Wrong Turn
Authors Note(I don't own any of the Glee characters) Enjoy!
Marcela88: I think everyone feels bad for Santana. Thanks for the review.
AngieMG: You were right. I don't want to give anything away, of course, so you'll have to read to find out. Thanks for the review.
Guest 1: You never know, maybe the jury will have some sympathy towards Santana, you'll have to wait and see, lol. Thanks for the review.
Guest 2: I guess that kind of good since I could make you feel something for the characters, lol. Thanks for the review.
Sarah11650: Imm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review.
Guest 3: Yes, eventually Santana and Quinn will be together but at the moment it just wouldn't be realistic. I can promise I won't make them official until the last chapter, it will be before then. Thanks for the review.
Guest 4: Thank you, I'm glad you like it. Santana can't plead self defense because it would've had to of been more spontaneous, and even though Ben did attack Santana in the woods, he didn't actually touch her or Quinn in the shed before they attacked him. If he was the one who tried to killed them instead, and Santana grabbed the knife and killed him, that would have been self defense. Do you understand now? I hope that made sense. Thanks for the review.
Qendgame: Thank you, you made me smile. Glad you like it, thanks for the review.
Chapter Ten
The next day Quinn is still upset with her mother, and Santana is still on her mind. All she can think about is how they're treating her, how scared she must be feeling, and how much she wants to see her again. Breakfast was awkward.
Her mother kept apologizing but Quinn just nodded along. Then when Judy tried changing the subject, the blonde checked out, too worried about Santana, and feeling too guilty. If she had just let Ben help them out of those woods, Santana wouldn't be in jail facing murder charges. They would be back at home in mourning.
"Honey, I know you're still upset with what I said, and I know you don't want to talk to me for now, so I asked your friends to come over." Judy steps aside to let Brittany, Sam, Mike, Tina and Mercedes in. Sam, Mike and Kurt hadn't been able to visit Santana or even Quinn because they didn't know what to say, and they still don't but the girls insisted.
As soon as Judy closes the door behind her, Brittany strides over to Quinn and stands over her as she sits next to the window. "What the hell, Quinn? How could you let Santana take the fault for you?"
"Whoa, we did not come here to attack her, Britt." Mercedes says.
Brittany scoffs. "Well no one else would have asked her." She argues.
Quinn shakes her head, but doesn't look away from the window. "What do you think I was doing in jail?"
"You were in there because you killed someone." Brittany continues.
Quinn stands in front of the other blonde, glaring at her friend. "I was in there so Santana wouldn't have to be!"
Brittany steps back narrowing her eyes. "Are you blaming Santana for what you did?"
Quinn scoffs. "Brittany, you have no right to act like you know what the hell went on in those woods. You weren't there!"
Brittany rolls her eyes. Their friends silently debating if they should step in yet. "I'm sick of you and Santana reminding me I wasn't there, I know I wasn't. If I was, Santana wouldn't have gotten hurt, and she wouldn't be in this mess."
Mercedes and Tina's jaws drop. Mike, Sam and Kurt just look at each other, silently asking each other if she really just said that. Quinn is also shocked. She never would have thought she would ever be in an argument with the other blonde and she's starting to get a good idea why the dancer is being so defensive.
Brittany is behaving the same way she would if she were in the taller blonde's shoes. It makes Quinn feel jealous, and she almost wants to tell her friend to back off, but she doesn't. Instead, she just wants her to leave so she doesn't have to hear anymore.
"Get out."
"Why, Quinn? You don't want to face the truth, that I could have protected Santana when you couldn't?" Quinn shakes her head begging the tears not to surface, then she pushes Brittany away.
"Fuck you, Brittany. You don't think I feel guilty enough?!" Finally Mike jumps between them, and Sam tried to holds Quinn back. "I had a knife pressed against my throat while I watched those assholes hurt the most important person in my life." She continues. "I wish I killed them all for what they did. But it did feel good to shoot that asshole."
Hearing just a little bit of what went on in those woods put her friends into perspective. They knew it must of been something that'll be hard to come back from, but it's a different ball game to actually hear some of it.
"Why didn't you get away?"
"I tried, dammit, but he was stronger. If Ben didn't jump on his dad I wouldn't of gotten away." She explains. "I couldn't keep her from getting hurt, but I made up for it. I beat the hell out of Ben, and I'd do it again if I could."
"Wait, who actually killed him?" Tina asks.
Quinn sighs then wipes the few tears that escaped. "Santana. She slit his throat. I didn't want her to go to prison, though, not after everything she went threw. So I said I did it, and she got caught lying because I couldn't tell her the story I told them, but even if I could, I don't think she would have went along."
"Why not?" Brittany asks.
"Becuase I don't think Santana could keep up with the lie. I think she felt guilty for letting me take the blame." She explains. There's a short silence as her friends take in all the new information.
"It's still unbelievable that either one of you would be capable of doing something like this." Says Kurt
"It's hard to predict what you would do in certain situations until you're in it." Quinn says. "I didn't think I was capable of hurting anyone either, but I did." There's another short pause.
"Well we can't fight anymore." Tina speaks up. "This is hard enough, we shouldn't make it harder on ourselves. It was our plan to be supportive to you both, this new information shouldn't change that, you're our friends." Mike nods in agreement, along with Sam, Mercedes and Kurt.
"I agree." Mercedes says. "No more fighting, it's not going to help."
Brittany sighs deeply. "You guys are right, I'm sorry. I just let my emotions get to me and I took it out on you."
"I know, it's ok." Quinn forgives her.
"So what do we do now?" Sam asks.
"Why don't we just watch TV and eat some junk food." Merceds suggests. "Maybe doing the things we used to together will help us relax. I don't know about you guys but this stress is starting to get to me, and we shouldn't be dealing with this until we actually get into college."
The rest of her friends agree. The group vote on a movie then get some snacks from room service before watching their movie while the adults still talked in the other room.
"Quinn is still mad at me."
"Why, what happened?" Carol asks.
"When she got out, I told her that Santana now being in jail is the consequence of her actions, and that I was happy it wasn't her."
"That's a little harsh." Trissa says.
"I know, I was just so happy Quinn didn't ruin her life, I wasn't thinking." She explains.
"Did you explain that to her?" Julia asks.
Judy shakes her head. "She wouldn't let me, and now she won't even look at me." She says getting emotional. Carol wraps her arm around her shoulders.
"She'll come around." Carol assures her. "When she needs comforting, she'll go to you, and then you'll be able to talk. Just be patient."
"She's right." Julia agrees.
Judy sighs deeply. "Sometimes I wish our kids didn't go to this trip." She confesses. "I almost didn't let Quinn go, but she kept begging me and I didn't want to be so strict with her like her father used to."
"I think we all have at one point." Carol says. The other women nod, confirming she's right. "Burt has been having such a hard time, he rarely leaves the room."
"We have to be strong, though." Trissa says. "If we break down, it can't be in front of the kids. If they see us like that, they won't have any hope."
Judy nods, getting emotional. "Is it ok if I have my breakdown right now?" Carol hugs the blonde as the other women look on feeling sympathy towards their friend.
As soon as Quinn is escorted out, Santana sits in the corner of her cell and cries quietly, ignoring the other three people around her. Despite making the decision to tell the truth, now being in jail makes it more real and she doesn't know how she'll be able to handle this, let alone prison.
Santana isn't naive. No matter how many times her lawyer promises her he'll try to get her a lower sentence, she knows that's not going to happen. She's seen the news and knows what they've said about Quinn. Their opinion won't change overnight.
"You're gonna be ok."
Santana looks up to the woman across from her cell staring at her. "How could I trust you?" She asks, skeptical.
She shrugs. "You can trust me and her over there." She gestures towards the cell next to Santana. The woman next to her just flashes a weak smile. "I'll just say we grew a soft spot for your friend. We hardly ever leave these cells, but if someone does come in here to cause trouble, we'll have your back." She promises.
"Has anyone come in here before?"
"Yea, but he wasn't after Quinn." She assures her. "He was a complete asshole to her, but I wouldn't let him hurt her, and I'll do the same for you." Santana nods. "I'm Veronica, by the way. That's Nicole, and that prick is Keith. Ignore him."
"Fuck you." He grumbles.
"Not even in your dreams." Keith flips her off.
"So what did you do to get in here?" Santana asks Veronica. The woman flashes a weak smile, but before she could get a word out, Keith cuts her off.
"She's a prostitute, she was on the street selling herself. That not obvious to you?"
Veronica steps forward, closer to the bars. "You don't know shit! Shut your fucking mouth, asshole!" Keith just chuckles, amused he riled her up. Veronica takes a few deep breaths to calm herself. "I wasn't-working that night. My friend was, and she was in trouble." She starts to explain. "I helped her, and it landed me in here."
Santana narrows her eyes, confused. "Why?"
She hesitates before answering. "I'll just say he has his connections."
"He knows someone who works here?"
Veronica scoffs. "Something like that."
"What about you?" She asks Nicole. Santana needs a distraction so she's keeping the attention off herself and on to her cell mates instead.
"I got caught without a green card." She explains. "It expired, and I couldn't afford to get it renewed. My family are probably back in Canada by now."
"I'm sorry." Santana apologizes.
Nicole shrugs. "It is what it is."
Suddenly the door at the end of the hall opens as O'Brien enters the room. With his keys in hand, he walks down the isle of cells and stops in front of Santana's to unlock it.
"What the hell is going on?" She asks as he opens her cell door.
"The lawyer representing the state is here to ask you questions." He explains while putting Santana in handcuffs. The brunette's heart is beating wildly against her chest, and her palms began to sweat.
Santana gets more and more nervous the closer they get to the interrogation room. When they do reach the room, a man sits, waiting for her. He has a camera set up in the corner and files laying in front of him. O'Brien uncurls Santana then has her sit down before leaving the room. He's not a part of this investigation anymore.
"My lawyer filmed my confession already. What's with the camera?"
"For us." He says not looking up from his file.
"What do you mean for you? Do you plan on keeping this in your home movie collection?"
The lawyer finally looks up with a sigh. "Since your lawyer claims you can't testify in court, this is the only way I can ask you questions."
"H-How does anyone even know there'll be a trial?"
"You're a rich Latina girl who killed a white, poor, small town boy, it'll go to trial." Santana curses internally. Of course this will not only be about her parents finances, it'll also be about her race. She should've seen that coming.
"Where is my lawyer? I thought you couldn't talk to me without him?"
"For this kind of questioning, he isnt required to be present." The lawyer looks back down at his file. "Now, if that's all, I can start." He glances back up for an answer.
"Fine." She reluctantly agrees.
"So you and your friends go on a road trip together, to look at some colleges and have some fun before the school year begins, correct?"
"Yea. Finn and Puck planned it."
He nods. "How exactly did you come across Owen, Paul and Ben?"
"We got a flat tire and they helped us replace it."
He nods. "Were they friendly with you?" Santana hesitates, thinking its an odd question, but answers the lawyer anyway.
"Y-Yea, they introduced themselves and were polite."
"What was your first impression of them?"
Santana narrows her eyes, confused. "What kind of question is that?"
"Just answer the question, Miss. Lopez. What was your first impression?"
She scoffs. "Uh-I thought Owen and Paul were freaking creepy as hell."
"What gave you that impression? You just said they were friendly and polite. Did you not like the way they talked, did you not like the way they dressed? Were you looking down at them because they were different from you?"
She scoffs. "No. I didn't like the way they looked at me and friends, Quinn and Rachel. And Paul was clearly flirting with Quinn, it was creepy." She repeats.
"How did they look at you?"
"Like any guy does when he sees a girl he's attracted to."
He raises his brows. "You think they were attracted to you."
She glares at the lawyer. "Owen raped me." She points out. There's a short silence.
"What happened after that, how did you all end up in the woods?" He asks in an almost skeptical tone, as he moves on to something else.
"We thanked them and left. Then down the road the car stopped. Puck looked at the speedometer and saw we lost fuel, and we knew it was done deliberately."
The lawyer is skeptical, again. "How could you be so sure?"
She shrugs. "It was full, then all of a sudden it was empty."
"But how could you assume without checking?"
She huffs hearing the accusation in his tone. "Ben was messing around with something while we were talking to his dad and uncle. None of us even knew he was there until his dad said something." She explains.
"How do you know he was messing with anything?"
Santana clenches her jaw. "Because he looked guilty as hell when he said something about liking cars." The lawyer writes something down.
"What happened next?"
"We couldn't go anywhere because the garage was too far away and we didn't know anyone to call so we tried to get some sleep. We planned on getting help in the morning since more people would be on the road." She continues. "In the middle of the night, Quinn thought she heard something so Puck went to check it out just in case. But he was gone for too long so Finn went to get him. When he did, Ben stabbed his legs."
"Did you see that it was Ben?"
"No, it was too dark, but Finn told us it was him. We helped Finn back into the van then me and Quinn went out to look for Puck because he still wasn't back yet."
"Did you ever find him?"
She shakes her head. "Owen and Paul started chasing us. We fell down a hill and got knocked out. We didn't wake up until morning."
Santana continues to explain to him everything that happened, while somehow managing to control her anger whenever he accused her and her friends of anything. For hours the lawyer has been asking her questions, sometimes even repeating the same ones as if she would confess to a premeditated murder.
"I told you already. Quinn just wanted him in pain, she never planned on killing him, and I had no idea what her intentions were going to the shed." She continues to explain, again. "When she told me, I didn't want anything to do with it, I dropped the gun and I sat in the corner. But then Quinn kept talking about everything Ben did and it just really pissed me off. So I wanted to hurt him too, but when I had that knife in my hand, I-I took it too far. It wasn't planed." She insists.
The lawyer continues to write stuff down before looking up at Santana. "What were your thoughts before you killed Ben?"
Santana huffs having enough of this man's interrogation. "I told you already, I thought about what he did to me."
"And that was your motivation to kill him."
Santana crosses her arms. "If you want me to tell you I wanted him dead, it's not going to happen. I didn't mean to kill him."
"What did you expect would happen after you slit his throat?"
Santana looks away, now getting emotional. "That was impulsive."
"Impulsive?" He asks in a skeptical tone.
"I told you, I just wanted to hurt him myself but then he started talking. And making excuses for himself, trying to justify what he did to me. I called him a coward, Quinn and I both did. Then Ben told me to just kill him already, so I did." She confesses.
The lawyer smirks, closing his file. "Alright, Miss. Lopez, that's all the questions I have."
Since Hank got out of jail he's been right back at his normal routine. He's continuing to help children, while also teaching self defense classes. Once again his plans have been changed since Santana is in jail for confessing to Ben's murder. Now with some help from Anthony, he's going to reach out to Quinn.
First Hank wants to know how Quinn is doing since her friend is now in jail. Then he wants to suggest for her to take his class, so she can not only gain control and confidence, but it'll help get her anger out as well.
At the hotel, he checks the text Anthony sent him to be sto be sure he goes to the right room. When he's sure he is, Hank pockets his phone then knocks on the door. A middle aged blonde greets him, clearly confused.
"We didn't order room service."
"I'm actually a friend of your daughter's. I was her cell mate for a little while." He adds, knowing how bad that sounds. "I'm also an old friend of Anthony's, and I just wanted to see how she's doing." He explains.
She nods slowly, still a little skeptical. "She's with her friends, but I'll let her know you're here. Come in, you can wait by the door."
He smiles politely. "Thank you."
Inside, other woman are giving him curious looks. Although he wasn't expecting to see them, he's not surprised either. As Quinn walks down the hall and spots him, she smiles and rushes to give him a hug.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you, see how you're doing. And I wanna talk to you, if that's ok." He adds, directing it towards Judy as they pull away from the embrace.
Judy glances at Quinn, now a little more comfortable seeing her daughter's response towards that larger man. "That's fine with me."
He nods. "We'll be right over here so you can see us." He assures her, giving the mother even more comfort. The pair sit on the couch together.
"What do you wanna talk about?"
He holds his finger up with a smile. "One thing at a time." Quinn chuckles. "First I wanna know how you're doing."
Quinn's smile fades thinking about Santana and shrugs. "Ok. I'm worried about Santana. I know she'll end up in prison and I know I can't handle that."
"It's a tough situation." He agrees. "And it's ok to have your breakdowns when it's too hard to handle, but you have to stay strong, too."
Quinn sighs. "I think that's easier said than done."
"Everything in life is. But God never gives us more than we can handle." Quinn flashes a weak smile. "Now, what I want to talk about is self defense classes."
She furrows her brows, confused. "Self defense classes?" He nods. "I wasn't expecting that." She admits.
"I'm a member of the B.A.C.A but I also teach self defense classes." He explains. "It not only keeps you safe, it gives you confidence, and it'll also help get your anger out, and I know you have some of that in you, don't you?" She nods. "I thought so. If you don't know if this is something you want to do now, consider it. Because I think you could really benefit from it." He encourages.
She nods, while giving it some thought. "I'll definitely have to consider it."
"That's fine." Hank pauses noticing something move from his peripheral vision. He turns his head to see Quinn's friends looking at him curiously. "I think your friends want an explanation."
Quinn frowns, wondering what he's talking about, then follows his line of vision. "Oh, guys, this is my friend Hank. He was in jail with me." She explains.
"Whoa, dude, you're like really big." Sam says. Quinn rolls her eyes while Hank smirks.
"Did you share a cell?" Kurt asks.
"No." Quinn answers for them. "He just made me feel safe."
Hank nods. "I was just telling Quinn she could take my self defense class."
"That's a good idea." Mercedes agrees. "Are you gonna do it, Q?"
She shrugs. "I told him I would think about it."
"What's there to think about?" Mike asks. "It could really help you."
"That's what I said."
Quinn shrugs. "I doubt we could afford it."
Hank shakes his head. "I had that in mind when I hilt the place. People are always shocked how cheap it is compared to other places." He explains.
"Quinn, I think you should do it." Judy says walking into the room. "Your friends are right, it'll help you have an outlet to get out your anger, and gain your confidence." Quinn gives it some more thought.
"You know what, don't get pressured into doing it." Hank assures her. "Give it more thought and if you want to, give me a call." He says passing her his card.
"Thank you."
He nods. "Anytime. I should get going now, hopefully I'll see you soon."
"Yea, thanks for stopping by."
"I'll walk you out." Judy says. Hank follows her to the door. "Uh-before you go, I want to apologize for judging you so quickly before."
He holds his hand up, stopping her from continuing. "It's ok, I completely understand why you hesitated to let me see your daughter."
Judy flashes a weak smile. "Do you think she'll take your class?"
He shrugs. "Hard to say. I don't know her as well as you. But I hope she does." He holds out his hand for Judy to shake. "It was nice meeting you, ma'am."
"Judy." She corrects. "It was nice meeting you, too."
Anthony has been trying to build a case to keep Santana from going to jail for too long all afternoon and now he definitely needs a break. The lawyer gets dressed out of his pajama's and into some street clothes before going to a bar. It may be a little too early to drink, but at this point he doesn't care.
Anthony sits at the bar as he watches everyone else dance and flirt with one another, trying to score a one night stand or even a girlfriend or boyfriend. He's not the kind of guy to dance in a bar, let alone pick up a girl so it's not exactly an exciting evening, but that's not what he's here for.
"You look like someone whose had a long day." A blonde says as she sits next to him at the bar.
Anthony scoffs. "That's an understatement." The woman orders a drink and flashes a sympathetic smile.
"I know what those days are like." She points to his drink. "You're gonna need so,etching stronger than that." She advices. The bartender then hands the blonde her drink.
"What would you recommend?"
"Anything with whiskey."
Anthony snorts. "I can't exactly handle the stuff." She nods, then narrows her eyes. "You're trying to figure out where you know me from."
She blushes. "Sorry."
He shrugs. "It's fine." He waves her off. "If you've seen the news, then you'll know."
She gasps. "Oh yea. You know, this is probably the wrong place and time, but I've been trying to get a hold of you." She admits.
"Well I haven't been in my normal office, I've just been working in a hotel so I don't have my assistant with me, and I've been so focused on this case." He explains.
"I have information that I think could help."
Anthony perks up, but is also skeptical. "What kind of information?"
"The media has been painting Ben as this loner, good, poor kid but I know someone who was actually close to him and knew him better than anyone."
Now Anthony is intrigued. "Who?"
"He only had one friend. My son Tyler."
Anthony raises his brows surprised. "Your son?" She nods. "Wait, you don't know him enough to talk to me now?"
She shakes her head. "I'm a single mother, I work a lot. I've seen the kid a handful of times and I was rushing to work." She explains.
"But you'll give me permission to talk to your son?"
"Of course."
"He may have to testify in court." He warns her.
She shrugs. "That's fine. People need to know the truth."
Anthony smiles, breathing a sigh of relief. "Can I get your number so we can set this up?"
"Absolutely." The blonde grabs a napkin from the bar and a pen from her purse. She writes her name and number down then gives it to Anthony.
"Thank you, this will help out a lot, I appreciate it."
She smiles. "You're welcome. I'm glad to help." Anthony finishes off his drink then takes out his wallet to pay the bartender.
"I better go. If I drink too much, I might actually get some sleep and I really need to work on this case."
"Good luck."
Anthony scoffs. "Thanks, I could use some more."
O'Brien escorts Santana back to her cell. He removes the handcuffs the slides the door closed before returning to his office. Keith is sleeping, and Veronica was until she heard O'Brien return with Santana.
"It's about time. What was that about?"
Santana sighs siting on her cot. "Some asshole lawyer asked me a bunch of questions for the trial since I won't be testifying in person." She explains. "He made me sound horrible, like I planned on killing Ben."
Veronica scoffs. "That's why I hate lawyers."
"My son wants to be a lawyer." Nicole says. There's a short silence.
"When do we eat in this dump?"
"Not until tomorrow." Veronica answers. "You missed dinner, but don't worry you didn't miss much. Breakfast is the only good meal here." Santana groans laying down, then groans some more realizing how uncomfortable it is.
"Well I guess this is just preparing me for prison."
"How old are you?" Nicole asks.
Santana turns her head with her brow arched. "Seventeen, why?"
She shrugs. "You'll only go to prison if they trial you as an adult. If they don't, you'll just go to a juvenile hall." She explains.
"Is there really a distinction?"
"No." Veronica says.
Keith groans. "Why are you girls always talking?" He grumbles. "I'm trying to get some sleep. It's hard enough with this damn cot."
"It's the only entertainment we have." Veronica says. Keith sits up and stretches his sore muscles. Santana sighs deeply.
Keith smirks. "What's wrong? Miss your girlfriend?"
Santana turns her head, glaring at the man. "The hell are you talking about?" As crazy as it sounds, the Latina kind of feels somewhat like her old self again. She's doesn't feel broken, and she's guessing it's because no one is treating her like she is. Santana loves her parents and friends, but sometimes they didn't really help.
"The blonde, Quinn." He says like its the most obvious thing in the world.
She rolls her eyes. "She's not my girlfriend, she's my best friend."
"That's not how I heard it."
Santana sits up in her cot and crosses her arms. "What are you talking about, how did you hear it?"
"Your best friend." He says best friend using air quotes. "Told Veronica over there that she's in love with you."
Veronica shakes her head. "Oh now you wanna talk and start some gossip?"
Santana gasps looking at said woman. "She did?"
Veronica glares at Keith. "I don't think she was ready to tell you, but yea, the girl has it bad for you." She says not looking away from the drunk.
Santana starts to pace her cell, not believing what she's hearing. "How do you know she has it bad for me? I mean, you only knew her for a few days."
Veronica rolls her eyes. "Girl, she was gonna go to prison, or juvenile hall, for you. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out." She explains.
"Do you love her?" Nicole asks.
She shrugs. "No offense but I'd rather tell her that, not a room full of strangers."
"But you do love her." Veronica says.
Keith grins and stands against his bars that attach his cell to Santana's. "I knew you were a dyke. I know dykes when I see them."
Veronica slaps her hands against her cell bars. "Don't fucking talk to her like that, you bigot." Keith ignores her. "Hey, asshole, Canada over there knows how to get out of her cell and she can kick some ass." Santana perks up at the news.
"You can?"
"Nuh uh, don't get any ideas." Veronica warns her. "She can get out of her cell, but not out of here, and even if it were possible, what do you think would make you look even more guilty? Don't make things harder on yourself." She advices.
Santana just huffs laying back on to her cot. Eventually she falls asleep and when she wakes up, an officer is slipping a trey of food under her door.
"Goodmorning." Veronica says.
Santana groans stretching her sore muscles. "I wouldn't exactly call it that." The brunette grabs her trey before sitting back down when she feels a pair of eyes on her. Keith is glaring at her intently. He looks very angry. "What's your problem?"
"You talk in your sleep. You're louder than those two." He says pointing to the other women in the room. "You scream, too. Couldn't get any sleep." Embarrassed, Santana looks away as she digs into her food.
"Leave her alone, asshole." Keith just rolls his eyes as he continues to eat. The cell mates eat in silence, too hungry to start another conversation. When they're finished, O'Brien returns and once again, he stops in front of Santana's cell.
"What now?"
"It's not exactly visting hour yet, but since I'm the only officer here, I figured it doesn't hurt." He says opening the cell door and putting Santana in cuffs. Instead of going to the interrogation room, he takes her to the visitors room. It's a bit ironic for Santana considering not too long ago she was the visitor.
In the room, her parents and even Quinn are all waiting for her. O'Brien removes the handcuffs as they reach the table, and the brunette instantly feels someone's arms around her. She looks past the person's shoulder, and sees her parents smiling and she knows it's Quinn.
Santana squeezes the blonde just as tight. Hugging her friend, Veronica's words echo in her mind. She still can't believe Quinn likes her too, and she makes a mental note to ask Quinn another time, whenever the blonde visits again.
"I've been so worried about you, your parents let me tag along." She explains.
"I'm ok. It's not so bad in here. Definitely not like in the movies." Santana tries to lighten the mood for Quinn. When they pull away, Santana hugs her parents next before siting with them.
"Are you really doing ok in here?" Maribel asks, worried about her child.
She nods, flashing a weak smile. "Yea, my cell mates are actually really nice. Well, most of them." She adds thinking of Keith.
"We came here as soon as we could." Says Josè. "Your lawyer called us. Apparently Ben wasn't the Saint the media are making him out to be. He's going to talk with a friend of his, I guess he was really close to Ben." He explains.
"How does that help me?"
"If the jury knows the kind of person he really was, it won't make you look like the bad guy." Quinn says. "Mr. Davis is going to do the same thing he was going to do with me. Remind the jury who the victim is." She explains.
Santana's heart jumps into her throat. "He's going to talk about what Ben did to me, isn't he?" She asks no one in particular.
"He'll have to." Josè says. "He'll be back to ask you some more questions, for your testimony."
"But I already told him everything. What more could he ask me?"
He shrugs. "Whatever he can to help your case."
"I think he can do it, San. You just have to trust him." Quinn says.
Santana nods with a sigh. "So what's changed since the last time I saw you?" She asks, again trying to lighten the mood for her loved ones.
"Nothing." Maribel says. "Not with us anyway. It's been quiet without you."
Santana shrugs. "It was quiet when I was there, too." She disagrees.
"Did I ever tell you about Hank?" Quinn asks, quickly changing the subject.
"The biker guy?"
She nods. "He teaches self defense classes. I'm thinking about taking them."
"What's stopping you?"
Quinn shrugs. "I think they would be more helpful for you than me." She admits.
Santana shakes her head. "They could help you, too. I wasn't the only one hunted in those woods." She reminds her. "If you don't wanna do it alone, you could always ask Rachel if she wants to take them with you."
"I think that's a great idea." Maribel agrees.
Quinn gives it some thought. "I guess I could, I don't know if she would want to, though."
"If she doesn't, ask Mercedes or Brittany." Santana suggests.
Quinn bites her lip then turns to the adults. "Can I talk to Santana alone for a minute?"
"Of course." Maribel says. "We'll be back to say goodbye, Mija." She nods. Quinn waits until Maribel and Josè leaves the room.
"What do you wanna talk about that you couldn't say in front of my parents?"
"It's nothing serious, just something I wanna keep between us." Santana's heart jumps into her throat. Could Quinn be admitting her feelings now?
"O-Ok." She stutters.
"I kind of got into a little fight with Brittany." That she wasn't expecting.
"What, why?"
"Brittany was being overly defensive and protective of you, and I think I might know why." She starts to explain. Santana doesn't exactly know where she's going with this but silently encourages her to continue. "I think she has a crush on you."
Santana kind of laughs. "What makes you think that?"
"She was blaming me for you being here." Quinn pauses, debating if she should to come out and say it.
"She's my best friend, and she has no idea what actually happened. Of course she would place blame on someone else, it's Britt." For a second Quinn thinks maybe Santana has feelings for Brittany too, or maybe she's just that oblivious.
"No, I don't think so." Quinn disagrees.
Santana shrugs. "Then I'll talk to her. Tell her to leave you alone, and explain myself why I'm in here."
Quinn nods, a little disappointed in herself she couldn't tell her best friend how she really feels about her. But on the other hand, it's not like anything could come of it. Santana is in jail, and then she could be in prison. It couldn't work out.
"Girls, visting time is over." O'Brien says. "I already gave you more than enough time."
"Wait, let her say goodbye to her parents first." Quinn says as he goes to put the handcuffs back on to Santana. Maribel and Josè return to say goodbye to their daughter, then O'Brien escorts the brunette back to her cell.
"Your girlfriend come to visit?" Keith continues to tease her.
"God shut up." Veronica says.
"She doesn't love me, not in that way, at least."
"But she said-" Santana cuts Veronica off.
"Well she had a chance to tell me, and she didn't."
Veronica shrugs. "Maybe she doesn't think it's a good time. Who wants to date someone when they can't physically be with them?" She points out. Santana just sighs as she lays down on her cot.
Anthony never thought he would be so thankful to meet a stranger in a bar. The next day he calls; Zoe. Returning to his hotel, he learns that's what the woman's name is. When he called Zoe agreed he could talk to her son Tyler at a family restaurant that doesn't open yet so they could have some privacy.
Anthony stayed up late to get all the questions he wants to ask the teen written down, and now he's taking them and his files to the restaurant. Since he's not from the area, he's depending on Zoe's instructions to get him there.
When he does arrive, the parking lot is pretty much vacant, and Zoe is waiting for him by the door. Anthony parks the car, and turns it off then grabs his brief case to meet Zoe at the front entrance.
"It took a little convincing to get him to do this." She admits. "He's a little nervous."
"That's understandable." Anthony follows Zoe inside and to the table Tyler is siting. The lawyer shakes the teen's hand before taking a seat. "I know you're nervous but all you have to do is answer some questions for me and be completely honest, ok?" Tyler glances at his mother and nods. "How long have you known Benjamin Walsh?"
"S-Since he moved near by about a year ago."
Anthony writes it down. "How close do you say you were?"
He shrugs. "He was my only friend." He says looking at his lap, getting emotional.
Again, the lawyer writes it down. "So you'd say you know a lot about him?" He nods. "What kind of person was Benjamin Walsh?"
"He was quiet and shy around others, but not with me. He could be funny, and he was really smart, like book smart. But he could be kind of mean sometimes, and he was in to some weird stuff."
Anthony arches his brow. "What kind of stuff?"
"He always said he didn't want to do any of the things his father wanted him to, he was never specific but I knew he was talking about hunting, because his dad was really into it." He begins to explain. "At first I didn't think that was weird, and I just thought Ben was against it, but the more he talked about going, I had a feeling deep down he enjoyed it."
"What makes you say that?"
"He had this far away look in his eyes, and he spoke so passionately about it."
Anthony nods, writing it down. "What made you think it was weird?"
Tyler shrugs. "I know some people who like to hunt, but they took it to like another level. I went with them once to set up traps." Anthony's heart sinks in his stomach. "They have a whole shed in the woods full of guns and knives, and the traps they set weren't typical ones a hunter would use." Anhony opens his file and pulls out the photos the police took of all the traps they found.
"Are these the ones?"
He nods. "Yea. I-I didn't say anything cause it kind of creeped me out. When I asked Ben about it when we were alone, he insisted they were hunting traps. But he didn't plan on being involved, and he convinced me he wouldn't. I guess I just believed him because I didn't know what was going on exactly, and I had no proof it wasn't anything more than hunting." He explains.
"Do you think Ben is capable of hurting someone?"
"Yes. I think he was in denial, though. This one time in the middle of the night, he snuck into my room and he was freaking out. He kept saying he really wanted to do something that was really bad, and that he almost did but he stopped himself. And he kept saying, I don't want to be like them over and over. It was really weird, but when I asked him about it, he just changed the subject."
Anthony knows exactly what he's talking about. He heard the tape to Paul's statement when he confessed to raping Skylar Maloney. Ben was there, but he didn't do anything but lurid the girl into the woods. But apparently Ben had an internal battle he was facing. Anthony starts to gather the photos and puts the back in the file.
"That's all the questions I have for you, I appreciate your help."
He nods. "Will I really have to testify in court?" He asks, clearly nervous.
"Yea, but if you just focuse on me and the questions I already asked you, you'll be fine."
"I'll walk you out." Zoe says. She escorts Anthony out the door. "Did he help?"
He smiles. "Yes, he did. Thank you."
"Of course. We'll see you soon?"
Anthony nods. "Most likely. Thanks again." The lawyer returns to his car then drives back to his hotel room, feeling better about the case. Now he needs to get in contact with someone else in Ben's life, but he knows this person will be a little more difficult to cooperate with him.
As soon as Quinn returned to the hotel room, she called Rachel. The brunette will be over shortly so Quinn could ask about the self defense classes, and her father's' also want to speak with her mother anyway. For the moment, Quinn is surfing through the channels in her room, once again thinking about Santana.
She hopes the Latina is just oblivious of Brittany's feelings rather than returning them. The pair already have a history. Everyone knows they used to sleep together but Quinn doesn't know how serious they were, if at all. Either way, she also hopes history won't repeat itself.
"Quinn?" Rachel pokes her head in the door.
"Come in." Rachel closes the door behind her then joins Quinn on the bed.
"How are you?"
Quinn shrugs. "Could be worse." Rachel flashes a sympathetic smile. "I wanted to talk to you about maybe taking self defense classes with me." Rachel's smile fades into a frown.
"What brought this on?"
"One of my cell mates, Hank, teaches classes and he offered that I take one of them. I wasn't sure I would, but after I talked to Santana, she suggested I do it win you."
Rachel takes a moment to think about it. "I'm not sure. I'm already in therapy and feel enough as a freak already."
"Everyone has been telling me it'll help gain my confidence, and control. It could also help be an outlet for my anger."
"I guess it could." The small brunette thinks out loud.
"Just try it." Quinn suggests. "If you don't like it, you won't have to go again. I'll ask Mercedes, or Brittany and Tina to do it with me."
Rachel shrugs. "Ok, sure why not?"
Quinn smiles. "Thanks, Rachel. The class didn't sound appealing by myself."
Rachel smiles in return. "You're welcome."
Quinn and Rachel decide to watch TV together and catch up while in the other room, their parents are still talking.
"How is Rachel doing?" Judy asks giving her guests some coffee.
"Better." Leroy says.
"Definitely." Hiram agrees. "Therapy has really helped her."
"I didn't realize she was seeing a therapist." They both nod.
"Yea, it hasn't been that long, but we've noticed improvements already." Hiram says.
Judy nods, thinking about having Quinn see a therapist too. "Do you think that would help Quinn too?"
"It depends." Leroy says. "It's not for everyone, and if she's been able to cope on her own, then I wouldn't force her to do it. Or at all for that matter. It won't help if she doesn't want it to." He explains.
"As far as I know she's been fine giving the circumstances." She thinks out loud. "I think the only thing she's really having a problem with lately is Santana being in jail. She's been so upset ever since she saw the police take her into the cell. And I didn't help matters either." Judy goes on to explain what she told Quinn.
"I would say it's kind of harsh, but it's clear you let your emotions do the talking." Hiram says. His husband nods in agreement.
"I talked about it with Carol, Julia and Trissa. Carol said she'll come around, but so far she's pretty much given me the silent treatment."
"She'll definitely come around. Eventually she'll either realize you didn't mean it on your own, or she'll need you more and forget all about it." Hiram assures her.
"I hope you're right. I feel horrible, and I just wanna be able to help her."
Authors Note
Thoughts, concerns, questions? Let me know.