A/N: hello everybody and welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter! As always, let me know what you think, and enjoy!!
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"Quinn. Quinn! Wake up. What the hell are you doing?" Quinn groaned in pain as she heard Santana's voice. Her head was pounding. "Seriously Q. You tell me to meet you here and you're taking a nap on the nasty ground?"
Quinn opened her eyes and slowly sat up. She reached a hand to the back of her head and winced as she felt the large bump.
"Santana. Can you take me home pleas?." Quinn said, trying to convey a message in her eyes.
"Quinn. What the fuck, I can't skip. What's going on with you?" Santana huffed out in annoyance.
"Santana. Take me home please." Quinn said, more forcefully this time.
Santana seemed to get the hint as her eyes widened and she nodded. "Ok. Let's go."
Once they got into Santana's car, Quinn turned the radio up and told Santana to start driving. Once they were well away from the school, Quinn turned the radio down.
"Whoever raped Rachel is threatening her and stalking her. She was attacked at the mall Saturday. That's why she isn't here. She's staying in Columbus. And whoever it is just attacked me in the locker room. I was hit over the head." Quinn said, wincing as she felt the know again.
"Jesus Christ." Santana breathed out.
"Whoever slushied Rachel the first day of school is who raped her. They said something to her when she still had slushy in her face. That's why I'm trying to find out who did it." Quinn paused, studying Santana's face. "I need your help Santana. But we have to do this discreetly."
The Latina nodded. "Alright. I'm in."
Quinn smiled before gingerly laying her head back against the seat. A sore head was a smile price to pay to keep Rachel safe.
ooo
Rachel sighed in boredom. She had just finished her first lesson with her Aunt, and then had a FaceTime session with her therapist.
She was annoyed Shelby had arranged the session. She wasn't in the mood to talk and she was sick of everyone talking to her like she would break any moment. She wanted people to stop pitying her.
Rachel honestly still hadn't processed the attack, she was still in shock and it didn't seem real. None of it did. So she simply chose not to think about it, only facing the terror at night in her dreams.
Rachel was walking towards the living room when she stopped at a picture hanging on a wall.
It was a younger version of her mom, sitting on a park bench, and she was staring down lovingly at her protruding belly, her two hands placed gingerly against her stomach, cradling it.
"One of your dads took that picture of me." Shelby said behind her, causing her to jump. "They drew up the contract shortly after. It's the only picture I have where I'm pregnant." Rachel listened to Shelby, but never once took her eyes from the picture. "Once I told my parents about you, I gave them a copy of this picture. I also have one of your baby blankets from the hospital, but that's in a special box at home."
"I thought the contract was in place from the start?" Rachel questioned, still unable to tear her eyes from the picture.
"No." Shelby said bitterly. "A couple days after this photo they made it. They said they were afraid I wouldn't be able to walk away. And they were right. I was so in love with you, Rach. From the moment I heard your little heartbeat I was smitten." Shelby sighed. "I would sing to you, talk to you. And every night before I fell asleep I would tell you how much I loved you. It made me feel better."
Rachel felt her eyes begin to water and she turned, reaching blindly for her mom. "I wish you would have never signed it." She cried.
"I know." Shelby said, taking her into her arms.
"Me too."
ooo
Shelby was worried about Rachel. Granted, she was always worried about Rachel, but this time she was extremely worried.
It's been three days since the mall, and besides the brief moment over the picture, Rachel hasn't shed a single tear. In fact, Rachel had been acting the happiest Shelby has ever seen her. And for someone who was just attacked again by their rapist, it was a little unsettling.
Shelby had a discussion with Rachel's therapist the night before, and she seemed to think that Rachel was choosing to block what happened from her brain, something people do when facing a traumatic experience, and that it was only a matter of time until the girl broke down. Anything could trigger her, and it was best not to force her to talk if she wasn't ready.
Shelby instructed the rest of her family not to push Rachel into talking about what happened, after what Rachel's therapist had told her, she didn't want to push the girl. She had to come to terms with it on her own before anyone could help.
Shelby was looking for Rachel when she heard a beautiful melody filling the house. She smiled, knowing exactly where Rachel was.
Shelby approached the sun room turned music room but stop when she saw her dad listening at the doorway. Rachel was playing the piano and singing a quiet song.
"Heaven knows I want through hell, trying to trust somebody else."
"I had all but given up, cuz' I was never quite enough."
Rachel stopped and marked something down on a notebook and Shelby watched as her dad walked into the room.
"That's a beautiful song, Rach. Did you write it?" Her dad asked.
She watched as Rachel looked up and flushed, embarrassed that anyone had heard.
"Yes. I've been working on it for awhile. Sorry, I thought I was playing quietly."
Her dad laughed and made his was to sit next to Rachel on the piano bench. Shelby smiled at what he said next.
"Rach, I think you're forgetting I used to live with your mother. She was always in here working on something." He paused and hesitantly places a hand on Rachel's shoulder. "You're voice is remarkable, I think you might even be better than your mom."
Shelby took that as her cue to walk in. "Hey now. Let's not starting talking crazy." She said, throwing her daughter a wink. "Rach, do you want to go out to lunch with me?"
Rachel nodded and quickly got up making her way towards Shelby, who happily took her in her arms. "Go get ready baby, I'll be down here waiting." She said into her hair.
Shelby waited until Rachel was out of ear shot before turning to her dad. "Do you think that songs about me? She doesn't trust me?" She asked him worriedly.
Her dad got up and wrapped her in a hug. "I don't know who it's about Shelbs, but either way, just be thankful she's at least getting some of her feelings out in a creative outlet."
Shelby nodded against her dad and took a deep breath in. "Do you think she's going to be okay, daddy?"
Her father squeezed her tighter.
"I sure hope so."
ooo
Rachel was enjoying her lunch date with her mom. They were at a small little vegan place right outside downtown Columbus. It was still warm outside, fall not quite in full swing yet, and Rachel and Shelby decided to sit outside on the patio. Shelby was sitting back in her chair sipping on an iced tea, with sunglasses on and was smiling at Rachel.
"Thanks for bringing me here mom. I like it a lot." Rachel said, taking another bite of her lunch. "And the weather is so nice."
Shelby smiled at her and nodded in agreement. "I thought maybe when we were done eating we could go look at some local shops downtown? Cara told me you completed all of your work for today so I thought we could have a little day, just you and I."
Rachel gave her mom a genuine smile and nodded. "I would love that."
They were finishing up lunch when Rachel's phone started ringing. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion when she saw it was Mrs. Fabray.
Rachel had met Mrs. Fabray a handful of times during the summer when the girls would hang out at Quinn's house. She was always welcoming and kind, and on one of her last visits to Quinn's house, she had told Rachel how much she valued her friendship to Quinn.
As nice as Mrs. Fabray was, Rachel knew she wouldn't just call her no reason. She felt her stomach sink as she answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Rachel? Honey? It's Judy." Rachel felt her stomach twist at the clear desperation in Mrs. Fabray's voice. "Have you seen Quinnie?" She spit out frantically, "She never came home from school yesterday. Is she with you?"
Rachel felt like the wind had been knocked out of her and she looked at her mother with desperate eyes, as if she could take all of this away. "N- no. She's not with me."
"Okay. It's okay. I'm sure she's fine. She's probably just at a friends, I thought I should check with you first." Mrs. Fabray said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself. "Rachel if you hear anything, will you tell me?"
"Of course."
"Thank you, and I'll let you know it I hear anything. Thanks Rachel."
The line went dead but Rachel couldn't bring herself to take the phone away from her ear.
"Rach? Honey? What's wrong?"
Rachel looked at her mom through tear filled eyes, trying to hold her composure. "Mama. Quinn is missing." She cried, finally allowing the tears to fall.
She saw her moms lips moving but she couldn't hear what she was saying. The blood was pounding in her ears, her heart was racing and she felt like she couldn't breathe.
Rachel had finally reached her breaking point.
ooo
Shelby sighed and took a generous gulp from her glass of red wine. Today had been one for the books.
Rachel had broke out into a full blown panic attack at lunch and had hyperventilated the entire car ride home, to the point Shelby almost considered taking her to the hospital. She finally calmed down and then took an hour long shower. When she had emerged Shelby noticed her legs looked raw, as if she had been scrubbing them for the entire hour. It was now close to ten at night and Shelby had finally been able to sneak out of Rachel's room after spending close to two hours trying to get her to sleep.
Shelby had just got off the phone with Judy, they found Quinn a few hours ago out by the bleachers. It looked like she had fallen and hit her head along with a broken leg. An accident.
But something in Shelby's stomach didn't sit right. Quinn was currently in the hospital still asleep, she was severely dehydrated from the hours in the sun, and she had a feeling once Quinn woke up, it would no longer be declared an accident, but that someone had pushed her. Shelby had called officer Cohen with her concerns, and he said that they unfortunately couldn't do anything until Quinn stated herself she was pushed, and that they needed to 'sit tight' until they received the security footage from the mall.
It had taken Shelby everything she had to not go off when he had told her to sit tight. Would he be able to sit tight if his daughter's rapist were tormenting them? Most likely, not.
Shelby put her head in her hands and forced herself not to cry. Ever since she was twenty two, all she ever wanted was her baby back. But she never would have wished it with these circumstances. She would go her whole life never getting Rachel back if it meant her baby didn't have to hurt so badly. She wanted to take all her pain away. But she couldn't. And she felt like a failure.
Shelby tensed when she felt her mom's hands on her shoulders, hating she was seeing her so vulnerable.
"I know this can't be easy on you Shelby. I see it in your eyes how much you're struggling. Talk to me." Her mother said gently, sitting down besides her.
Shelby shook her head in defeat. "I just feel so lost, mom. I'm trying so hard to be there for her and support her, but I don't know what I'm doing. I feel like I don't know how to be a mom to a teenager, let alone one that is so broken." Shelby said, keeping her voice steady. "I don't want to fail her. And I'm so terrified for her." Shelby felt her voice break and she finally let the tears fall. "I can't lose her. I just got her back" she cried.
Shelby felt herself being pulled up into her mother's arms, and heard the tears in her voice when she spoke. "You are doing an excellent job with Rachel. You are not failing her." Helene said, pulling back so Shelby could see her face. "And none of us will ever let anything happen to her. Do you understand me? You're not alone anymore Shelby. We're all going to work together to protect Rachel and to make her whole again."
Shelby simply nodded her head at her mother's words, knowing her voice would only fail her.
"I brought these down out of the safe. I thought you might need to see them right now." Her mom said, grabbing a folder off the counter and handing it to Shelby.
Shelby felt her throat close up once she realized what it was.
She had lied to Rachel earlier about that being the only picture she had. But she couldn't bring herself to share these with Rachel. Not yet, anyways.
After Shelby's six week appointment where she first heard Rachel's heart beat, she waited until the Berry's left the room to ask for a copy of the sonogram. She was shocked when the nurse agreed so easily. Shelby asked for a copy at every appointment after that, the nurse said yes every time.
She clutched the sonograms in her hand and tried not to cry. She gave them one last look before putting them to the side and pulling out the remains of the folder.
Shelby had also bought a disposable camera during her pregnancy and would often take pictures of herself and her ever growing belly in a full length mirror. She had about a dozen of those types of photos.
But the last picture that was ever taken on the camera was the one that would always pull on Shelby's heart.
It was in the hospital room, a nurse standing about ten feet back had saw the camera in her bag and just assumed Shelby would want a picture. And she captured the most beautiful photo.
It was moments after Shelby had delivered Rachel. Her hair was matted to her forehead and her cheeks were red, and if you looked closely enough you could see tears on her cheeks. Shelby's eyes weren't focused on the camera though, but two feet in front of her where the doctor was holding up the most gorgeous little baby, whose eyes were staring straight into her mother's.
It was a moment so pure. Mother and daughter meeting for the first time, and in Shelby's case, the last time. Shelby had never been more thankful for a photo in her life.
Shelby saw a tear hit the photo before she realized she was crying. It had been so long since she had thought about these pictures. She had given them to her parents so she would stop tormenting herself with them. She almost threw them away completely but could never bring herself to do it.
How she wished more than anything she could step into that photo and scream for her baby. Beg and plead. No longer proud or caring about broadway, she would tell the younger version of herself just how much that beautiful baby needed her.
And how much she needed her baby.
ooo
Quinn woke up to a loud, consistent, steady beeping noise and scratchy sheets. This definitely wasn't her room.
She opened her eyes and was met with a bright white light when everything came rushing back.
Quinn had received a note in her locker telling her to meet whoever wrote the note on the bleachers at five, they knew who had slushied Rachel.
Quinn went to the bleachers at five on the dot and looked around impatiently when her eyes spotted a piece of paper taped to one of the rows near the top.
Quinn walked up and grabbed the paper, frowning in confusion at the address written on the paper, it was the address of where Beth lived with her adoptive parents. Quinn turned the paper around and her blood ran cold at the single sentence written. 'You've been warned.'
Quinn quickly stuffed the note in her bag and turned to go back down the bleachers when she felt someone shove her. Hard. And for the second time that week, everything went black.
"My bag. I need my bag." Quinn croaked out to the fuzzy person in the room.
"Oh Quinnie, you're okay!" Her mom said, coming into to focus. "We've been so worried and I -
"Mom I need my bag!!" Quinn yelled, cutting her off.
"It's at home, Quinnie." Mrs. Fabray blinked in confusion. "What's going on?"
Quinn groaned at the throbbing building in her head. "Mom. I don't have time to answer questions. Please go home and get my bag. And leave me your phone. I have to call officer Cohen." Judy opened her mouth to argue but Quinn quickly shut her down. "Mom. Please this is important. Beth could be in danger. I promise I'll fill you in. After you get my bag."
Quinn watched as her mother's eyes flashed with hurt at the mention of her granddaughter. She looked at Quinn for a moment before handing her her phone and grabbing her purse.
"I'll be back." She said simply.
Quinn picked up the phone and quickly punched in the number she had come to memorize.
"Rachel?"
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A/N :
A little shorter but I've already started the next chapter and it's already at 5k! Hopefully that makes up for it! Leave a review and let me know what you think!!