Happy Birthdays, Happy Endings

THUD.

Rachel starts violently, spilling the just-finished soup all over the counter.

"Quinn? Are you okay?" Rachel calls, heart racing. No response. Trying to remain calm, Rachel finishes pouring a bowl of soup, grabs the diced peach Noah had suggested she give Quinn, and heads as quickly as she can upstairs.

Upon arriving in the doorway, Rachel's eyes travel rapidly from Quinn, huddled on the floor, to the picture she holds tightly in her fingers, and she comes to a full stop. Oh no…

Rachel sets the tray on her desk and turns to face Quinn. Her pulse pounds in her ears as she takes a few hesitant steps towards Quinn. The girl has yet to look at her; the only movement she's making is a repetitive tracing of the small face staring up at her. Rachel can see tears splatter onto her arms and hands and watches as one hits the picture. Quinn wipes it off gently and turns to look at Rachel.

Rachel sits down slowly, keeping a foot or so between her and Quinn. Quinn stares at her for a long moment and lifts the picture slightly. "Ho-ow?"

Rachel fiddles with her hands, avoiding Quinn's gaze. "Shelby sends them to me sometimes." Rachel watches as a wave of hurt and bitterness washes over Quinn's face.

"I took it with me last night. Santana said to bring anything that I thought might help you," Rachel says quickly, "I figured that you could have it, so you can always remember."

When Rachel finds the courage to raise her eyes again, Quinn is holding the picture to Rachel. Rachel shivers involuntarily at the coldness she finds in Quinn's eyes.

"I don't want it." The picture flutters to floor as Quinn rises and struggles to the bed. She settles in the top corner of it, knees drawn to her chest, her back to Rachel.

Rachel doesn't move for a few moments. The silence is electric, and when Rachel picks up the picture and moves to sit beside Quinn on the bed, she can see Quinn visibly tense. Against her better judgment, Rachel lays a hand on Quinn's lower back.

"Don't—," Quinn snarls, "Don't you dare touch me."

Rachel recoils and subconsciously scoots away. She can sense Quinn's anger growing and can feel all the progress they'd made slipping away and can almost hear her heart as it begins to crack inside of her chest.

"Quinn…" Her plea is breathy and broken. "Please, don't do this. I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you…"

Quinn scoffs and shakes her head, her lips forming a thin, pressed line. A lump forms in Rachel's throat as she sees the transformation from the Quinn she loves to the Quinn she fears take place in front of her eyes.

"I just thought... what you said in the auditorium... I thought if you had her picture—,"

Quicker than Rachel would've thought possible, Quinn is standing and shrugging on her jacket. "That's your problem, Berry—you always think you're so helpful, but in truth, everyone would've been better off without it." Quinn turns to Rachel and her face is expressionless; blank and cold and terrifying.

"I would have been better off without you."

...

For a second, Rachel can't move. Her mind is screaming at her to go after Quinn, who is now halfway down the stairs judging by the awkward shuffling she can hear through the open door, but Rachel can't move.

Tears choke her vision. All we've been through… all that progress… gone… Her throat closes up at the thought. She'd been so close…

Suddenly Santana's voice rings out in her head. "You need to keep her safe." Rachel slams her eyes closed and shakes her head. She doesn't want me.

Puck's face appears next; bloodshot eyes, dark circles, clenched jaw, the protectiveness in his eyes mixed with what Rachel can now see, as clear as day, is love. The pain written all over Santana's face flashes next; her defeat when she handed Quinn to Rachel for care— Rachel suddenly understands; Santana loves her too, just as Puck does. Rachel gasps for breath and clenches the fabric of the bed sheets in her fists. She's fighting it; fighting them and fighting herself. She doesn't love me.

And then Quinn's soft, earnest voice is there, as clear as if she were standing right beside her: "Because I love you."

Rachel takes off running, to save Quinn and to show her that she loves her too.