A/N - Thanks for all the reviews and I'm sorry for keeping everyone in suspense. Hope you like this chapter. As always ryiah03 takes care of spelling, atrocious grammar and run on sentences like a pro.
Wisdom, Power, Fame & Love
Maybe this time, I'll be lucky
Maybe this time she'll stay
Maybe this time, for the first time
Love won't hurry away
Cabaret
Brittany reacts so quickly as she leaps sideways, pulling Quinn along such that her momentum propels Quinn backward and onto the pavement, her head making contact with it. The dancer is more unlucky as she feels the car swipe at her body, the impact sending all the air whooshing out of her lungs such that when she does hit the pavement herself, she can only whimper.
#$#
Quinn's been in a car crash before, the experience still etched so clearly in her mind, the scars on her body faded with time but still there as a constant reminder of what had occurred. Quinn feels Brittany pull at her with such force that she's flying through the air, landing on her side, her temple hitting the rough concrete. She feels the proximity of the car as it speeds past and hears the sickening sound of it hitting Brittany. And then she hears the screams, Rachel's voice so recognizable although its Santana's voice that sounds so extremely visceral and raw.
#$#
Nothing has felt right since she received that damn box but Rachel still counted on the fact that she and Quinn were better together than apart. The proposed lunch today had been her way of trying to get through to Quinn and she knew that Santana would help with that as well, and she did.
Now, seeing Quinn walk away from her, she can't help but feel a cold sense of dread wash over her. She wants to call out as she feels a need to stop the two women walking arm in arm towards their parked car. And then it's too late when she sees Quinn falling backwards and hears the sound of Brittany being hit.
She screams Quinn's name, already running towards the two prone bodies knowing that Santana matches her stride for stride but outpacing her finally because the Latina chooses to run after the car, her voice hoarse and loud but still recognizable as the words tumble out.
#$#
In her mind's eye, she sees Brittany's graceful walk. And in her mind, she always remembers her leaping around like she tends to do when she dances—the graceful jumps that seem to defy gravity because she hangs in the air for just a bit longer than possible. Only, she sees the impact of the car hitting Brittany's form and all she can process at that moment is the overwhelming need to get her hands on the driver of the car.
She runs past Rachel and actually averts her eyes from the two bodies on the ground because she would not be able to function otherwise. Her throat is sore because she's screaming words, in English and Spanish pleading for god to make it ok. She knows she cannot catch the car but all she can truly hope for right now is to memorize some details, part of the number plate—anything that would allow her to finally end this nightmare.
She stops in the middle of the road, even as her voice cuts off and the only sound left is Rachel's cries. She can hear people from the restaurant trying to help, calls being made and knows she needs to turn around and see Brittany. It's a wonder that she can hear anything above the ancillary sounds and the pounding of her heart but she does.
She turns to see Brittany's head facing in her direction, hers eyes open, her mouth moving and knows that she's calling to her. Her legs move as quickly as she can as she takes in the scene before her. Both Quinn and Brittany are conscious although the blood soaking through Brittany's clothes makes her heart clench. She thinks she should be trying to stem the flow of blood but realizes she's totally out of her element and is too afraid to touch Brittany. So she stands two feet away, a stricken expression on her face.
She sees Quinn grab onto Rachel, using her as support in order to get to Brittany and it's Quinn who touches Brittany, her voice still somewhat controlled and soothing. "Your pelvis is fractured…and you're ..B…you're bleeding out." She shows Rachel where to apply pressure and then removes her jacket and pulls off Santana's as well when the Latina collapses next to her. She drapes them over Brittany, "We need to keep you warm."
She places her hands on top of Rachel's and when their eyes meet, she glances towards Santana. Rachel immediately understands that Quinn needs to do her job and it's up to her to look after Santana. She tries to wipe Brittany's blood from her hands but she sees Santana's eyes following her movement and knows that nothing she can do or say will get through. So she puts her arm around the Latina instead, putting as much pressure as she can into the hug as they wait for the ambulance.
When Detective Martin and Sullivan arrive, they're just loading Brittany and Quinn into the ambulance. Rachel knows she can go with Quinn but Santana would not be accorded the same rights. It's a difficult decision to make but she knows that Quinn is fine and she was the only one who could help Brittany at that moment which left her to help Santana.
She's amazed at how together Santana seems as she gives a full description of the car and partial description of the license plate to the two detectives while answering all their questions, even going so far as to ask a few of her own.
It's only when Rachel notices that her nails are digging into her forearm so hard that she sees the almost broken skin, that she reaches out. She's expecting resistance from Santana but the woman is so lost in her own head that she does not pull back when Rachel puts her arms around her and leads her into the hospital.
#$#$#$#$
All the hospitals look different although the antiseptic smell and sounds are all so familiar and knowing that fact is of no comfort to Rachel. Whether it was New York or Lima or LA, she is beginning to hate hospitals. Quinn's vocation aside, she would gladly accept it if she never went to another hospital again.
Her insistence that Quinn has a thorough examination is not met with any resistance from her wife. And as much as she wants to be there to hear the doctor give Quinn the all clear, she knows she needs to be with Santana. The Latina had been silent to the point of being positively catatonic, only reacting slightly when she saw Brittany being wheeled to the operating theatre and Quinn being lead away to one of the examination rooms off to the side.
Rachel could see the look on her face wishing that it wasn't Brittany being wheeled away. And likewise, Rachel's thankful that Quinn was relatively unhurt. "Quinn says that they managed to stop the bleeding in the ambulance over and that's a good sign." Santana still does not react to her words. Rachel can see that she is barely hanging on so she just sits next to her, silent and just waiting for the right time.
She finally feels Santana shift next to her about ninety minutes later and her words tumble out. "I'm so sorry."
This time Santana does react, her voice sharp and steel tipped, "Why? You weren't the one driving the fucking car." She stands and turns around, feeling so confined all of a sudden and realizes she wants Brittany's arms around her.
"The car was aiming for Quinn. He was here not in New York. "She shudders as she recalls the scene." Someone wanted to hurt her because of me and…they hurt Brittany instead." She sees Santana whip around and braces herself, her shoulders tense even as she manages to not shirk away.
"This is not your fault." the change in her tone so drastic that Rachel has to blink a few times to ensure that the words are coming out of Santana's mouth. "She's strong and she's going to be fine. And I'm going to stop this person from hurting Quinn or you or anyone else." It's an easy promise to make because she was definitely going to find the asshole, if it was the last thing she ever did.
Rachel sees the tears leak out and knows that Santana is scared but would never admit any of it. "When Quinn went into her coma, I prayed and bargained with God and sang until my voice was hoarse." The sheer thought of being helpless in that situation still sends chills down her spine. It's not something she likes to recall but she sees Santana looking at her so desperately and she knows that she's the only one who can truly understand exactly what she's going through.
"The only thing that I knew for certain was that I loved her and she loved me and if she survived…" Rachel stumbles over the word, even now knowing that she had been so blessed that Quinn had made it. "When she came out of it, I was never going to let anything get in our way." Saying the words now, made her realize that she hadn't totally stayed true to that promise.
Her fear about Taylor and everything else had overshadowed her promise to Quinn. She sees Quinn walking towards them, dressed in blue scrubs and knows exactly what she wants to say to her but she holds back understanding that Quinn had probably checked up on Brittany.
"X-rays showed that it was a stable fracture and since they stopped the bleeding in the ambulance, all they're doing now is fixing the damage." She sees Santana wince at her words, "S, she'll be able to walk but there's a possibility…" She sees Santana looking at her, willing her to stop speaking but Quinn knows she has to give her the full picture. "She may not be able to dance again..."
"Don't you dare say it." Her teeth are pressed together with such force even as the words leak out. She does not want to think of anything else as she just concentrates on the pressure on her jaw line as she grinds her teeth together. She knows that if she does not bite down as hard as she can, she'll start screaming at Quinn. Brittany was pure dance. She could move like no one else and it was like breathing to her. Her not being able to dance was cruel and Santana just does not know what to do. Unlike before, she was not the one standing in the way of Brittany's dream any more. This possible outcome was a million times worse.
When Quinn had first started treating Rachel, her focus was solely on saving her voice but she knew that if she had to choose between her life and her voice, she would choose the former each time. She never told this to Rachel but one of her nightmares after they got together was a recurring dream of Rachel refusing her treatments and dying on her operating table because she wanted to protect her voice above all else.
"She's alive S, and she wants to be with you." Quinn can still remember looking at Brittany's face, suffused with happiness, as she recounted Santana's words.
"You know she went to OSU with Artie because she was asked to teach dance classes there." Santana had been so incensed when Brittany had told her that she loved her but couldn't follow her to Washington. Despite Brittany's proclamation of love, it still felt like a rejection that the blonde had chosen Artie and Dance over her. Since then, it had festered in her mind that she would never rank first for Brittany. "She loves to dance."
"She loves you more." This time, it's Rachel who speaks up, her words measured but said with such certainty. "Why can't you see that? Why can't you accept it?" The entreaty now directed at both Santana and Quinn. She sees them so alike currently and the closest to their high school embodiment, both stubborn and pig headed and closed off to seeing what was so apparent.
Quinn finally looks at her and Rachel takes in her pale features, her hand tracing the scrape at the side of her head. "We'll make it work. Even if I have to hire an army of body guards or just stop filming the movie until this person is caught, we'll get through it together." The only thing that makes sense is that she does not want to be away from Quinn.
"I'm not…you love the role. You can't just give it up. I'm not asking you to give it up." Quinn does not expect this of Rachel as she recalls how happy her wife had been when she realized she was going to shoot the movie.
"I love you more." It's the simplest of statements highlighting an incontrovertible truth that negated all the reasons and excuses why they had to be apart.
Quinn knows she does not have to say anything else as she pulls Rachel towards her, "We should go up to Brittany's room. They'll bring her there soon. And I'm going to stay with you until they catch this person, here or in New York."
#$#$#$#$
He's never felt anger of this magnitude. He has always been able to control his baser instincts and project just the correct veneer. He's an actor and he's refined the art of hiding his own feelings while projecting something totally different. It was a gift as much as a skill honed over time and he knows he cannot let loose now even as his fingers curl into fists and he pictures hitting her, splitting her lip and drawing blood. He won't hit her though, her fear almost palpable now and he derives enough satisfaction from it.
Besides, he can see her two bodyguards standing by the door. So he pushes down on everything as he turns to Josh, ignoring both Marcie and Rachel for the time being. "You can't afford to shut down production for a week, much less indefinitely! Just get more security, close off the set. Hell, let her shoot her damn scenes in New York, if she wants to stay there." He turns to Rachel, towering over her and causing her to step back.
"You are not going to ruin this for me, do you hear me." Troy's menacing tone causing Marcie's own protective instincts to rise to the forefront as she deft steps between him and Rachel.
"It's in Rachel's contract that she can stop or pull out should she feel that she's been put in danger, dumbass." Marcie already blames herself for most of this debacle, not only putting together the deal for the movie but also allowing the stalker into the Rachel's home.
She had tried to quit yesterday, apologizing profusely as she recounted all the problems that she had inadvertently caused. Only, Rachel would not let her so she knows she needs to do everything she can to protect Rachel.
"Troy's right, I can't afford to shut the production down indefinitely." Josh stares at Rachel, the fear etched on her face so obvious and he knows he cannot push her any further. She had called to tell him of the accident and her need to stay with her wife. He never expected things to get this out of hand. "We could maybe shut down for the week and you can go back to New York in the meantime? Didn't the police say that they have a good lead?" He sees Marcie nod at his words and wonders if it'll all end soon enough.
"They have his fingerprints and a description of the car he was driving. His name's Nick Halloran." Marcie still blames herself for triggering all of this. "He's a bit player, a part time actor from New York."
"What makes you think you'll be safe in New York then?" The sneer in Troy's voice is apparent but it's the way he says the words that gives her pause, like he's privy to something that she doesn't know.
"What do you mean?" Rachel stares at him, never seeing him in this light before. He's always been self centered but never explicitly cruel. However his tone makes her feel unsafe for the first time ever.
He does not say anything at first as he stares back at her unblinking, his arms crossed as he leans back against the side of the sofa. "I'm just saying that it seems that this person is following you. So what makes you think he won't follow you to New York? Maybe it's best if you stay here, finish the last few scenes. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." She recognizes him then, the guy she had thought she could love.
He had asked her out after they had presented together at the Golden Globes and she had demurred, not really interested in starting a relationship especially after what had happened with Lisa. But he had been persistent, sending her flowers and leaving messages on her machine.
He was handsome and funny but Rachel just didn't feel like he was serious about her. She had got the feeling that he liked the challenge because she had said no. And in hindsight, she had been right although it took her over two years to accept it.
Their first date was an impromptu one as he showed up backstage at her show, having flown half way across the country to catch it. She didn't find out until later, that his publicist had arranged his itinerary then. And subsequently, each time they went out, articles would appear in the papers and magazines.
Rachel knew she had been naïve in thinking that he liked her and didn't care if she was famous or not. Only, he did. And it got harder and harder to ignore the snide remarks he would make about her causes and even her dads. He would tell her he loved her and wanted to look out for her but in the end, all he really wanted was to be in the spotlight.
"No. I need to go back with Quinn. I'm so sorry Josh but I just can't stay here." She sees Josh nod at her words, resigned at her choice.
Troy just stares at her, his jaw set and he does not say a word and she knows he's furious and trying to control himself. She's seen him explode a few times, at wait staff and once at his chauffeur. His anger boiling over into belligerent rants and a fist fight once when some paparazzi had tried to take his picture as he left a Strip Club in West Hollywood.
It's unsettling to see his hate so plainly directed at her, "I'm sorry." Her apology meant to appease although she knows that it won't do much good as she leaves with Marcie wanting to get back to the Hospital to check on Brittany and just be with Quinn.
End Part 10
Glee is back and it is good! And is it just me or is faberry destined to be canon. Having said that Kurt and Rachel together is making me want to write something for them. And, yeah...I hope you liked the chapter.