Part Seven

He dabbed the wet cloth to her arm again before rinsing it out in the now pink water in the sink.

"I can't keep doing this, you know?" Finn told Brittany.

"I know," she told him, wincing as the cold water washed over the fresh wounds. It had been two days since the argument in the choir room and both Rachel and Santana had refused to speak to either of them. In that time the cuts on her arm had doubled since the last time Finn had seen them.

"There, all done," he said after placing a light kiss on her forearm, she smiled slightly.

"Thank you, Finn," she whispered before giving him a long appreciative hug. "It's San and Rachel, every time I remember they aren't speaking to me… It just makes me forget, and forgetting is easier,"

He held her close unsure of what to say. He resorted to placing a kiss on the top of her head, willing her to get the message. She broke the hug and gave him a weak smile.

"I need to go home now, just…" she paused to place a kiss on his cheek, "Just thank you, I love you, Finn,"

"I love you too," He told her, his voice cracking slightly, it killed him to see her like this, he knew it was partly his fault, 'stupid drunk bastard, taking advantage of an innocent drunk girl,' the voice in his head had been telling him a lot of similar things recently. Even if it wasn't his fault, however, it would still be killing him, he hated seeing someone so close to him (especially someone who used to seem so happy) looking so vulnerable, fragile didn't even do her justice, she was past fragile, she just seemed broken.

He walked her to the door and they said their goodbyes. He stood in the doorway after she had gone, he was worried and he knew he needed to do something but he had no idea what. He needed someone clever, someone who cared about Brittany and someone who could keep a secret. He needed Quinn.

As he arrived at Quinn's house he saw her mom walking towards her car.

"Hello Ms Fabray," he called as he walked up the driveway,

"Oh hello, Finn," she replied, "Are you here to see Quinn?" he nodded, "she's out back, just go straight through the house, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you. I'm just going to the grocery store, I'll see you later," she told him before getting in the car and driving away.

He made his way through the house and found Quinn relaxing in the hot tub with her eyes closed. He knew it was kinda sleazy, but he couldn't help just standing and watching her, the tips of her hair were wet, dripping onto her shoulders, the water made her skin glisten in the porch light and her skin looked like it had been photoshopped. She wore a small red bikini that Finn found himself staring at as her chest heaved slowly with her breathing.

He was just about to say hello when she began to shift, she bit her lower lip and lifted her hand up to her chest, stroking lightly along her collarbone. Finn watched, holding his breath, as she ran the hand down her body, slowing down as it ran over her breast before sliding over her stomach, she hesitated as she reached the hem of her bikini bottoms before sliding her hand into them. Finns pants began to feel much tighter as he watched her, he wanted to make himself known but he felt almost as if he was in shock. Her breathing became heavier and a slight moan escaped her, finally shaking Finn out of his near hypnotism. He cleared his throat and her eyes shot open, as she quickly took her hand out of her bikini bottoms.

"Finn!" she shouted in surprise, her cheeks flushing scarlet.

"Err, hi Quinn…" he said, begin to blush himself.

"What are you…" her eyes drifted down to his crotch and she gave a nervous smile, both of them growing even redder. "You saw didn't you?"

"Yeah…" He replied his hand on the back of his neck, trying to avoid making eye contact.

"Oh my god, please don't tell anyone" she begged him, also trying to avoid eye contact.

"I wont…"

"I was just, stressed, and my mom went out, and I wanted to relax and well…"

"I just didn't realise you did that, I thought you were kinda like, you know, pure… innocent."

"Finn, I've only had three boyfriends, but I cheated on two of them and I got pregnant at 15, am I really that innocent?"

"I guess not," He stood there in silence for a while before mustering up the courage to look at her, "Sorry,"

"What for?"

"For standing there and watching you… That was really sleazy, I should have said something straight away, but the bikini, and the water and well… yeah, sorry,"

"It's ok, Finn" she said, smiling slightly, but still blushing. "Since you're here, why don't you join me?" she asked trying to be cheerful.

"I would, but I don't have any shorts to wear or anything, and well, I kinda have a thing about hot tubs, you know, cause of Drizzle and all,"

"Beth"

"What?"

"She's called Beth,"

"I know," he told her, confused.

"You called her Drizzle,"

"Did I?" He asked, his eyebrows raising slightly, "Sorry, old habits die slow or something like that."

"It's ok," she gave him a reassuring smile before getting out of the hot tub and wrapping herself in a towel. "So how come you're here?"

"It's about Brittany," he told her, her face fell and she began to walk towards the house, "what's wrong?" he asked her.

"She's the other girl that you're in love with isn't she? That's why you were in bed with her, wasn't it? Sam told me you had been hanging out with her more, that's why isn't it? And you want me to help you figure out your feelings or something, right?" she asked him, she sounded bored or weary, but Finn detected a hint of urgency in her voice. She turned to face him but avoided his gaze, staring at the floor instead.

"No, that's not it, she's not the other girl" She looked at him, slightly surprised, "It's something else, I'm worried about her,"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"First you got to promise not to tell anyone about this, including her,"

"I promise," she said, taking his hand, beginning to look worried as well.

"Well, the other day…" He began explain about how he caught the red on Brittany's sleeve and how he had been helping her clean her arm. He told Quinn about how Brittany had refused to give it up, claiming she needed to do it. "I just don't know what to do…" he finished, giving a frustrated sigh.

Quinn stayed silent, considering everything Finn had just told her before eventually speaking up, "What exactly do you want me to do?" she asked him, sounding supportive.

"I don't know, I just knew you could keep a secret. Plus, you love Brittany just as much as me and you're the smartest person I know, I'm not good enough to deal with this, she needs better than me," He looked away from her, watching the clouds move across the dark sky, "we both do, we need you."

"I don't know what to do Finn, but I promise I'll try, all we can do for her right now is be there, and just cross our fingers it doesn't get worse"

"Thanks Quinn," He gave her a quick hug and then checked the time, "I should probably get going, my mom will have dinner ready soon,"

"Oh, okay, goodbye Finn," he began to walk away, around the outside of her house before impulse took over, "Wait Quinn, I need to say something first."

"Yeah?" she asked him, walking towards him.

"It's you,"

"What is?"

"The other girl, the one that I'm in love with…"

"Oh…" she stood in silence avoiding his gaze, making Finn begin to worry before she finally looked up, straight into his eyes. "Do you mean it? Because when Rachel first said it, I hoped it was me, but then you told her you never told the other girl you loved her, and that the other girl didn't love you, and I thought that meant it couldn't be me, because you told me you loved me at the party, remember?"

"I know, but I didn't think it counted, you didn't take me seriously, I was drunk… plus, you don't love me, so the second part was definitely true"

"I do love you Finn, I even told you when you told me, maybe you don't remember, I know I shot you down but its cause I thought you didn't love me, I know I told you I loved you because I love you, so, so much" She began to cry and she only managed to breath the last few words.

"Quinn…" he began, but he was cut off as her lips met his, he kissed back with everything he had, once again, she was the only thing in the world, nothing mattered, nothing existed, there was only Quinn. She pulled away quickly leaving him desperate for more and his heart breaking slightly…

"I owed you a mistletoe kiss…" she explained, "I love you, Finn, but that was it, I cant put myself through this again, I'm not a man stealer like Rachel and I don't want to just sit here waiting for you to make your mind up and then spend the rest of my life with you worrying if it will change again. That was probably the last kiss we will ever have Finn, I'm sorry," she ran into the house crying, leaving him standing there, a cocktail of emotions brewing up inside him. It took him nearly 5 minutes to actually be able to form a coherent thought and it was a simple one, no matter what happens, no matter how he felt about Rachel or Brittany, or anyone else for that matter, there was one thing he knew; he was determined that that was not going to be their last kiss.