I do not claim ownership of Glee, its characters, or its original storyline.

"Hey- Finn." Rachel cornered Finn. "Okay. I want to make everything for the Glee Clubs Christmas better and I was wondering if you could come and help me pick out a Christmas tree."

"Sure." Finn agreed immediatley.

Rachel smiled, naivly glad that her Ex was finally speaking to her.

...

"Why can't we just-" Finn tried to speak.

Rachel shook her head, "No Finn. I told you that I need time to collect my thoughts- why can't you just accept that?"

"Because its just another tactic for you to have a whole bunch of guys after you again." Finn bursted out.

"Is that really what you think?" Rachel asked, trying to resist crying.

Finn didn't answer and just stormed away.

Rachel stood there alone. It didn't take long for her to remember that Finn was the one to drive them and that her cellphone was in his car. She shivered in the cold as she left the Tree Depot and started to walk home.

Each time a car came by Rachel had to scurry into a ditch to avoid getting hit.

This final time a car actually stopped.

"Hey," A voice alerted her.

Rachel turned around. "Karofsky?"

Dave Karofsky's eyes widened. "Hobbit."

Rachel sighed, "What do you want?" Not that she really cared.

"Thought I saw a damsel in distress but I guess not." He said.

"Great- now I am freezing and still have a few miles to walk." Rachel stated bitterly as she stomped off.

Dave slowly trailed after her in his truck.

"What do you mean a couple of miles to walk?" He shouted.

Rachel turned. "If you must know- in hopes that I could salvage the Holidays for my teamates after someone destoryed our club room. I asked my Ex-boyfriend to help me go pick out a real Christmas tree and guess what- he starts bombarding me with questions as to why I dumped him. I deny him any exclamation and he storms off. Forgetting the fact that he was the one to drive us there and me forgetting the fact that my cellphone is underneath the passenger seat!"

Karofsky stared wide eyed as the girl practically screamed at him.

"Now if you'll excuse me I need to get home before the frostbite kicks in."

Rachel started to walk away again but was stopped for the second time that night.

"Get in!" Dave basically ordered.

"Wha-" Rachel raised her eyebrows at his gesture.

"C'mon. My dad would kill me if he knew I let a girl walk home like this." Dave leaned over the seat to open the door for her. "Just get in."

Rachel thought for a moment. Yes, Dave Karofsky was a horrible bully that needed to be slapped some sence into, but those miles were just way too long.

With a huff, Rachel climbed in.

"Okay, tell me where you live." Dave ordered again.

Concedingly, Rachel gave him the address.

The first five minutes were silent, then Dave suddenly noticed how much the girl was still shivering.

Dave turned up the heater.

"You don't have to do that for me you know." Rachel was the first to speak.

"Do what?" Dave asked.

"Try to act chivalrous. I know you don't like me."

Dave sighed. "It's not chivalry- it's humanity,"

Rachel scoffed. "Then why act so inhumane at school?"

He flinched at that but instead of getting offensive he tried to change the subject. "Take off your hat and gloves."

"Why?"

"They are covered in snow- your going to get pnemonia."

Rachel shook her head at him, but still she pulled the garments of clothing off and set them beside her.

"Honestly, what the heck is with all you glee kids dating each other. Its like you guys have some unspoke rule or something."

Rachel laughed. "For me it is quite spoke. I never want to date a guy who can't keep up with me vocally."

"What about the rest of them?" He asked.

She just sighed, "It's just easier I guess."

"Easier how?"

"When everyone outside of glee treats you like a freak- you just want the one person your with to be in glee too so they'll actually treat you like an equal."

"I guess." Karofsky stuttered. "I- I mean its not like its really everyone who treats you guys like freaks."

They looked at each other.

Rachel shrugged. "Even the judges at our competitions don't care enough about Glee to take it seriously."

Dave looked at her.

"Well that's not intirley true. I mean- when we competed last year Sue was pretty serious about making us lose."

Dave listened to her as she drove.

"I guess I didn't work hard enough and that's why we lost." She continued. "It was stupid of me to get in a relationship with a guy who thought he got a girl pregnant via hottub."

David laughed at that.

"Then there was Puck, and then that no- good traitor Jesse St. James who was actually only there because his coach wanted him to befreind me."

Dave glaned at her. She was shivering even more now and it definatley wasn't from the cold.

"Then it turns out she's my mom and wants me back- but she changes her mind and -anditsnotlikeididn't tellthetruth..."

Dave pulled his truck onto the side of the road. Rachel was visible shuddering as she gasped for air.

"Berry what's wrong?" He asked desperatley.

She opened up her bag and searched for someting.

It wasn't there. Her skin felt like it was completly numb. Her entire body was shutting down.

"Breathe. Rachel you need to breathe your having a panic attack!" Karosky tried to calm her.

Rachel nodded, trying to gain some air into her lungs. After another ten minutes all seemed to be back to normal. Only it wasn't.

Karofsky had no idea what to call what he had just witnessed or what it had done to him.

"A-are you okay now?" He asked hesitantly.

Rachel nodded. "I suppose- my secrets out then."

Dave frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Oh you know- my freakiness. My issues. My- problem."

"This happens often?"

Rachel nodded. "Ever since sectionals last year- I got so terrified becuase I thought we were going to lose after we had to pull some songs and cheography from the top of our heads because our set list got leaked to the other teams."

"How often?"

"It was just then. Until my mom reappeared and it was like everything just shattered. It sucks to know your parent doesn't love you as much as you want them to."

"I think I can imagine that." Dave said suddenly.

"Just be glad you never have to experiance it." Rachel said. "I mean- you're all your parents have really. They love you no matter what you do."

Dave stared at her. "What are you getting at?" His voice crack slightly.

Rachel laughed through her own tears, "I am the only kid in our entire school with gay parents- I grew up with them telling me how they came out and what it was like in their time. You think I didn't develop some way to deduce if someone was struggling with their sexuality."

Dave tried to speak, "I think you should walk. Your not-"

Then all of a sudden Rachel hugged him. "I won't tell anyone your secret as long as you promise to do the same for me."

Dave was completley surprised at this action.

So far he had been punched, cornered, and ridiculed for not coming out. Now there was one person who talked about it when she knew nobody could hear them. She didn't make a scene. She didn't need a body guard. She had her own secrets to keep. And she hugged him."

It took only a second before he was hugging her back.

"I promise."

To be continued in the next chapter...