Title: Heaven
Pairings: Faberrittana.
Summary: When they were still children, it used to be Q, R, S and B. But now that they are in high school, they are known as The Unholy Trinity and Rachel Berry. Rachel, feeling abandoned by her best friends, tried to move on with a positive outlook. The Unholy Trinity, fed up with the guilt and the ache of missing Rachel, finally decided to mend their broken friendship with the girl. Separated by their differences, will they be able to get back how they used to be? What if the Unholy Trinity wanted more than just friendship from Rachel?
Disclaimer: Glee is not mine.
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
Chapter 10
Quinn opened her eyes and she was met with the bruised face of Rachel, comfortably placed on the crook of her neck, her soft breathing tickling her skin. She frowned at the memory of what happened last night. Somehow, she still felt so guilty about it. She lightly traced the diva's face with her fingers, careful not to touch the wounds.
Last night, she couldn't sleep despite the fact that her girlfriends were tangled around her body protectively. Her mind was occupied by a certain brunette that was on the other room. She couldn't shake off the uncomfortable constrict in her heart brought by the thought that the diva was sleeping alone in the dark. She knew how much Rachel hated the dark.
Finally relenting to her heart's wishes, she slowly untangled herself from Santana and Brittany, softly whispering to them before making her way towards the guest room. She stood in front of the door that separated her from the diva, anxiously contemplating if she should enter—but the strong desire to hold the tiny girl went against any worries she had.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and quietly sneaked in the room. She wasn't really surprised to see that the girl was still awake. Before things got awkward and questions asked, she quietly strode towards the bed and lay beside Rachel.
Quinn was just relieved that the small brunette didn't show even the slightest discomfort when she invaded her personal space. It didn't even take long before she drifted off to sleep with Rachel's sweet scent engulfing her senses.
Quinn basked in the feeling of having the lone figure wrapped around her body. One of Rachel's arms was draped on her stomach, lightly touching a small portion of her exposed skin due to her top being lifted during her sleep. She felt tingles traveling somewhere south of her body with the slight skin to skin contact, the feeling heightening when the hand started moving up inside her shirt.
The blonde took a sharp breath through her nose and chanced a glance at the tiny figure in her arms. Rachel's eyes were still closed and her breathing was even. Quinn was certain that the brunette was still asleep.
If not for that small, unmanly hand that were currently running up and down across her abs.
Quinn's eyes widened, almost bulging out of their sockets when the said not-really-offending-for-her-part hand traveled a little further up, almost brushing the lower part of her bare breasts. Because, you know, who sleeps with a bra on?
The Head Cheerio froze on her spot, as well as the tiny hand that decided to park just below her left breast. She was, in no doubt, now fully awake but her brain seemed to have stopped functioning properly as she remained stagnant on the bed.
She silently contemplated on how she was going to handle the situation without it being awkward for the two of them. Waking Rachel up was not an option for obvious reasons. She could try to remove the sneaky hand under her shirt but that might stir the brunette up. Or she could just pretend sleeping until the other occupant in bed woke up.
Yeah. That's perfect. It's not like she's complaining that the diva was sort of feeling her up.
Quinn tried to relax her rapidly beating heart and closed her eyes but the soft knock on the door broke any chance of her getting back to sleep. She opened one eye and wasn't really surprised to see two heads popping in from the door. And if it was someone else, she would have jumped out of the bed and scrambled her way out of the room. Instead, she found herself shrugging without waking the diva and smiling sheepishly at the amused looks that her girlfriends gave her as they entered the room. She couldn't help but roll her eyes when the Latina mouthed a 'seriously?' while pointing at the hand still lying atop her now half exposed torso while Brittany was giggling quietly.
"Later," Quinn mouthed back, careful not to make any movements. She couldn't take any chances of the diva waking up with her two girlfriends in the room and then freak out the moment she realized that her hand had somehow traveled somewhere that it wasn't supposed to. Not that Quinn minded but knowing Rachel, the diva would totally flip out. She could already see the diva clutching her chest, her warm, brown eyes wide as she attempted not to hyperventilate. And if things could get any worse, Rachel would probably run out of the house even before the blonde, or any of her girlfriends, could utter a single word.
No. Quinn couldn't let that happen. It was crucial that she, Santana and Brittany tried to ease any awkwardness that was currently surrounding the four of them in order for them to begin re-establishing any sort of friendship with the singer. Really. The three of them would settle for at least being civil towards Rachel.
For now.
Well, whatever that would make Rachel comfortable. It wasn't really their call. They would be fine with just being able to talk to the singer without things getting weird or out of hand like their past encounters these past few days. She and her girlfriends just needed to start somewhere on their journey to redemption.
Quinn looked up at her two girlfriends, silently conveying her message that they needed to leave the room before the brunette wakes up. The two girls nodded and she relaxed a little bit when the door closed and she was once again left to her own devices with the sleeping brunette. She glanced at the wall clock and groaned inwardly when she saw that it was only five in the morning. But they have Cheerio practice at seven and being the captain, she had to be there thirty minutes before. And by default, so as her two girlfriends.
She sighed. Her plan of feigning sleep getting thrown out the window. She had to get up now or she would be facing Sylvester's wrath for being tardy. And it was way too early for that. After last night, she wasn't really in the mood for anything rough today. Or she would seriously flip. And honestly? She almost felt sorry for the whole of McKinley when she was on her worst mood swings. She would definitely lash out on anyone.
Well, except this girl who was currently curled up beside her whose hand began moving again. Quinn stiffened at the sudden movement. She shut her eyes tightly and bit her lip to stop herself from making any kind of noise when she felt soft lips against her neck. She tried to even her breathing, swallowing a lump on her throat as the movements from beside her stilled for a few seconds.
Then her eyes opened in mild surprise, her mouth slightly parting when she felt something warm and wet touched her skin. Quinn thought that her heart would leap out of her chest when she realized that it was actually Rachel's tongue. The singer must have licked her lips that was sort of currently attached to her neck and in the process, the soft muscle had accidentally made contact with her skin.
Quinn could feel every cell in her body run wildly at that very little, one millisecond long encounter with the diva's tongue. She wasn't really surprised at her body's reaction to it considering her obvious attraction to the girl, but it didn't make the situation easier for her as she balled her fists tightly against the sheets, struggling to stop herself from turning and attacking the sleeping girl with her lips.
What? She's a perfectly normal teenage girl and having raging hormones was part of it.
The blonde cheerleader bit her lip hard, her eyebrows meeting in hard concentration. Half of her wished for Rachel to turn away from her and relieved her from her suffering, the other half enjoying the thrill that ran through her system that their current state had caused her.
Quinn couldn't help but released a slow, long breath through her mouth when she felt Rachel moved her hand on a part of her body that was at least acceptable—on her belly, just a few inches away from her...you know.
Huffing, Quinn finally decided that it was enough torture for her at five in the morning. Because, really, she could only take so much. Gently grabbing Rachel's sneaky hand, she moved it away from her and placed in on the side. As quietly as she could, she untangled herself from the brunette and slowly got out of bed. She smiled at the slight whimper that the diva released.
Quinn stood beside the bed, looking down at the sleeping figure, simply making the best of this silent moment alone with Rachel. It's not like every day the blonde could actually stare at the singer like this without looking like a creep, right?
Sighing, she brushed the bangs away from the brunette's face and lightly placed a barely there kiss on the Rachel's forehead. Quinn bit her lip as she fought the urge to smile wider when she heard the content sigh from the girl. With much struggle, the Head Cheerio finally decided to exit the room to properly greet her girlfriends and take a shower.
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
Quinn, Santana and Brittany sat at the kitchen island, already dressed with their cheerleading uniform while munching on some toast and drinking their protein shake.
"So..." Brittany started, earning the two girls' attention.
"What is it, B?"
"I kinda talked to Rachel last night about...you know..."
The tall blonde sighed when her girlfriends gave her questioning looks, "I apologized to her for everything that happened...and stuff."
"And stuff?"
Brittany met Quinn's eyes and shook her head quickly, understanding the look of incredulously that the other blonde gave her, "No. I didn't tell her about...us," she whispered the last part, looking at the kitchen entrance as if Rachel would just appear out of nowhere.
"Oh."
"I'm not that careless, Quinn," Brittany said gently, placing a hand over Quinn's lap,
"Sorry, B," Quinn apologized, shaking her head for being ridiculous.
"It's okay," Brittany gave her girlfriend a small smile, "Anyway, I just told her how sorry I am for what we did to her. And..." She trailed off as she jutted her bottom lip, looking down at her toast and started to break it into bits and pieces.
"And?" Santana drawled out, both her and Quinn staring at the blue eyed girl expectantly.
"I-I think I made her feel bad," the tall blonde mumbled, her voice barely a whisper as her eyes began to tear up.
The other two Cheerios looked at each other confusedly then back to the distraught blonde but didn't say anything, waiting for their girlfriend to continue.
"I'm not really sure what happened," she shrugged, "I guess it was too much too soon. I mean after what happened last night and then Quinn talked to her about the same thing too. I guess it got too much for her," she paused and took a deep breath, glancing up to look at her girlfriends who were wearing a look of understanding on their faces, "I didn't mean it. My emotions got the better of me. I was just so overwhelmed with the idea that she could have gotten seriously hurt and..."
"Hey..." Santana started as she reached out for the blonde's hand and squeezed it, "It's okay, B. We have our moments like that. We were all in a lot of stress last night. It's not your fault your emotions got the better of you."
"But that's just it. We were all stressed out, especially Quinn and Rachel. Not to mention she was physically hurt. I could have been more sensitive and tactful when I approached her. Better yet, I shouldn't have just said anything. I'm so stupid."
"Brittany," Quinn reprimanded in a stern tone, "Don't say that. We are way past that stage now. You are not stupid, okay? So you acted based on your emotions. It happens. Yes, it was tactless—"
Brittany pouted.
"—but you can't beat yourself up about it, baby. We caught her off guard. I understand why she reacted that way. I mean, we just blurted out our apologies to her out of the blue after making her life hell for two years," Quinn went to the other blonde and hugged her waist, " Don't feel bad, baby. I'm sure Rachel was just tired and probably traumatized about last night that's why she acted that way. You have a pretty bad timing, Little Duck."
A loud sigh was heard in the room and the two blondes both turned their attention to the Latina.
"San?"
"I'm not really sure about the traumatized part," the Latina mumbled.
"What do you mean?"
Santana pursed her lips in thought, silently contemplating on what she wanted to say, "It's just that Rachel didn't really look traumatized to me. I mean, you know how she is. She could get pretty dramatic about stuff and from what I've observed last night, she was anything but that. And what happened last night isn't really something anyone would just shrug off."
The kitchen was surrounded with silence for a while as the three girls get lost in their own thoughts, pondering on what the Latina had said.
"It's probably not a big deal. We haven't really been around her for quite a while. Maybe she's changed. Maybe she isn't as dramatic as she used to be."
Santana shook her head, "I don't know, Q. She was pretty...nonchalant about it. It's just weird. B and I were more freaked out than her. And we weren't even there! I didn't expect her to like, have a panic attack or something, but she could at least react about what happened. But all she did last night was have a bath, talk a little then went to sleep as if she wasn't just mauled by a giant and almost got killed."
The brunette looked straight at the two blondes and continued, "She was all bruised up when we saw her at the park last week too, remember? And we caught on Puck lying about it—which didn't even make sense, by the way. Why does he need to lie about it? And he was being annoyingly cryptic when we called on him."
"What are you trying to say, San?" Brittany asked warily.
The Latina shrugged, "I'm not trying to say anything here. All I know is that something is up with her and I have a bad feeling about it, and that Puck knows whatever the hell is going on with Rachel right now."
The two blondes took notice of the determined look on the brunette's face as well as the concern and worry in her eyes which they knew she was trying to hide.
"What are you thinking about, Santana?" Quinn inquired, one of her brow rising as she gave the Latina a pointed look.
Santana smirked, "I'm going to find out whatever the crap this is that's been bothering me since we gave her a ride a month ago and saw that unusual bruise on her cheek so that I can finally sleep peacefully at night. After last night, I don't think I would be surprised if one day, I would hear about the hobbit being brought to the hospital."
"San!"
"What? It's possible. Did you see her body last night? Some of those bruises are a few days old and you can't deny it."
The two blondes remained silent, knowing that what the Latina said was true. They had the same observation too but none of them called out on it. And now that Santana pointed it out, they couldn't help but wonder if there was a real reason behind Rachel wearing unusually thick makeup.
"Now I'm really worried about her. Do you think she's being...abused?"
Quinn and Santana both frowned, silently considering the idea, their faces hardened as images of Rachel being beaten up flooded their mind.
"I-I don't know, Britt. Rachel's tough, you know. I can't imagine her letting someone hurt her without a fight. She could be pretty stubborn if she wants to. I mean, I saw how she defended us last night. She could put up a really good fight."
"You have a point, Q. I wasn't there last night but you do remember our tandem back in the days, right? We kicked ass! We made the boys cry and ran to their moms," Santana reminisced with a proud smirk on her lips.
Quinn chuckled at the memory while Brittany managed a smile which soon faded as her next statement brought back the tension around them.
"But that was a long time ago. Rachel stopped fighting for herself the moment we started high school. And...we personally experienced it ourselves."
Well, damn. Leave it to Brittany to slap reality into them. They had almost forgotten that simple fact. They had gotten used to the system of McKinley that they had stopped questioning about everything else. They were the top dogs in school and they had to keep it that way no matter what. Period.
However, they had always wondered about Rachel's passive reaction to them. They had always known the diva to not take any crap from anyone else. She had always be the one to fight for her own beliefs and defend those who were close to her. She was a determined individual and nothing could deter her once she had set her mind into something.
But Brittany was right. Those things had changed about Rachel. Though she would still hold her head high despite all the bullshit brought by high school, she never really fought back—except for that one time with Finn Hudson.
And even now, they were yet to hear anything from the diva. Other than the few hints and verbal onslaught they received from her which was all just a spur of the moment thing and Rachel even apologized for them (for God's sake!), the singer was yet to address the issue about the past and their sudden interest to patch things up with her.
Their conversation came to a halt when they heard quiet footsteps descending the stairs and the center of their conversation popped in the entryway to the kitchen. They were welcomed with a smiling little brunette, hair dripping wet and wearing the same clothes that she had the previous night. The girls couldn't help but return the smile as they noticed the radiating energy from the diva.
"Good morning!" Rachel beamed to the three girls though she was a bit surprise to see them up and about at six in the morning. She was greeted with soft murmurs of 'good morning' from the trio.
"How are you feeling?" Quinn asked.
"Good, I guess. I'm still pretty sore all over but I'll survive," Rachel said with a shrug.
The trio slyly exchanged looks. Santana raised an eyebrow and sent the two blondes a look as if to say, 'See what I'm talking about? Definitely not traumatized.' Quinn and Brittany took this and both turned their eyes to the battered brunette.
"Come sit, Rach. Let me make you some breakfast," Santana said casually as she patted the available seat next to her.
"Oh no. That's fine. I don't want to impose," Rachel politely declined as she remained rooted on her spot albeit feeling a little out of place.
Santana scoffed, "Seriously, Hobbs? You're a guest. I insist. Come on. Sit here. I'll be quick," she said as she stood from her spot to make Rachel breakfast.
"But—" Rachel tried to protest, concerned about her veganism. She knew it could get pretty toxic to prepare a vegan meal.
"Don't worry," Quinn interrupted the diva as she walked towards her, gently grabbing her arm as she ushered the standing brunette towards the seat, "S knows how to make vegan friendly breakfast. I promise," she said as if reading the diva's thoughts.
Rachel subtly stiffened when her skin made contact with the blonde, a sudden spark running through her body, making her heart beat fast as she remembered the vivid dream she had about the girl this morning. It felt so real to her. It was the same soft skin that was holding her now, except it was Rachel that was doing the touching in that dream. She felt her skin heat up as a replay of her dream came rushing through her thoughts. She had to take an early cold shower the moment she woke up because of it despite the protest of her aching muscles.
The singer settled herself on the chair as she tried to distract her raging hormones by making small talk.
"Cheerio practice?"
"Yep. At seven," Quinn answered casually.
"Oh okay," Rachel replied, cursing herself for her poor attempt to start a conversation.
It was a small talk alright. Literally.
It was so not like her. She couldn't help it though when she had a not so friendly dream about the girls surrounding her right now. Last night was bad enough and just this morning, she had a repeat of it only it was about Quinn. What was wrong with her?
Damn hormones.
"What's wrong with your left eye, Rach?" Brittany asked, finally noticing that the girl had been covering her left eye since she came in.
"Oh, this?" Rachel said distractedly, pushing her inappropriate thoughts at the back of her head, "Uh...I woke up and it was pretty swollen. I'm having a hard time keeping it open," And a bit self-conscious because I look like crap in compared to the three of you, she added in her thoughts.
Rachel was taken by surprised when in a swift motion, the Head Cheerio was on her side, getting a hold of her wrist that was covering her eye.
"Let me see."
"No. It's fine."
"Rachel Berry."
Rachel huffed, letting the blonde take her hand away from her eye. She could never argue when Quinn was channeling her inner head bitch, especially when she's using that same bossy, intimidating tone of hers.
"Jesus, Rachel! That's nowhere near fine," Quinn exclaimed as she carefully examined Rachel's eye.
The diva squirmed uncomfortably on her seat at the attention she was getting. She could see from the corner of her eyes that Santana stopped what she was doing to take a peek at her while Brittany was giving her concerned looks.
"I'm fine, really," Rachel insisted, shifting her head away from the Head Cheerio's hold.
"We've ran out of ice, but this will do," Santana said, placing a pack of frozen peas on the table. Quinn was quick to grab it, holding it gently on the brunette's swollen eye.
Rachel flinched a little but her heart fluttered due to the closeness she had with the blonde. She appreciated the gentleness and the soft, warm fingertips that were currently holding her chin to keep her head in place. Feeling conscious and concern that Quinn's arm maybe tired from holding the frozen peas, she carefully took hold of it herself. Their hands brushed slightly as their gazes locked for a few seconds. She couldn't deny the tingles that spread throughout her body with that little contact.
Suddenly, Rachel became hyperaware of the current state of her face. She wasn't really a sight to see with her face looking like a beat up fruit. She sent the blonde an appreciative, shy smile before tilting her head down, breaking their eye contact. She wasn't sure what to feel when Quinn didn't leave her side or when she felt the intense gaze she was receiving from the Cheerio captain.
A plate full of vegan pancakes invaded her sight and she couldn't help the excited grin that spread in her lips.
"Thank you," Rachel murmured.
"Don't mention it. And I mean don't."
The singer noticed the unusual absence of malice on the Latina's tone and her grin turned in to a full blown smile. The thought that Santana went out of her way to cook her a vegan breakfast willingly made her heart melt in appreciation. And yes, coming from the Latina, it was already too much in Rachel's book. She felt giddy all of a sudden, reprimanding herself for feeling that way with such a small gesture.
But this was Santana Lopez! Come on.
However, Rachel tried to rein in her excitement as she started to dig in. Half way on her first pancake, she noticed that the girls were actually watching her eat.
"Wha?" Rachel asked, the fork still stuck in her mouth before releasing it with a pop. She looked at the trio with wide, confused eyes, "What?" she asked again when the girls didn't answer, still chewing on her pancake.
She frowned when all she got were amused smiles and chuckles. She took notice of the girls' breakfast, which was composed of toast and some drink that she recognized as the well known protein shake that the Cheerios were known to consume as per order of Coach Sylvester. She winced when she compared it to her plate which still consisted of two more pancakes.
"Is that all you're having for breakfast?" Rachel felt kind of guilty for having too much on her plate, literally. She frowned when the three nodded.
"Yeah," Quinn answered simply, "We're not even supposed to have toast because it's kind of heavy on the stomach but...whatever," she shrugged.
Rachel scoffed, "Well, that's just ridiculous. You three are growing and very active girls with all the cheering you're doing and you need more energy than the average teenager, therefore, you should eat more than just that ridiculous drink and toast. I don't even know how you are able to survive the day. And it's not like Miss Sylvester goes easy on you. Seriously. That woman is deranged and has some serious problems with her mental health," she finished her rant earning a small laugh from the trio.
"Yeah, well, we're still here, right?" Santana said with a smirk, "We're tough chicks. We can handle whatever shit Coach will throw at us. We're like, the best thing that happened in her whole cheering career," she then turned to the two blondes, "Yeah?"
Brittany nodded absentmindedly while Quinn rolled her eyes.
"It keeps us healthy and fit so what's there to complain about?" Quinn said with her own smirk, walking towards the other side of the island to fetch her own protein shake.
"Yeah. It gives us a body to die for. Wouldn't you agree, Rachel?" Santana added with a wink on the diva's direction
Rachel felt her cheeks heat up at the obvious but out of nowhere flirting from the Latina. She shook her head to dismiss it but then images from her dream that morning flooded her mind; her hands running across Quinn's flat stomach. Yep. Very fit alright.
Rachel sighed. Damn. That dream would probably haunt her forever.
"Well, there's really no room for argument regarding that certain fact, Santana. There's a reason why almost everybody in school are all over you. But still, I worry about your health. I really don't think protein shake is enough to satiate your daily needs of nutrition."
"Are you saying that you find us attractive, Berry?" Quinn teased, a grin forming on her lips.
Rachel paused; contemplating if that was actually the important part on her statement. What was that about being healthy?
"I have eyes, Quinn. I do know how to appreciate beauty when I see one," Rachel answered with a shrug, "And you three are a sight to behold."
They had always received a lot of compliments. They had lived with it since high school. They were so used to it that they just waved off every praise thrown at them. They didn't expect anything less, but it didn't make much impact on them as well. But there was something in the way that Rachel had said those words that had caused them to step back, paused for a second and enjoyed the feeling of warmth and fuzziness it brought.
Rachel's opinion had always mattered to them. They never really stopped caring; they just developed the ability to ignore it.
Brittany was the first to recover.
"So...did you sleep well last night?"
Rachel looked up at the tall blonde who was lazily playing with her toast, breaking it into tiny bits and pieces. She frowned as she observed the girl. Brittany had her lips formed into a pout, her shoulders down and her eyes looked sad. The diva also noticed that she was unusually quiet and didn't really participate much to the conversation going around them.
Brittany was usually perky. Rachel had known the tall blonde as a big ball of energy even at the early hours of the day. This was a strange sight for her that she couldn't help but be concerned, especially when the tall dancer had been giving her these curious glances since she came in.
And then she remembered about last night. How Brittany was talking to her, emotions overwhelming her and how she had somehow just shut off the now distraught blonde. Rachel almost slapped her forehead for it. She felt bad about it but who could blame her, really? It was a rough night. Even she had her limits.
But that didn't stop Rachel from trying to make Brittany feel better. She looked down at her pancake and began slicing it as best as she could with just one hand. No matter what Brittany's role in her life for the past two years, she couldn't stop herself from feeling sorry for upsetting the blonde Cheerio.
So what if she's being too soft? Sue her for all she cared.
And it's not just because it was Brittany, or even Santana or Quinn. That's just how she was. She despised hurting anyone or making them feel bad about themselves, intentionally or not. That's just not her. She would probably do the same thing to anyone.
"Rachel?"
Rachel paused with what she was doing and scrunched her face in confusion when she noticed the expectant look from the girls, "Huh?"
Brittany smiled warily, fearing that she made Rachel angry because of last night, "I asked if you slept well last night?"
"Oh yeah. Definitely," Rachel answered distractedly as she returned her attention to slicing her pancake, "I had a hard time at first but Quinn came so..." She blurted out before she realized what she was saying. She shrugged and feigned nonchalance. If anybody noticed, none of them pointed it out, "Uhh...Yeah. It was good," she finished lamely, not looking up from her pancake; her tongue sticking out on the corner of her lips in mock concentration.
"That's good to know," Quinn said, biting her lip to suppress a wide smile. She felt a nudge from both of her sides and looked at her girlfriends. Santana was wiggling her eyebrows and mouthed 'Score!' while Brittany winked at her. Quinn shook her head at her girlfriends' silliness. It was still weird for her that her usually possessive and jealous girlfriends found her interaction with the diva amusing. Their conversation regarding her incident with Rachel that morning—while they were sharing a bath to 'save time'—was rather interesting.
"No way! You're such a prude! I want to get my cuddle on too. Maybe I'll get luckier than you, Fabray," Santana teased with a smug grin.
Quinn rolled her eyes, "Oh yeah. Because if it was you, you'll probably molest her in her sleep."
"Who said anything about molesting her? What I meant was I'd let her molest me. I mean it was her hand that was being sneaky, right?"
"Ugh. You are such a perv, Lopez."
"Oh, you know you love it, babe."
"Shut up," Quinn laughed as she playfully sprayed water towards the Latina.
"Hey!"
"Was Rachel having a sex dream then?" Brittany wondered, mostly to herself but it got the other two girls' attention, "I wonder who she was dreaming about."
The trio frowned at the thought and looked at each other.
"Huh. Wouldn't you like to know."
It was probably absurd to be jealous of someone from a dream that wasn't even yours but...meh. Whatever. That was just them being all silly and ridiculous.
Quinn couldn't help but feel kind of privileged though for being able to have the experience of sleeping beside the diva. She wasn't really expecting it considering—well, everything on the past two years. And though she didn't want to sound like a complete sex crazed pervert, she actually didn't mind being groped by those tiny, unmanly hands. If ever, all she felt at that time was the heat that pulsated through her body and made its way down there. And she relished it no matter how torturous it was.
And she couldn't help but be proud about it—not the groping part—but actually having Rachel in her arms that made her girlfriends jealous of her. And she had to remind herself that getting Rachel's affection wasn't a competition against her girlfriends because that just plain ridiculous. They were all in this together, and if one got the girl, so as the other two. That's how the Unholy Trinity worked. They worked as a team.
And with that in mind, the Head Cheerio knew that it wouldn't be long before her other two counterparts made their own move, especially after what happened last night.
But then again, Quinn had always found a certain fondness of the petite brunette. She would cuddle with her every chance she could get; automatically sitting beside her whenever and pretty much followed her everywhere. As a Fabray, she would have been appalled by the idea—but the memory of her closeness with Rachel only made her sigh and caused a pang on her chest. What she wouldn't do to have those days back.
While Quinn was relishing the warmth brought by Rachel's statement, Santana was silently studying the other brunette with a thoughtful look. She had been observing her since the girl sat with them. All the teasing and light conversation aside, she still couldn't wrap her head on how impassive Rachel was being after everything last night—like she just wasn't almost killed and now nursing a swollen eye with a pack of frozen peas, not to mention a couple of other injuries on her torso too.
The old bruises they had noticed bothered the Latina the most. As much as she wanted to ask Rachel about it—and her blonde girls sensed it as well—she managed to kept her mouth shut and rolled her eyes since her girlfriends were giving her one of those 'shut it' looks, as to not increase the already thickening tension between the four of them, although they had shared worried glances while Rachel drifted off to sleep last night.
They had a shushed, albeit short conversation about it while they watch her sleep. They still had no idea where Rachel got her old bruises from, but one thing was certain—whoever did it was not from McKinley since Puck hadn't gone all Hulk on anyone in school considering how protective he was of the small girl.
But that didn't stop the Latina from being skeptic regarding Rachel's state. From the moment Puck straight out lied to them about the reason why Rachel was sporting serious bruises on her face, she just knew something was up.
And now, seeing it up close, her curiosity and anxiety regarding the issue had only increased.
"What are you doing up so early, by the way? After last night, I was thinking you'd be like, sleeping like a log," Santana said casually, "I gotta say, I'm impressed, Hobbs. Your body seemed to be adjusting pretty well considering how badly you were hurt last night. I mean, if I'd known better I'd say you're used to it," Santana shrugged, purposely ignoring the sharp looks that her girlfriends were throwing at her.
What? She's Santana Lopez. Subtlety and smooth approach was never her thing. She always went for the kill. She knew she still had a lot of groveling she needed to do but...meh. She was never famous for being patient. But hey, at least she didn't ask her outright like she originally planned. So that's a plus, right?
The Latina noticed Rachel flinched and she almost felt guilty about it. Almost.
"I...uh..." Rachel cleared her throat; her discomfort visible to the three pairs of eyes that she knew was glued to her.
Santana fought the urge to roll her eyes when the two blondes stopped glaring at her and turned their full attention to the singer with expectant eyes. She was aware that they were just as curious as she was. She was doing them a favor so, yes, they could stop looking at her like that.
"You know how my dad is teaching me all these self-defense stuff and we're still kind of doing it until now and sometimes things could get pretty...rough...so I'm sort of used to the…uhh…stress it entails. So…yeah. I guess you could say I'm kind of, well, used to it," Rachel mumbled, wincing at how that statement sounded so...untrue and uncertain. But Santana's statement caught her off guard! And the silence that followed hear lame excuse was really unnerving so she kept her eyes on the task at hand which was crafting her pancake. When did shaping a pancake become such a hard task?
Santana scrunched her face while absorbing what the brunette had said. It should make sense but then again, she also knew that Rachel's dad would never go as far as hurting her like that, no matter how 'rough' it was. It didn't add up at all. And she could say that Quinn and Brittany would agree with her if the frown on their faces was anything to go by.
The Latina was just about to voice out just that when the doorbell rang.
"Oh. That would be my ride," Rachel said, finally looking up from her pancakes and saw the questioning looks from the trio, "I called my dads this morning. It kind of slipped my mind to tell them where I was last night," she explained and offered the girls a smile, "I hope you don't mind."
"That's cool," Santana replied, already making her way out the kitchen to open the door.
Rachel nodded, went back to her pancake to do the final touches, grabbed the chocolate syrup and put what was supposed to be the eye and drew some sort of a wing on it. Staring at her handiwork, she happily slid her plate towards Brittany. She placed her hands on her lap as she giddily waited for a reaction from the blonde, slightly bouncing on her chair and offering a toothy grin—the best she could with a busted lip.
Brittany was taken aback with the gesture, staring blankly at the plate that the diva offered her. She glanced at Quinn who was just as surprised and confused as she was. She then turned to the waiting diva, and was just about to say something but Rachel beat her to it.
"I'm sorry for last night."
The tall Cheerio let her jaw dropped on the floor, her eyes widening. Wow. Surprised would be an understatement, "Wh-what for?"
"You know..." Rachel started, rubbing the back of her neck, "I kind of...I don't know...Didn't really respond too well with our conversation last night and I noticed you've been feeling a little down this morning—I mean, I'm not sure if it's really about that but you've been kind of giving me these looks and, well, I don't know. Whatever, really. I'm still sorry about it anyway," she finished with a sheepish smile, "So, I made you that," Rachel pointed at the plate which had a pancake shaped like a duck and then pursed her lips, "I mean, I'm not sure if that still works but it used to make you feel better when we were kids so...yeah."
Well. That was awkward. Just…awkward.
Rachel had never been thankful for the pack of frozen pea that was currently plastered on her face. It hid her face pretty well as she anxiously waited for...anything really. But Brittany was just looking at her with this expression she couldn't really comprehend while Quinn was making this eyebrow raising thing.
Brittany was speechless. Really, she was. Just...what the hell was that? She could almost feel her lips trembling that she had to bit it to control her emotions. Her eyes weren't being cooperative though as her vision blurred, her eyes burning as tears began to make their appearance and she had to blink so fast to keep them away. She could feel her chest tightening because, really, that's just too much for such a small gesture. As much as she was touched with the diva's sweetness, it also made the guilt intensified and the missing feeling she had for the tiny brunette grew.
Oh my God. What is wrong with this girl? What. The. hell?!
"Are you being serious right now?"
Okay. That wasn't what Rachel was hoping for but...it was better than nothing, "Uhh..."
"No way are you apologizing for that, Rach. I should be the one saying sorry for putting you in that situation. It was unfair and insensitive of me and just..." Brittany sighed and stared at the diva, "I'm really sorry, like, for the nth time. I was a little messed up last night and I wasn't thinking—but that didn't mean I never meant those words I said to you. I do. I really, really do, Rachel. And—"
Rachel held up a hand to stop the blonde from rambling. Really, this girl could channel anyone, even her. She was impressed.
"It's fine Britt. I get it," Rachel said with a warm smile, "Now eat up. I worked hard for that one. I'm sure Santana wouldn't mind if I share."
Brittany beamed, gently sliding the plate closer to her as if it was the most precious thing in the world, staring at it with sparkling eyes. She quickly took out her phone and snapped a picture of it, replacing the wallpaper of her and her girlfriends with the picture of the pancake without hesitation. She then looked up at the smiling brunette, locking gaze with her and silently murmured a 'thank you'.
"No problem, Little Duck," Rachel said with a shrugged without noticing how the old nickname came out of her mouth so easily.
However, Brittany's smile grew even wider, the nickname causing her heart to do somersaults and backflips and cartwheels that would made Sue Sylvester proud. It was a nickname that Rachel originally gave her but Quinn and Santana had somehow caught up on it as well. She giddily devoured her pancake, sharing a smile with Quinn who was fighting the urge to cry.
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
Santana stared at the two people standing on her front porch, one hand on her hips, her lips pursed as she regarded them. Alex, she knew for sure. But the other guy that was standing beside the barista, she had never met before. The last time she checked—which was probably a while ago—any of Rachel's dads didn't look this young.
"Can I help you?" Santana asked, directing her question to the stranger, not bothering to take notice of Alex. She narrowed her eyes when Alex rolled her eyes.
"Yes. As a matter of fact, I am looking for Rachel Berry. I was instructed to pick her up on this address."
"I'm sorry. Who are you again?"
"Oh, right. I'm sorry. Where are my manners? I'm Jesse. Jesse St. James. I'm a friend of Rachel's," Jesse said with his usual charming smile and offered his hand.
Santana stared at the hand and hesitantly shook it, "Santana Lopez," she introduced herself.
"Pleasure to meet you. And this is Ale—"
"Yeah, yeah. I've met her," Santana waved off, opening the door wider to let them in. She's a little wary of the aura this Jesse was emitting, and she really didn't appreciate Alex's presence in her home, but she let them in anyway. She may be a bitch but she still had manners—well, sometimes.
Jesse was a confident person but the way this girl was looking at him was making him uneasy. He didn't show it though so he politely smiled as he stepped in the Lopez's residence, following Santana farther in the house. Or mansion from his perspective.
Santana lead Jesse and Alex to the kitchen where the girls were currently in. She felt the change in the atmosphere the moment she stepped in. She exchanged a look with Quinn who just shrugged and smiled, subtlety moving her eyes on Brittany who was still happily munching on the pancake. Quinn arched her brow at the Latina when she noticed the presence of Alex and some guy she had yet to meet, but Santana just waved it off.
"Holy crap! You look like shit, Rachel!"
The trio was startled with the sudden outburst, Quinn and Santana sending glares towards the stranger while Brittany was just confused.
"Why, thank you, Jesse. Good morning to you too," Rachel deadpanned, dropping the frozen pea to cross her arms to which Jesse responded with a chuckle. She then turned to the girl beside him and smiled, "Hello, Alex. Not that I don't appreciate your presence, but what brought you here?"
"Picking you up," Alex simply stated.
"Oh. Well, I guess you've met Jesse then."
"Sure did. Such charming gentleman."
Rachel scoffed, "Isn't he?"
"Hey!"
"Who's he?" Quinn asked, looking at the man in front.
"Oh yes. I'm sorry. This is Jesse. He's a friend of the family. Jesse, this is Quinn, Santana and Brittany. They are...uhh…classmates. We go to the same school."
The introduction caused Santana to frown, Quinn to purse her lips in disappointment and Brittany to pout.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Jesse politely responded and turned to the diva, "Rachel, you weren't kidding when you said the cheerleaders in your school are hot."
Rachel gave Jesse a quick look as if to say 'shut your mouth'. Jesse raised his hands in mock surrender as if to say 'fine'.
"So what happened to you? We're you in last night? I wasn't aware Brian called for an Emergency Knockdown las—"
"Jesse!" Rachel chastised before Jesse could say anymore than he already had, and pointedly glared at him with her good eye. She hoped that none of the girls had cau—
"What's an Emergency Knockdown?"
Crap. Rachel was surprised that it was Brittany who caught on that since it was Santana who had been a little snoopy this morning.
Jesse looked like a deer caught in headlights, shifting his gaze everywhere as if looking for an exit, "Uh...I think I'm just going to wait in the car."
Rachel snapped her head towards Jesse's direction and mouthed 'You!' which Jesse replied with a shrug, mouthing a 'Sorry' before making his exit, leaving a fuming diva, a bewildered Unholy Trinity and an amused barista.
"So...what is an…Emergency Knockdown?" Quinn asked cautiously.
"It's nothing," Rachel replied quickly, "Nothing you should be concerned about anyway. Really, it's just...nothing," the diva winced at how lame it sounded. She seemed to be doing a lot of that this morning.
Before any of the Cheerios could say something, Alex went for the save. She knew about Emergency Knockdown and the fight club and how it wasn't supposed to be talked about. Rachel had told her about it a year ago when a friend of a friend had recognized the singer as a regular in fight clubs.
"So, I guess we won't be having that breakfast then."
Rachel opened her mouth in surprise, "Oh my God! I'm so sorry, Al. It completely slipped my mind. I had a pretty rough time last night and I'm still kind of not myself—but we can still have it. I mean, I'm good. I'll be fine."
"I don't know, Rach. You look..."
"Like shit?"
Alex chuckled, "I would say tired but yeah, I guess yours would be more suitable."
"So, what? Just because I look like crap you wouldn't want to sit and have breakfast with me in public?" Rachel replied with feign annoyance. Playful bantering had always been a habit of theirs.
"Oh, so that's how you want to play it, huh?" Alex responded as she stepped towards the sitting brunette, her lips forming a sexy smirk, "Well, you don't seem to be in a condition to go out sooo…Why don't you just rest your pretty little ass in your room while I make you breakfast in bed?" Alex suggested, her voice going lower as she leaned in to give Rachel a chaste kiss on the cheek, "How does that sound?"
Rachel could only manage a nod. Although she was accustomed to Alex's blatant flirting, the presence of the three Cheerios as well as the burning glare that was being directed in their direction made her feel really uncomfortable and kind of scared.
"Great! Let's get going then. I'm sure Jesse boy is getting pretty impatient."
"Right. Okay. Sure," Rachel mumbled as she quickly stood from her seat. With much reluctance, she turned to the three girls, managing a tight lipped smile. She frowned when they didn't even look at her. Instead, they continued to stare daggers at Alex while the barista was simply wearing a shit-eating grin as if taunting the girls. She groaned inwardly. She should have known.
"Umm...we'll just show ourselves out," Rachel said in an attempt to placate the growing tension, "Thank you for breakfast, Santana. I enjoyed it. Quinn, Brittany. I'll see you later in school."
Rachel didn't waste time to grab the barista's arm who was still smirking and almost dragged her away from the kitchen. Rachel was already opening the front door when she heard Santana calling her. She stopped on her tracks and looked back.
"Rachel! Wait. Umm..." Santana began, burrowing her eyebrows as if she was having an internal struggle.
Rachel noticed this and the way the Latina's eyes would shift to Alex and then to her, "Alex, can you wait for me outside?"
"Are you sure?" Alex asked, her eyes locked on the Cheerio in front.
Rachel sighed, "Yes. Thank you,"
Alex nodded and walked out but not before giving Santana a warning glance.
Santana rolled her eyes at this before focusing on the tiny diva, "Listen, I'm just gonna go and blurt this all out since I'm not really good at this whole confrontation drama thing and I don't usually do this kind of crap and I'm sure you probably had enough last night considering Quinn and Brittany had—"
Rachel giggled, "You're actually doing pretty well, Santana. Now, why don't you just blurt it all out and say it?"
Santana scowled and rolled her eyes. She took a deep breath, her face softening as she looked Rachel directly in the eye, "I'm sorry, Rachel. And you know for what. I don't have to go through the details. I'm sure Quinn and Brittany covered pretty much everything."
"Santana..."
"Rachel, please let me. Because I don't think I can do this again. Seriously. It may not look like it but this emotional crap is really fucking killing me. I don't know how people do this shit."
Rachel smiled and rolled her eyes.
"But let me tell you this, I may be the bitchiest bitch you'll ever meet—and I'm not saying I will change that because this is, like, one of the best assets I have and I enjoy watching people squirm right in front of me—but I want you to know that this bitch is willing to do everything to make it up to you, Little Star. I promise. And this time, there's no breaking it."
Rachel stood rooted in her spot—speechless yet again—as she watched the Latina walked inside the house. Knowing Santana—that was probably the most sincere and serious speech she could ever get from the girl. It was bewildering and mind-boggling and just...unbelievable.
Rachel walked out of the Lopez's residence in a daze. Did that just happen? She couldn't believe it. The Unholy Trinity just turned her world upside down within the span of twenty four hours.
Oh boy. She had better fastened her seatbelt. She could feel she's in for a bumpy, winding, life-altering ride. And she wasn't sure if she should look forward to it.
Author's Note:
There it goes. Another chapter done. As usual, tell me what you think?
And I just want to say, Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! to those who were willing to spend a few minutes of their 24 hours just to read this. Thank you for the extra minute to leave a review and add this story to your favorite and alerts. I appreciate it a lot.
I already have an idea for the next chapter but I'm still contemplating on how to put them in to words. I'm very distracted right now since I got a job offer at a very good company and I really, really want to get in so it's safe to say that I'm a nervous wreck right now. . I still have two weeks waiting time though. Ugh. What a killer.
Wish me luck though?
LoveSKINS94 – Seriously? Were you here when I was editing the previous chapter? Because that was like, the original plan. That was actually how I was supposed to end the last chapter but changed my mind the last minute. I just thought that the UT was bitchy enough; I really don't want to make them some kind of perverts as well and molest Rachel on her sleep. I'm not sure how the readers would react on that. :p