dreams. Mine was never like that. I didn't care how or where to when I got out of Lima, just that I did. My dream was you guys. Living with you and being with you and being a family. You know happy. And if one of you isn't happy then my dream isn't happening. I'm not saying it's not a big decision, and I'm not saying there won't be difficulties, but it's an option, so just think about it."

Santana waits for a few more moments for Quinn to calm down before bringing up another issue. "And really, how come only you get to make these kinds of decisions for us huh!? Especially without talking to us beforehand, because before any real decision is going to be made we need to talk this out as a family, you know the four of us, together." At this Santana give Quinn a slight look of rebuke and allows a little annoyance to enter her voice at Quinn for not discussing this with them. Quinn dips her head in shame, feeling guilty, knowing that it was wrong of her to decide something like this on her own.

Santana reaches over and gently lifts Quinn's face so that she is looking her in the eyes. "You understand that doing this on your own, without talking to us first was wrong, right?" Quinn nods her head her lip starting to quiver, hating that she had acted so selfishly. "You said that the decision to drop out is ultimately yours and you're right, but only partially so. The decision is ultimately yours but you are part of a relationship and you owe it to us, you owe it to us! To include us in your decision making process, to include our thoughts and opinions when you are making such a big decision. The same way that we owe it to you, to include you when we make big decisions. Because what one of us does will affect the others. When you're feeling like this, when you're hurt like this, you need to come to us. You need to talk to us. Most importantly you need to let us help you. You can't just run off and do things on your own. When you make this kind of decision and don't include us it's telling us that you don't trust us. You can't just make these kinds of decisions on your own. That's not how relationships work, and certainly not this one."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Quinn cries flinging herself into Santana's arms, bawling.

"It's okay Amor, its okay. Apology accepted." Santana whispers into Quinn's ear. "I love you, so much you know that right?"

"Mhmm. Love you too." Quinn mumbles.

"And you do know that you also owe an apology to Rachel and Brittany right?" Quinn still crying nods her head into Santana's shoulder. They stay like that for a while, until Quinn calms down and then they lay back down together sharing soft touches and gentle kisses.

"Nothing is decided yet, okay Quinn? We'll talk this over as a family with Rach and B when they get home. We'll work something out that works for all of us, but you are not going to give up Yale. Understand?" Quinn nods her head and then nuzzles into Santana.

"I don't want you to have to leave New York San." Quinn whispers. "I know you said it's not your dream, but I also know you love it here in the city. So if I can't leave Yale then you can't leave here. I'll just suck it up or something, you know cowboy up. But please don't give this up for me. I won't let you, I won't."

Santana rolls her eyes and smiles at Quinn. She knows that they could argue this back and forth until they're both blue in the face and still not reach a decision. "Like I said Q, nothings decided yet. We have to wait for our girls. Then we can talk it out, but not until then okay?" Quinn nods her head in agreement. "Now no more discussing this until the others get back." Santana says firmly. Quinn just nods her head again, content to wait in her girls arms.

A.N. Okay so two things; One I am not actually all that happy with this chapter. But it's been in my laptop for a couple of days now, and it doesn't seem to matter what I do to it, I'm still not satisfied with how it turned out. I don't want to delete it either. There are a couple of Santana and Quinn moments in it that I absolutely love. So I've decided to just post it and I hope you can all forgive me if this chapter doesn't meet expectations.

The second thing I want to say is I actually had some of the upcoming discussion between the four of them typed up, but found that it really affected the flow of this particular story, and with it there it took away from the whole point of this chapter, which was to have a one on one interaction between Santana and Quinn. To show the relationship between those two rather than just mentioning it. For those of you who are curious about how the talk between the four of them goes and what will happen because of it don't worry. It will have its own chapter. I just didn't want to tack it on to the end of this one because as I said it disrupted the flow of the chapter, and also because I think it deserves its own chapter. So expect that to show up sometime in the near future.