New Chapter! Happy days! Hope you like it. Santana plays a pretty big part in it. Some Pezberry and Lobray? moments to move the story along. Hope you enjoy and thank you all so much for the reviews and for adding to your story alerts. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
"Wow Q, you look like a kicked puppy," came the voice of Santana as she came to a standstill next to Quinn's locker. The blonde pulled out her geometry book and her notes before closing the locker door and shooting an exhausted look at her friend. Leaning with her side up against the cool metal, Quinn hugged her books to her chest and then ran a hand through her golden locks, effectively pushing them back from her face. Santana frowned at how down her for captain looked. Her shoulders were slumped and her usual flair was missing. She didn't look like a happy newly engaged lovebird. It was disheartening for the Latina to see.
"It's Rachel," Quinn said and before she could utter another word Santana stood up straight, an alarmed look in her eyes. "Wait, you guys didn't call off the wedding did you?" the brunette asked. "What? No!" Quinn replied. That will never happen, the blonde thought as she stood up from the locker. "Did Berry have another episode like last week?" Santana asked, and Quinn was amazed to see actual concern the dark eyes staring bark at her. The blonde shook her head and held up a hand to stop her friend from spilling out anymore theories.
"No, Santana it's not that. Its….," Quinn trailed off and gazed around at all the students hanging around in the hallway before returning her attention to the girl standing before her and lowering her voice. "Rachel's hair is, it's starting to fall out. It happened last night when we were getting ready for bed. She was combing her hair and it just," Quinn gestured to her head with her hands as if to pull a clump of hair from her head. Santana nodded her own head, instantly understanding where this was going. Rachel was by far one of the least vain girls the Latina knew, when compared to her teammates on the Cheerio's.
But at the end of the day Rachel was still a girl and liked to look good and feel pretty. It was only natural that something like this would be a major blow to the girl's self-esteem. Quinn huffed out a sigh and continued where she left off. "I held her all last night well she cried. It's literally killing me knowing there's nothing I can do to make any of this easier for her. She locked herself in the bathroom this morning and refused to let me see her before I came to school this morning," Quinn said sadly as she and Santana began walking towards class.
"Yeah that sucks, but Q, look at it from her side, she just got engaged and her wedding is taking place in a matter of weeks. How would you feel if all your hair started falling out knowing you're gonna be standing next to the girl who was once the wet dream of every guy at school?". To say Santana had a unique way of making people see things, but there was one thing you could always guarantee, she would make you see her point one way or another, and although Quinn was grateful for it, at this moment in time she felt sick to the stomach.
She knew that when Rachel started losing her hair that it would be a big adjustment for her fiancée to deal with, what she hadn't factored into the equation was the rather major factor of their impending nuptials and how Rachel would be feeling about her appearance. Quinn knew Rachel was far from being hung up on her looks, but one thing she always maintained was that she wanted to always look good for Quinn. The blonde had told Rachel countless times that she was the most beautiful girl she had ever met, and while Rachel would always accept the compliment with a blush, but Quinn knew she was just doing it more to appease her feelings than because she believed it, so she would tell her almost every day in an effort to finally make the girl of her dreams believe her.
But here they were, weeks away from what should be the most important day of their lives, and Rachel was battling a serious case of low self-esteem. Quinn felt like the worst fiancée in the world. "San, what am I gonna do? I need to fix this, like right now," Quinn said in a whiney tone as she slumped against the doorframe of the classroom. Santana placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder and leaned forward so she was looking Quinn straight in the eye. "No what you need to do is get your ass through the rest of the school day and then go home and fix this. Berry won't forgive you or me if I let your education suffer. You have plenty of time to come up with a plan to fix this, Berry will still be there when you get home," Santana said.
With one look at the fixed gaze the Latina was giving her Quinn nodded her head and trudged into geometry, taking a seat in the middle row. Santana on the other hand was already formulating a plan of action in her head. Rachel Berry it's time you and me had a heart to heart. Lima Heights style, Santana thought to herself as she whipped out her phone and sent a message off to Brittany. Once she was done, she slipped her phone into the waist of her Cheerio's skirt and took her seat next to Quinn. Shooting the blonde a comforting smile as she flicked open her book, counting down the minutes until she could get down to business.
The bleachers had become somewhat of an escape for Quinn over the last month or so. Anytime she needed a free moment to think, breath, or even pray, she found herself sitting out by the football, just letting the world pass her by and thankfully her friends rarely interrupted her. Knowing that this was time for Quinn to just let all her worries and concerns go for a moment, just so she could breath and re-gather her strength and composure so that she could be strong for Rachel and take care of her to the best of her ability. Well as best she could as an eighteen year old high schooler can.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the leader of the Power Puff Girls. You know since you decided to come out of the closet along with Sandbags and Tweedle Dumb, that term of endearment has never been more ironic than right now," came the voice of one Sue Sylvester, her usual snide tone lacing through her words. Quinn turned her head to glance over her shoulder, the sunshine beaming down on her causing her to squint her eyes as she eyed the woman towering over her. "A little gossip fairy, and by fairy I mean Kurt Hummel, has been babbling with excitement around school that a certain ex-cheerleader of mine is planning on getting hitched," Sus said as she stepped over the bleacher Quinn was sitting on and sat down.
"Are you about to give me some life affirming speech about how I'm ruining my life and that I should ditch Rachel, re-join the Cheerio's and move on? Because if you are you can save it, Rachel's my life now and nothing or no one is going to make me walk away from her. Especially not your new little cheer whore down there," Quinn finished pointing down towards Shannon Peterson who was shamelessly flirting with some of the footballers. Sue looked at Quinn, squinting her eyes to block out the sun.
"You know, ever since Jean passed away, I've suddenly realised that even forever has a time limit. I deluded myself into thinking that she would always be around," Sue said as she leaned her elbows over her knees and watched on as her cheer squad began to make their way onto the field for practice. Quinn sat with her head turned towards Sue, listening to what she was saying. After all, it was very rare that the cheer coach ever showed her soft side. Quinn felt oddly honoured to be one of the select few who saw this side of the Ice Queen.
"We're only given a short amount of time on this earth to achieve everything we can, whether it's success, acclaim or 'love'," Sue said with air quotes, she wasn't quite that soft to speak of love in a deep meaningful way. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's that if you've found what you're looking for, hold onto it as tight as you can and don't ever let it go or you will regret it for the rest of your life." With that Sue stood up, grabbing her megaphone and began making her way down the steps towards the field. Quinn allowed Sue's words of wisdom sink in and smiled when she realised that her former cheer coach had just, in her own indirect way, given her the seal of approval.
"Hey coach," Quinn called out. Sue turned to face the blonde, her hand over her eyes blocking out the sunshine that was impairing her vision of the blonde teenager. "Did you find what you're looking for?" she asked. Sue glanced down at her Cheerio's and then smiled as she turned back to face Quinn. "Well Q, I've got numerous glass cases full of winner's trophies. What do you think?" she asked with a smirk before turning around and continuing down the steps. Quinn smiled at Sue's words, even when she was being serious Sue was all about the winner's trophies. The bell for the end of Quinn's free period rang out over the football field and the blonde gathered up her bag and flung it over her shoulder, taking one last glance at the field before heading back towards the school.
Santana will be the first to admit, she hated having serious conversations with people because it usually meant she had to show some sort of emotion, and the Latina hated being seen as soft. But this was important. The happiness of her best friend and her 'sort of friend', although secretly Santana did deeply care for Rachel, depended on it. Looking out her car window, she saw that the driveway was empty and knew that if she was going to do anything, it was now while there were distractions. Climbing out of her car, she closed the door and clicked the clock button on her car keys before stowing them away in her Cheerio's letterman jacket.
Glancing through the front windows, the house looked empty, but Santana had a feeling that Rachel was hiding away upstairs. Walking around the back of the house, because trying to break in through the front of the house in full view of the neighbours would not go down well, the Latina worked her way to the back door and gave it a jiggle. Nope locked, she thought as she glanced around. Noticing the double doors that led out into the garden from the kitchen, she decided to chance it. Hopefully they were forgetful. Aha, score one to the ninja cheerleader.
Walking through the kitchen, Santana admired the modern yet cozy feel of the house. No wonder Quinn felt at home with the Berry's. She'd been there before but she'd never really taken the time to soak it all in. She was impressed. Walking through the living room to the foyer she found the stairs and walked up it, to the first floor. Glancing left she saw two rooms, turning to her right she saw five rooms and right at the end was a white door with a sparkling gold star on the door. Bingo. Making her to the end of the hallway, Santana stepped up to the door and knocked.
"Go away!" came the muffled voice on the other side of the door. Santana knocked again. "Daddy please just leave me alone!" Clearly Rachel was not going to open the door. The Latina decided if Rachel wasn't going to answer a knock, she would answer a threat. "Listen here Frodo, either open up, or Imma go all Jack Nicholson on this door and ends you. I haven't got all day!" The soft click of a lock signalled to Santana that the door was unlocked. Gripping the door knob, she twisted it and opened it up to reveal Rachel lying in bed with the duvet over her head.
"Come on Berry, up," Santana said with a clap of her hands. "Go away Santana!" Rachel shouted from beneath the covers. Santana shook her head, preparing grab the diva out of the bed. "Not gonna happen. Q told me about your little episode last night. Me and you, we gon' gets our Dr. Phil on up in here, and don't even think bout pullin' the sick card with me coz I swear to whatever God your Jewish ass prays to I will get my Michael Myers on and butcher your ass. Now come on, up!" Santana said pulling the covers off the small body heaped on the bed.
Sitting up in the bed, Rachel adjusted the beanie hat to her head. Santana looked her up and down and then pulled the chair by Rachel's desk up to the bed and sat down. Knowing the diva wouldn't appreciate her invading her space by climbing onto the bed next to her. "Alright start talkin'. Why are you pushing Quinn away?" she asked as she crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side. Rachel glanced up at the ceiling trying to stem the flow of tears threatening to fall, before looking back to Santana. It was either talk or row and Rachel didn't have the energy.
"Look at me, I'm hideous. My body is falling apart," Rachel said, gesturing to her underweight, body. The brunette had always been slim, but the chemo was ravishing her body and now she looked like a delicate porcelain doll who could break into a tiny pieces if she were to fall. Rachel's once shiny brown locks were lifeless and if Santana had to guess, Rachel was wearing that beanie hat to hide the extent of the damage. Her heart genuinely broke for the girl. "Rachel that's not true," Santana said as she sat forward on the chair.
"YES! YES IT IS!" Rachel screamed the tears now free flowing. "And it's only a matter of time before Quinn realises she can do so much better. I don't want to lose her, but I don't want to hold her back from living her life," Rachel choked out between sobs as she clutched her left hand to her chest, gazing down at her engagement ring. That was all Santana needed to here, standing up she gently grabbed Rachel by the wrist and tugged her towards the full length mirror in the corner of the room and stood the smaller brunette in front of it.
"Take off your shirt," the Latina said as she stood behind Rachel. The diva looked at her open mouthed in the mirror, preparing herself to protest but Santana stopped her. "Come on Berry I haven't got all day. Just do it." Rachel begrudgingly removed her shirt and threw it on the bed. Staring back at her was a worn down body, chest catheter on display and ribs poking out from under almost translucent skin. Then she felt warm hands rest on her shoulders and saw Santana gazing at her through the mirror.
"You might think you look like crap, but do you want to know what everyone else sees?" she said more as a rhetorical question. "We see a warrior, someone who is fighting a battle every day and kicking ass. Just like in Glee club. What you're looking at, these are your battle scars and they're there to show everyone that nothing is going to keep you down or stop you from following your dreams. Not even cancer," Santana said and Rachel couldn't help but notice the small glint of pride in the Latina's eyes. Just then she was being whirled around and standing face to face with the Cheerio.
"And do you want to know what Quinn see's?" Santana asks. This time wanting a response from Rachel. The diva nodded her head wiped away a tear. Santana raised her hand and pointed her pointer finger over Rachel's heart. "She sees this, every-single-day and that's why she loves you. Because you've given her the one thing she's always wanted. Someone to love her unconditionally, regardless of her flaws," Santana answered honestly. "So you can hide yourself away forever but it doesn't matter how hard you try to push her away, Quinn is not going anywhere."
Rachel looked into Santana's eyes and she could see the truth within them, staring back at her and she couldn't escape it. The only thing she could do was face her fears and the inevitable head on, with the hope that Santana was right, and Quinn would be right there at the end of it. Reaching up, Rachel removed the beanie from her head and Santana's face visibly stiffened at the sight. There were bald patches in Rachel's scalp where her beautiful hair once was. "Dios mio," Santana said under her breath as she caught a tear from falling. Rachel looked up at the Latina and clasped the beanie between her hands. "I need you to help me with something. As a friend."
Walking through the front door of the Berry house, Quinn placed her bag down by the door and shrugged her denim jacket off. The sound of footsteps on the stairs caught her attention. "Santana? What are you doing here? You're not helping Rachel with homework today," Quinn said confused as she mentally ran through the timetable they had worked out. Santana stood with her hands in her pockets glancing over her shoulder up the stairs. "No, that's not why I'm here," the Latina said. Quinn frowned.
"Well then wha…," Quinn trailed off as the sight of Rachel descending the stairs caught her eye. Moving past her best friend, she stood at the foot of the stairs and waited for her fiancée to reach the last step so that she was standing right in front of her. Rachel crossed her arms over her chest in a nervous manner as Quinn's eyes traced over every inch of her body before falling on the silk scarf that was wrapped neatly around the diva's head. Her once luscious brown locks now gone. "Rach," Quinn husked out as she glanced down at Rachel with tear filled eyes.
"Hey," Rachel replied when she finally met the gaze of the beautiful hazel eyes staring back at her. Quinn reached up and tugged on the knot of the scarf, causing it to fall open so she could remove it from the diva's head. Throwing it on the stairs she reached up and cupped Rachel's face in the palm of her hands, gently pulling her towards her and as she did, she dropped a long lingering, passionate kiss on the smaller girls head. Pouring as much emotion into the kiss as she possibly could. The act of love was enough to cause the diva's resolve to break as her body shook and her tears fell.
Removing her lips from the top of Rachel's head, Quinn leaned down and capture the diva's lips in her own, running her tongue along her lovers lower lips begging to deepen the kiss, which the smaller girl was eager to allow. They battled with each other as they poured every ounce of love into the kiss, their tongues wrestling for dominance, until finally they pulled apart and Quinn wrapped her arms tightly around the other girls body, cradling Rachel's head in her chest and finally allowing her own tears to fall. Glancing in the mirror to her left, she saw Santana staring back at her with a smile. Smiling back, Quinn mouthed a thank you and then nuzzled her face in the crook between Rachel's neck and shoulder. Feeling like they had accomplished something major that day.
Poor Faberry! I almost feel like a bitch for putting them though this. But as the saying goes what doesn't kill you…. Well let's just hope for the best shall we. Don't forget to review. I love hearing your thoughts. Talk to you soon.
