What To Expect When The Unexpected Happens

by the gifted one

Tragedy strikes. Rachel, Quinn, Santana, and Mercedes are suddenly forced to live with Shelby and Beth. How will the girls survive the heartache of death and change? How will Shelby adjust to the unexpected changes of her own life? As the girls deal with ever changing romantic relationships and insanity from people, will they still have the will power to heal and grieve properly?

34. Chapter Thirty-Three: Santana

Finally…

Santana

"You want to join glee again?" asked Mr. Schuester as his eyebrows rose together in surprise.

"Yeah if that's okay" Santana replied quietly.

"It's definitely okay" spoke up Rachel and giving Santana a reassuring smile.

"How does everyone else feel?" Mr. Schuester asked the other members, "I'm all for it but we always voted as a team."

"It's all good Mr. Schue…the more the merrier and we could really use Santana right now" spoke up Finn from the front row.

Mercedes and Quinn were nodding their heads and Santana looked over to Mr. Schue for confirmation. He smiled genuinely and lifted his arm up in welcome while directing Santana over to a seat. Several members gave her approving nods while others had wide smiles and sympathetic eyes. Santana hated sympathy, it was always a sign of weakness to her but she knew the glee members weren't doing this to be malicious.

Mr. Schuester started them up with the warm-up once again and Santana felt her singing chops being massaged and put back into good use. She missed this, she really did and this time instead of being bitter and mean, she was going to try and be a good and supportive team mate. She understood the bigger picture with the glee members allowing her to be here. This was their way of offering forgiveness for all her wrongdoings in the past and she had to hold up her end of the bargain by at least trying her best and having a positive attitude.

Practice was coming to a close and Santana noticed as Rachel's hand shot in the air and waved around, while she said Mr. Schue's name loudly. Santana found herself rolling her eyes than smiling widely from the familiarity of it all.

"Yes Rachel" replied Mr. Schue while pointing at her.

"As you well know my mom, Shelby Corcoran…well Johnson now, is a four time national show choir champion and I think it would be well in our benefit to use her expertise if we want to get better" said Rachel.

"Why?" asked Kurt.

"I think if we had a extra set of eyes, it would help us only become that much closer to the prize" reasoned Rachel, "this isn't a knock at your teaching Mr. Schue, I just figure why not use every available resource."

"Did you talk to mom about this already?" asked Quinn.

"Well I mentioned it to her and she willingly offered her services" replied Rachel with a giant smile.

"Things changed though Munchkin" offered Mercedes.

"I know" said Rachel as she stood up and walked to the middle of the floor, "and that's why I figured if we rehearse all week than record what we've done on video on Friday in the auditorium. Show it to mom and she gives us some good pointers than we can apply those things in our routine the next week" she said almost in one breath.

"I have no problem with it Rachel but only if it's okay with Shelby and ultimately your family" said Mr. Schue.

"I'll ask again but…I have to win this year guys" said Rachel turning serious. "I need this for reasons some of you won't be able to understand, not even my sisters. I'm willing to work extra hard and use whatever means necessary to win that national title. It's only right" said Rachel.

Santana understood what she meant in a lot of ways. They had to win it all this year in respect for the ones they lost while trying to get there. Sure it may seem like a stupid show choir competition but for them it meant so much more and Santana was going to make sure everyone pulled their weight to get this done. She locked eyes with Rachel and nodded, they needed this, they wanted this, and they would make it happen.

Quinn

She couldn't wait for this Friday to be over and done with. Her day started off wrong with the emotionally draining conversation with Brittany and it ended up with her not being on a date with her girlfriend but rather at home, lying on her bed looking at the ceiling and thinking. Whoever coined the phrase 'honesty is the best policy' she wanted to punch them hard in the face…hopefully breaking their nose. She was honest with Kitty about what had gone down with Brittany and now her girlfriend was beyond pissed and hurt with her actions. Quinn didn't know how to fix it but she was going to try.

Quinn got out Mercedes car quickly. Closing the door behind her she stalked over towards Brittany who was obviously waiting for her to arrive at school. She was already pissed because it seemed her former girlfriend couldn't take a hint. She didn't want anything to do with Brittany Pierce any longer.

Quinn walked over angrily and stood a few feet away from Brittany, while crossing her arms over chest. The sight of crystal blue eyes caused her stomach to lurch slightly as she heard the rest of her sisters exit the vehicle and make their way into the building.

Her eyes squared slightly at Brittany and full on HBIC mode, which seemed to have no affect on the taller blonde whatsoever. Brittany could always read her even when she was being a bitch…like now.

"Good morning Quinnie" spoke out Brittany while eyeing her.

Quinn grunted in response before letting her anger out, "What do you want?" she spat out.

"To talk…a chance to clear the air" she replied, "I know you're angry but at least give me a chance to explain."

"Why?" scoffed Quinn as she looked at Brittany in utter malice, "please explain your reasoning behind lying to me and breaking my fucking heart…again" Quinn almost yelled. She breathed deeply and tried raining in her emotions that she was quickly losing control of. At one time she could hide behind a mask but since being a Corcoran, her emotions were right on her sleeve for everyone and anyone to see. The funny thing was she didn't even care who could see them any longer.

"You broke my heart before as well" said Brittany calmly in a shaky voice, "so let's not assign blame here."

The truth of that statement stung a little more than Quinn would've liked but she took a deep breath and motioned for Brittany to explain herself.

Brittany clarified why she lied in the first place; explaining how she had attacked her brother and sent him to the hospital. She was embarrassed because she ended doing what Santana had done to her and the bitterness was eating her alive. She did in fact leave town and now was living with her aunt and receiving therapy.

"I wanted to get better for you" said Brittany sadly, "and for me and I couldn't do that anymore here. I couldn't be with you while I was slowly crumbling away inside. And it wasn't you…it was me" shrugged Brittany.

"Why couldn't you have just been honest and said that?" questioned Quinn angrily. She knew about all the things Brittany told her because Mercedes had shared it with her before, "saying all this doesn't excuse the fact that you lied to me. That you hurt me Brittany. You know how much I sacrificed just to be with you? I know you do" Quinn said "incredulously, "at the very least you could have given me honesty. When I broke up with you, I told you the truth as to why we broke up that first time…why couldn't you extend me the same courtesy?"

"I dunno" said Brittany quietly, "I thought it would just be easier this way."

Quinn scoffed again at the response as she turned her face away and shook her head angrily, "you wanted the truth" said Brittany through flared nostrils, "and I gave it to you! Now all of a sudden that's not good enough!" It was Brittany's turn to be pissed, she came to make amends, not fight.

"No! It's not!" yelled Quinn as hot tears forced their way out of her eyes and down her face. The pain hadn't quite left and she had known that for awhile. In order not to think about how much her heart hurt she simply dismissed it from her mind and it helped that Brittany wasn't around every day to remind her of that.

Quinn noticed that Brittany was now crying and just as upset as she was. It took everything in her being not to run over there and hug her and whisper encouraging words. Not to wipe her tears away and cup her face and place soft kisses on her lips. She hated seeing Brittany crying because it was akin to kicking a puppy while it was sick. It always gave Quinn the worse feeling but for once, she couldn't go over there and make it better. She couldn't be the consoler.

A long silence passed between them and was only broken by the ringing of the first bell. Several of the student body had walked by and waved to Brittany and said some greetings but they didn't dare come over because of the death glare Quinn was giving and most people could see that they were upset. The second bell rang out loudly and Quinn decided she'd had enough.

"I'm gone Brittany. I'm going to be late to class. I promised my people I would stay out of trouble" said Quinn, "This has been decidedly not fun and I guess I'll see you whenever" she said before turning to leave.

"This hasn't resolved anything" replied Brittany with her confused expression.

"There's nothing to resolve. You and I aren't together" shrugged Quinn. "We haven't been for awhile and honestly I think it's for the best. Every time we tried to make it work, something or someone was always in the way. I think it's time for us to take the hint" replied Quinn quietly. It was a sad realization but it was the truth.

Brittany nodded her head sadly as Quinn started making her way to the school slowly, "Are you with Kitty?" she heard Brittany ask, as it stopped her dead in her tracks. Quinn turned around slowly and eyed her ex girlfriend, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I-I just wanted to know" replied Brittany, "I wanted to hear it from you."

Quinn took a large breath and sighed, "Yeah we're dating" came the response.

"Is it serious?"

"I dunno honestly…but Brittany its private really" said Quinn, "All I know is that I really like her and want to keep seeing her."

Brittany nodded and swiftly jumped of the hood of her car and walked over to Quinn with such grace and ease. The control of her body movements was one of things Quinn always admired in Brittany. They were now standing face to face and Quinn was awaiting her next movement.

"When we were together, you said if we ever broke up that it should always end on good terms. This last time it didn't end that way" said Brittany looking down into Quinn's eyes.

"I was caught off guard and heartbroken Brittany. You'll always have a place in my heart…forever but we just don't work" said Quinn.

"I don't think that's true but my mom told me before that if we're meant to be together than we will be and I'm going to hold onto that faith, that belief that you and I are forever Lucy Quinn" said Brittany seriously. Brittany leaned down quickly and pressed her soft lips against Quinn's catching Quinn completely off guard. She'd missed the feel of Brittany and before she thought about it, she'd deepened the kiss and felt heat rush through her body when Brittany moaned out and moved her tongue against hers. They were always good at the physical…sex was always great between them. That was the one thing that worked in their relationship. As the kiss continued Quinn realized that sex wasn't enough and the image of Kitty's face popped in her head for a second forcing her to break the kiss and gasp for air.

"I've shouldn't have done that" Quinn said loudly admonishing herself for being weak.

"That was just proof we're still good together" said Brittany seriously.

"No that was proof that we're both really good kissers. I'm sorry Britt but I have a girl…a girl that I like and for whatever reason still likes me after I played her. You and I are done…done for good. I'm sorry about everything that's gone down. Most of it wasn't even in my control but I'm apologizing none the less. I wish you well in your therapy and in life. Please stop calling my phone, stop texting me and leaving me messages online. We need a clean break and the only way to do that is with no communication. This break up was clean and what you desired…you got it, now please move on and leave me alone" said Quinn. She turned around quickly and ran towards the building not allowing Brittany to respond. She didn't want to hear any more of it. Love shouldn't be this hard…it should be like it is with Kitty, Quinn thought to herself, easy.

That thought alone caused Quinn to stop dead and her tracks…was she falling in love with Kitty? It would be a little too soon for the both of them…right? If that was the case than she knew she made the right decision by taking things slow and right then and there she decided to make another right decision and confess to Kitty what had just gone down between her and Brittany.

So after glee practice that's what Quinn did and instead of Kitty being grateful that Quinn decided to tell the truth, she slapped the crap out of Quinn's face and stormed away in anger, yelling back to Quinn to leave her alone.

The hazel eyed beauty shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair as she thought about the day's events. She couldn't leave things like this between her and Kitty. Katherine Wilde was worth fighting for in Quinn's mind and she was going to fix this, damn it. Looking over from the side of her bed at her alarm clock, she noted it was only quarter to seven. It felt later because it got dark so fast outside but she knew she could go talk to Kitty, clear the air and still make it back in time for curfew.

Quinn jumped up and grabbed her car keys off of her night stand before thundering down the stairs and into the hallway, before barging into Rachel's room, "Rach I'm going over to Kitty's…wanna come?"

Rachel popped her head up from the book she was reading and shook her head at Quinn, "While I'm happy you decided to ask me if I would like to join you in the ride over to the McLaurin's, I'd appreciate it if you'd would knock first before just bursting through my door. I could've been changing" stated Rachel.

The small remnant of a smile graced Quinn's lips because she hadn't heard Rachel ramble and speak in unnecessary and long ass sentences and quite some time. Rachel was getting back to normal and that was a good thing.

"I didn't come in here for a speech, twerp…you coming or not?" was Quinn's response. Rachel squared her eyes before responding in an exasperated tone that she would accompany her.

Quinn went out and warmed the car after letting Shelby know where she and Rach were headed to, this winter was still particularly cold even though surprisingly they hadn't experienced a snow storm yet. Rachel came bounding out of the house quickly, wrapped in her coat, hat and mittens.

"You look like a mini Shelby with that on" said Quinn with a smirk.

"Is it mess with Rachel day or something?" replied her sister as Rachel rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"How else am I supposed to make you see that I love you?" countered Quinn, as they waited for their gate to open and let them out.

"So all those times when we were freshman and sophomores and you picked with me, you really were just saying you loved me…or was in love with me…good to know" replied Rachel smartly.

Quinn scoffed, "I was in love with Brittany and sleeping with Puck back then so no. Unfortunately you were an easy target for my anger, especially with those short ass skirts and knee highs, not to mention you were trying to steal my man" said Quinn knowingly, "so no I wasn't in love with you Munchkin."

"Steal your man" said Rachel incredulously, "Quinn he was never yours if you'd be honest with yourself."

Of course that's the only part she would hear, "I was dating him at the time" said Quinn just continuing the pointless argument to mess with her sister.

"Does it matter now" snapped Rachel, "I had his baby and you're full-fledged gay now" said Rachel as she huffed, crossed her arms tightly over her body and held a petulant expression.

Quinn fought the urge to laugh out loud, "Hey Rachel" she called out after a few minutes of silence.

"Yes Quinn" Rachel exasperatedly replied.

"I love you" she said simply.

Rachel cut her eyes over at Quinn before quietly responding that she loved her too, finally realizing that Quinn was working her up on purpose. It really was a distraction for Quinn because she was nervous about meeting with Kitty.

"How's Tyler?" she asked to kill the silence.

"Not good, he's so angry and heartbroken" replied Rachel, "same as Santana."

"Kitty's pissed with me" said Quinn.

"Why?" Rachel questioned quietly.

"Brittany kissed me and I kissed her back…but I was honest with Kitty and now I have to fix it" Quinn replied in an almost robotic tone. Quinn quickly pulled up to the curb and parked her trusty red car. She and Rachel walked up the porch steps and to the door silently.

"Good luck" said Rachel as she rang the door bell and they heard someone coming to the door to answer.

"You too" whispered Quinn before the door was opened quickly and Nana McLaurin stood to the side to let them in.

"Quinn Corcoran, what did you do to my baby to have her coming in this house sobbing like she was?" questioned the older black woman seriously.

"I messed up really bad" said Quinn honestly, with a hint of nervousness, even though she was quick to not show it. She'd never seen the woman as aggravated as she was right now.

"I suggest you fix it then…there's enough heartbreak going on in this house without adding more drama" said the woman with finality and looking at Quinn pointedly.

"Yes ma'am" is all Quinn could manage to get out.

"I concur one hundred percent" said Rachel, buttering up to the older woman and ribbing Quinn at the same time. Quinn cut her eyes sharply at Rachel and noticed her sister was trying not to smirk, "any news on Sage yet?" asked Rachel solemnly.

Nana McLaurin just shook her head sadly, "we're working on it, but we're just in the dark. You're mom gave us their lawyers Andrew and Elliot to help but…nothing" shrugged the woman, "Try and make Tyler feel better please" she said smiling down at Rachel, "and you" she turned around suddenly pointing her finger in Quinn's direction, "go and fix it…she's in the basement" was the woman's last instruction before walking up the steps.

Quinn slapped Rachel's hand away when she playfully pointed towards the basement and began to shoo her in the direction of Kitty. Rachel broke into a fit of giggles before walking up the steps towards Tyler's room.

Quinn took a deep breath before walking down the stairs and descending them one at a time. As the basement came into view Quinn saw Kitty spread out on one of the couch's with the television on. Kitty's eyes were red and slightly swollen and the shorter blonde had no clue that Quinn was now in the room…or maybe she did and was trying her best to ignore her.

That little detail was cleared up with Kitty's next statement, "what do you want and more importantly why are you here?" asked Kitty not taking her eyes away from the television screen.

"I came to talk about what happened and us" said Quinn deciding to stand in front of Kitty's view, effectively blocking her vision towards the television.

Kitty sighed heavily and rolled her eyes, "I told you to leave me alone. I don't want to be around you right now."

"Too bad" shrugged Quinn, "we're not supposed to go to bed angry or some shit like that."

"First off we're not married and secondly I don't feel like being bothered, especially by you so skedaddle" said Kitty getting off the couch quickly and walking away from Quinn. Thinking on her feet she pulled Kitty towards her, almost slamming their bodies together. Quinn pressed the front of her body against the back of Kitty's and snaked her arms around her waist quickly tightening her embrace in one motion. She felt Kitty stiffen her body up against her and try to pull away from her but Quinn tightened her grip even though her heart was pained slightly at knowing how uncomfortable Kitty was being with her.

"Just hear me out please" said Quinn calmly as Kitty began fighting to pull away from her.

"I told you before I want to be alone" said Kitty emotionally as she tried pulling Quinn's arms apart unsuccessfully. Quinn kept up her tight embrace and wasn't surprised when Kitty started banging her arm with her fist to try and loosen Quinn's grip, but it was to no avail. Quinn was determined not to let go until she got to say her peace.

Eventually Kitty stopped fighting and slumped against Quinn's body with a dramatic sob. Quinn began crying herself, once she was hit with the realization of how much she hurt Kitty and inadvertently began rocking them back and forth as they both cried out their frustrations.

"I'm sorry" said Quinn in a raspy and emotional voice, "I'm so sorry."

Kitty replied by shaking her head and asking for Quinn to let her go. "I can't do that. I thought I was doing the right thing by telling you everything and being honest. You told me to talk to her and I did" said Quinn trying her best to explain.

"I said talk Quinn" snapped Kitty angrily, "not fucking kiss her and make out with her."

"I know and I'm sorry that I did that…I truly am. I got caught up" whispered Quinn as she squeezed Kitty's waist slightly.

"How come?" responded Kitty brokenly.

Quinn took a deep breath, "There's still a place in my heart for her. She meant so much to me" whispered Quinn.

Kitty sucked her teeth and tried to pull away, "I said meant Kitty…she meant so much to me" said Quinn.

"She means a lot to you…not meant. You still love her and care about her and don't lie to me and tell me you don't" said Kitty as she was straining to get out of Quinn clutch.

"Kitty please stop!" snapped Quinn causing the girl beneath her arms to immediately follow the command. "Yes at one point in time I thought Brittany was the love of my life…I really did and at one point I would've sacrificed everything for her and at one point I did. But not anymore! I finally wised up and saw what everyone else was telling me!" Quinn said in frustration.

"And what was that?!" yelled Kitty back angrily.

"That she's a manipulator and that she could and can still be quite selfish. That even though I would do anything for her, she never really showed me the same consideration; that our relationship started out being built on sex but relationships are more than just sex. They're built on trust, honesty, respect, and love…and I never really had all those things with her. Yes I loved her but we were always lying to one another and keeping things from one another" said Quinn. Her voiced had lowered considerably and without her realization she had slowly let Kitty go as she talked about her relationship with her ex, "she was damaged, Santana damaged her and she shouldn't have been in a relationship" said Quinn shaking her, "I loved her more than she loved me" said Quinn as a lone tear fell off her face and she turned away from Kitty. "I'm sorry Kitty, it took me some time but I realized Britt and I aren't good for one another. When we were kissing, I stopped because your face popped in my head and I knew I had better options…better choices and she wasn't it. She was never it" Quinn said quietly, "please forgive me."

"I'm tired of being hurt by you. I have a say in this relationship as well…and if I forgive you, you have to promise to not keep hurting me like this" said Kitty after a prolonged silence.

"I promise" said Quinn without thought or pause, "but I'm human and I make a lot of mistakes but you don't have to worry about me cheating on you or kissing another woman besides you. I think I've finally learned my lesson" responded Quinn.

"You think?" asked Kitty as she walked around and stood in front of Quinn, looking up at her with a questioning expression.

"I know" said Quinn with finality as she looked down into another pair of hazel eyes, "I'm gonna do right by you Kit Kat, I just need for you to trust me, which I know is hard but please try and trust me" pleaded Quinn. Kitty looked up at her before leaning and placing a soft kiss on her lips. It was tender and they didn't deepen it at all. The kiss was like a seal, a promise that they were both committed to one another and that it was all worth a try.

Kitty pulled away before licking her lips, "I wanna be spoiled for awhile" she told Quinn.

"You got it" said Quinn, to her that was an easy request.

"It's date night" whispered Kitty, as she looked up at Quinn through her lashes.

"I know but it's kinda late to be hitting the streets, plus your Nana isn't too happy with me right now. So how about, we order some Chinese…I'm paying of course and we could watch something on Netflix" suggested Quinn.

"Sounds good to me, plus I would like cuddles and kisses…you kinda owe me" said Kitty as she pulled Quinn's arm and lead them to the couch, "but you need to go wash your teeth first, I refuse to give you open mouth kisses when you just kiss the girl who shall not be named" said Kitty as she pointed to the bathroom in the basement, "You'll find unused toothbrushes and toothpaste in the bathroom closet" said Kitty. Quinn looked at her in shock while her mouth hung open, "b-but you just" she started to say, but Kitty cut her off…"ah ah, go and wash and I'll get the movie started" said Kitty as she turned around suddenly and directed her attention towards the television while Quinn just looked aghast.

Quinn felt her feet dragging her towards the basement bathroom and she actually chuckled as looked at herself in the mirror while brushing her teeth…she was whipped already.

Once Quinn came out Kitty was on the phone ordering the food and a lot of it. Quinn raised her eyebrow in question, and Kitty mouthed 'Tyler and Rachel'. Quinn nodded and understanding and watched as her small sister and Tyler made their way down the basement stairs and huddled together on the smaller couch.

"Alright" said Kitty hanging up her cell phone, "the foods been ordered and Quinn's paying, so let's enjoy this movie" she said as Quinn lowered herself down onto the bigger couch. She shook her head at Kitty and knew her girlfriend was going to milk this one. As soon as she got comfortable Kitty climbed onto Quinn and laid her back against Quinn's front. Quinn instinctively wrapped Kitty's midsection as Kitty got the movie started. Quinn glanced over and noticed that Rachel was holding Tyler the same way and it was kinda funny because of the fact Ty was bigger than Rachel…at least they seemed to fit a little better. More than when she was with Finn in Quinn's opinion.

As the movie trekked on, Quinn knew she wasn't paying attention. Her mind was too busy going over the day's events. As she held Kitty and drew small patterns on her stomach she pondered over why she didn't realize all those things before about Brittany and her relationship. It seemed that everyone was trying to tell her what the deal was but she just couldn't see it. It wasn't until distance was put between them and she had time to really think over everything, and even still she gave Brittany the benefit of the doubt. She didn't want to believe that Brittany was being manipulative and completely selfish and the reality of that didn't hit her until she had to spell it out for herself. She really was stupid when it came to relationships and she suffered from the old saying of "love is blind".

"Somebody owes me money" said Nana McLaurin as she came down the steps holding a takeout bag.

"That would be me" Quinn replied as she pushed Kitty up a little to pay for and grab the food.

"Did ya'll order this old woman and her man something" said Nana as she handed Quinn the bag of food and waved off her money, which Quinn was trying to place in the older black woman's hand.

"Yup I did, I ordered your favorite" said Kitty sweetly.

"Suck up" replied Tyler from his position on Rachel, who was running her hands through his curly hair and scratching his scalp.

"Boy get up off that tiny girl like that for you break her" snapped Nana McLaurin.

"Why Nana, she's comfortable" Tyler said looking at his grandmother.

"Don't let me have to tell you again boy" said his Nana in a warning tone. Tyler begrudgingly got off of Rachel and sat up, while Rachel smirked with a tint of blush on her cheeks.

Kitty quickly gave Nana McLaurin the food and divvied out the rest to everyone else, while Tyler insisted that they say a prayer. Quinn didn't mind and listened intently as Tyler sent up a prayer to find Sage and to bring her back home safely. Kitty, Rachel, and Quinn gave a resounding 'amen' before partaking of their meal. They ate while the movie played on and once finished they quickly got into the previous positions of cuddling with one another. This time Rachel was lying on top of Tyler, while he rubbed her back and Kitty got into the same position with Quinn.

Quinn was unconsciously placing tender kisses on top Kitty's head and she noticed that Kitty had placed her thumb in her mouth, making Quinn feel good because she knew the girl was comfortable. She glanced over and saw Tyler and Rachel sharing a deep kiss and she adverted her eyes back to the screen. She didn't even know what the hell they were watching because her mind was all over the place.

Quinn wasn't aware she'd fallen asleep until someone shaking her frame brought her from unconsciousness. Her eyes fluttered in the tall frame of her dad came into view, "Terry" she groaned quietly as she realized Kitty's full weight was on top of her.

"Hey, c'mon…you guys are extremely late" he said quietly.

Quinn looked over and Tyler's granddad was waking Rachel and Ty up. They all were disoriented and didn't know what time it was.

"C'mon girls you missed curfew, it's after two in the morning" said Terry, slightly agitated.

"Dad, I'm sorry" groaned out Quinn as she sat up, waking Kitty in the process who started to whimper. Quinn shushed her with a soft kiss and was whispering in her ear to help her wake up. Rachel's own whimpering started, especially when she realized Terry was there to come and get them.

"Daddy I don't wanna get grounded" she said in a small childlike voice, "we just fell asleep and missed curfew, we didn't mean it."

"We'll discuss it later" said Terry in his deep voice. Quinn could tell his resolve of being slightly angry was breaking with the way Rachel was laying it on thick and using those big eyes of hers.

Tyler and Kitty was sent upstairs and they were shuffled out the door into the cold winter air. Uncle Stephen was leaning on Quinn's car and Quinn tossed the keys to him as they followed Terry to his truck. Quinn climbed in the backseat with every intention of falling back into a deep slumber but the man she considered her real father had other ideas.

"Ah ah, you two…don't even think about going to sleep" he said with a steely expression. Quinn sighed but popped right back up. It was often that Terry used that type of tone and she knew they were about to get an ear full as he pulled out of the parking spot and onto the silent streets of Lima.

"Now you two are forcing me to lie to my wife and I just got married. And you can guarantee I don't like this not one bit" he snapped lightly.

"Dad, we're really sorry. It was an honest mistake…my mistake really" offered Quinn. "We just both fell asleep."

"I understand that" responded Terry instantly, "I get that mistakes happen but I lied to Shelby tonight, explaining to her that the both of you were home, so she could fall asleep because she was starting to freak out. Now I know the both of you have been made aware of the fact that she can't be under any type of stress right" he said as Quinn could almost feel the anger radiating off of him. They both nodded and looked away in shame.

"Right?" he said again as they stopped at a red light.

"Right" came the pitiful response from both of them.

"The most important thing right now is what?" he asked.

"The baby" they said in unison.

"It's not that we're picking favorites girls, but our newest and littlest one has to make it here safe and the baby can't do that if it's sisters keep breaking rules and getting in trouble…can it?" he asked as he turned onto their street. He pressed the gate opener and the heavy metal door swung open and Terry made quick work of parking. "Can it, ladies?" he asked again.

"No sir" Quinn said instantly, while Rachel didn't respond, she just held her head down.

"I'm disappointed ladies, I don't want to have this conversation any more" said Terry sternly.

"Dad, we're sorry" Rachel said emotionally. Quinn could hear the tears in her voice, "we really just wanted to make them feel better and lost track of time, we don't want you to be disappointed."

Quinn felt a lump in her throat, she hated disappointing people she loved…especially parental figures. It just went against her nature or something.

"Now now Rachel…don't go putting them baby browns on me, it's not gonna work" he said looking straight ahead of him. Quinn knew it had a possibility of working and that's why he was avoiding eye contact with her…with the both of them.

"Dad we're really sorry though" whispered Quinn quietly.

"I know you are, but there are consequences for every action. Now you girls have to be grounded without your mother becoming the wiser…which is forcing me to lie again" he said irritably, "so extra chores will be your punishment under the guise that you're really helping out the family" said Terry.

"Okay" they both said. That wasn't too bad of a punishment.

"And" continued Terry as both Quinn and Rachel's shoulders deflated, "I want a five page paper on the importance of following all house rules and maintaining curfew as a teenager growing up in today's society" said Terry, "and the paper is due tomorrow at three thirty in the morning, on the dot" he said with satisfaction.

"Tomorrow" grumbled Quinn.

"Yup…tomorrow" was his response.

"Why three thirty in the morning though" as Rachel incredulously.

"Because that's what time it will be by the time I get to bed tonight…you've kept me and your uncle up all night, so tomorrow night you'll be up" said Terry as she swung the truck door open and got out.

Rachel's mouth was hanging open and Quinn just shook her head. Was Kitty worth all of this? The sudden image of Kitty naked and ready popped into her head, and Quinn answered her own self with a resounding yes before getting out of the truck and making her way to the house. Rachel was right behind her and they were instructed to get to bed immediately. Rachel shuffled down the hall with her shoulders slumped and her head down, looking every bit like a five year old that had just been scolded. Quinn waited by her door and watched her get into bed, tucking her in like the spoiled brat she was before walking up the stairs and flopping down on her own bed and instantly falling asleep.

Shelby

"So how'd it go?" asked Shelby as she watched her husband walk through the door.

"Good, they feel pretty bad and guilty" he said stripping down to his underwear and getting into bed slowly with her. He leaned his head on his arm and turned his body to face her, "you should've seen Rachel…she really tried to get me with that baby voice and her eyes."

"You didn't look did you?" giggled out Shelby.

"Naw…she almost got me though" he said smiling back, "They really just fell asleep, the both of them were knocked out huddled up against Kitty and Tyler" he said.

Shelby hummed, she started to get worried when Quinn and Rachel didn't come home by curfew and they weren't picking up their phones when Terry called. Terry called her mom when she started to freak, knowing the woman would calm her down before she called the cops. Her mother reminded her of the many times she broke curfew because of a boy and how she was grounded because of it. Nana sent Stephen out of the house to go get the girls once Shelby remembered that they were over the McLaurin's. Terry went as well and before he left they came up with a way for the girls to feel a little guilty about the whole situation and apparently the plan worked.

"The paper will be here by tomorrow, so all you have to do is rest love, body and mind" said Terry.

"I'm tired of resting" groaned Shelby in frustration, "it's all I ever do is rest."

She glanced over and Terry was giving her an unimpressed look. They've been through this conversation before and she could tell he was tired of hearing it. Shelby sucked her teeth before turning her head in the direction of the television that was still on. She heard Terry sigh and he placed his large hand on her belly softly.

"The trials start soon" she said quietly.

"I know and you and I will watch them, right here from this bed…you're not going" said Terry with finality.

Shelby grabbed his hand and flung it off of her stomach before turning over on her side slowly and away from him.

"I know you're pissed Shells and I know you wanna be there but we can't afford this. Now if our girls understand about stressing situations and not giving you those, you can understand that too. It's high time you start accepting this…you're on bed rest…for the baby, our baby" he said.

As he talked she could feel tears slipping out of her eyes. She knew everything he was saying was correct but her hormones were all over the place and she just wanted to be supportive and be there for her girls. The case was high profile…national news.

The judge that was over the case was keeping all media out of the courtroom because of the fact it still involved minors. Even though Santana and Mercedes were already eighteen, all of this happened when they were still under aged. Shelby was thankful for that because practically the entire nation knew that they inherited a large sum of money. It seemed the nation was well aware that her daughter's parents were killed in a car accident by a drunk driver and the nation was aware of the basic points on these group of men and woman and their plot to get the girls inheritance. Shelby's name was often put in the papers and on the news. Her history of being a surrogate and her failed attempt at Broadway was always highlighted in the reports. Her marriage to Terry even made the local news cycle and Shelby was often wondering as of late, how their family was dealing with this type of pressure and media scrutiny. The girls were often referred to in the media as Corcoran girl A, B, C, D, and E. The only person whose name was out there was Kitty's and the media wasn't using her full legal name (Katherine) because they feared getting sued or fined. Shelby came to the realization that her family just pretended that all this crap in the media wasn't even happening. They had too much going on in their personal lives to worry about what the nation felt or thought.

New details were coming in everyday about the trial and Shelby learned today that Elliot and Andrew were second and third chair lawyers respectively as they were now on the side of the state of Ohio and not defending like they normally were. Elliot and Andrew pulled some strings because of Shelby's health situation and they would be viewing the proceedings through a secure line that would be at their home in her bedroom…because she was stuck on bed rest. There was also the possibility that she would need to testify and they were still trying to figure out how she could do that from home without having the stress of getting ready for court.

She still had concerns because the girls might have to testify as well but Terry was always trying to quench her fears and doubts. He knew and was understanding about her ever changing mood swings and what all of this was doing to her mentally. Her goal was to not stress out physically though and so far the treatments and her bed rest was working. Her blood pressure was normal again and she actually was putting on more weight which her doctor wanted. Her baby was growing nice and healthy and they had finally put a date on when her c-section would be.

After putting things into perspective she realized that missing a curfew wasn't all that important. The important thing was that her girls were home and safe, that her baby was healthy, and that she loved her husband.

Maneuvering her body back around to face Terry, she trained her watery eyes on him as he was fighting his hardest not to fall asleep. She grabbed his dark hand and placed it on her belly, causing Terry to open his eyes up and look at her. "I love you Mr. Johnson" whispered Shelby.

"I love you too Mrs. Johnson" said Terry as he began to rub her belly. As soon as he did that, the baby began kicking up a storm, causing Shelby to gasp slightly than smile. It was all for her baby to get here nice and healthy; this family couldn't afford any more tragedies or major dramas any longer. Terry felt the kicks as well and he bent over and placed soft kisses all over her protruding belly. She rubbed his head softly as Terry somehow curled his body into her lower half so that his face was aligned with her stomach. He wrapped an arm around them and Shelby could feel the baby calm down as they slowly drifted off to sleep.

Santana

The day was finally here.

The trial was starting and Santana felt anxiousness all in her stomach as she smoothed down her skirt, while inspecting herself in the mirror. She and her sisters had been excused from school for the week, while the trials were going on. She decided to tighten up her makeup and find a good sweater to wear with her outfit, noticing she didn't have any she went into Quinn's room and borrowed one of hers.

Quinn was already downstairs helping Rachel with breakfast and she would ask her when she got down there…Quinn didn't really wear the sweaters any longer anyway.

Santana sat on her bed and looked down at the picture of her and Sage that she adored so much. Still no word and she truly missed her girlfriend…they loved one another so deeply that it almost freaked Santana out sometimes and the fact that Sage wasn't here with her was causing serious anxiety. She felt her chest tighten slightly and she began breathing deeply and slowly, trying her best to push away a panic attack that had been trying to happen all morning long. Santana walked to the bathroom she shared with Quinn and popped an anti anxiety pill she had been given some time ago with a full glass of water.

She went to her room and looked at the picture of her and Sage before picking it up and giving Sage a small kiss before placing the frame back down. Her mother's tattered diary was next to the picture and she picked that up and gave the binding a small kiss as well. She reached over and picked up the locket that Mercedes had given her some time ago with the picture of Mercedes' old family and the picture of her and Marcellus together in it and placed it around her neck. Adjusting the locket and her blouse she picked up her bracelet that Sage had given her and placed it around her wrist before exiting her room and making her way into the kitchen.

"Quinn can I borrow this sweater?" asked Santana as soon as she saw her sister.

"Yeah…you can keep it for all I care" said Quinn as she sat a plate of toast on the table.

"Thanks" whispered Santana as Mercedes came out of the hallway and came to take a seat, "looking good Squirt" said Santana as Mercedes sat down.

"Thanks" came the soft reply. They all were trying to be nice, knowing the anxiousness they all felt with this upcoming week.

"Okay here's the bacon" said Rachel as she sat it on the table along with a bowl of fruit salad. Rachel had been slowly consuming fish and turkey products but that was about as far as solid meat was concerned. Rachel had a bagel and fruit salad while the rest of them consumed everything else.

"Good morning ladies" they heard their mother say causing the girls to look up in shock. Shelby was walking…more like waddling into the kitchen with Terry behind her and he was holding a sleeping but dressed for the day Beth.

"Momma what are you doing out of the bed?" asked Rachel with deep concern. The rest of them held that same expression as they looked at the pregnant woman.

"I was given permission to come and see you girls off and at least have breakfast in the morning with you before you leave for court" Shelby said as she looked at Terry, who was pulling out a seat for her and directing her to sit down.

"But after we leave, you're going right back to bed right" said Mercedes.

"Yes I am" agreed Shelby as Quinn placed a plate in front of her. Quinn had gotten up to fix plates as soon as she saw Shelby coming towards the kitchen. Quinn sat a plate in front of Terry as the man maneuvered a grumpy Beth around in his lap. To her credit Beth just whimpered slightly before leaning back into Terry and going back to sleep. Terry sighed deeply with a smile on his face as he looked down at the small girl.

"She had an early morning today" explained Shelby with a smirk, "Beth came busting through the door at five o'clock and refused to go back to sleep. When it came time to get her dressed for the sitters, that's when she decided she wanted to go back to sleep" said Shelby.

"So I'm guessing you guys are tired as well" said Quinn with a huge smirk on her face.

Shelby nodded before taking a drink of her orange juice. The door swung open and in walked Nana and Uncle Stephen with a cheery disposition. Santana immediately got up and went to hug the older woman, having missed her so much.

"How are you baby?" asked Nana softly in her ear.

"I'm okay…considering" whispered back Santana as Nana squeezed her strongly, "keep holding on Peanut, we're all here to support…okay."

"Okay" whispered back Santana with watery eyes. Nana pulled back and placed a soft kiss on Santana's cheek before guiding them into the kitchen, where Nana went around kissing and hugging everyone and asking her sisters the same question. Varied responses were given and Santana realized she didn't have much of an appetite any longer. Mercedes went about cleaning the table off and Santana decided to help. Terry was packing up Beth's bag for the sitters while talking with Uncle Stephen, while Nana sat talking to Rachel and Shelby. Quinn had gotten everyone's purse and before long they were all standing around giving one another hugs and hoping for the best.

"Quinn you have your inhaler?" asked Shelby.

Quinn confirmed and they were all shuffling into Uncle Stephen's truck getting settled before leaving for downtown Lima. Beth was dropped off at the sitters and would be spending an abnormal amount of time with the lady that watched her when no one in the Corcoran-Johnson clan could. Beth gave soft goodbyes to everyone before Nana picked her up out of the car seat to carry her to the sitters. She was eagerly waving goodbye to all of them and they were all watching and waving back. Santana could see Quinn's eyes watering as she waved goodbye to Beth. Once Nana dropped her off and got back in they were on their way.

As they approached the hated building for Santana, she felt her breathing pick up. Mercedes reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it for dear life. Television cameras and reporters were everywhere with professional photographers, snapping away. It was literally media frenzy and she felt a lump in her throat. They didn't park in the parking lot, like they've done before. Her uncle made a sharp left and they drove down into an underground garage, reserved for lawyers and judges. As soon as they got below ground the madness disappeared and Santana released a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding.

They all shuffled out of the car and Elliot was there to meet them along with an armed security guard to show them through the courthouse. She and her sisters had naturally huddled together and waited as her grandmother and uncle talked with Elliot.

"I'm nervous" said Rachel quietly as she looked at them with her expressive eyes. Her hands were twisting into knots as she chewed on her bottom lip.

"We're all a little nervous Munchkin but it's gonna be okay" assured Quinn, "they're guilty…all of them and it's no way they should be able to get off with the amount of evidence on them."

"People said the same about George Zimmerman and you see what happened there" Mercedes said in disgust.

"I know, but we can't think that way" said Quinn strongly, "we just can't…soon this will be over and we really can move on."

Santana reached over and pulled Rachel into her side and placed a soft kiss on her temple and Santana could feel the tension melting off of her in waves. Quinn pulled Mercedes towards her and the girls found themselves standing in a parking lot and sharing a group hug.

"Girls we're ready to move" announced Nana and they all followed behind the armed guard along with Elliot through tall corridors that reminded Santana of actually walking through a museum. A few more turns were made and Santana noticed that Quinn had her hand strongly attached to Rachel's, while she and Mercedes' hands were still connected. They finally reached a door that Elliot swung open quickly and held it open so that they could walk in.

Santana was met with the faces of Nana and Pop Pop McLaurin as well as Kitty. Quinn quickly dropped Rachel's hand and hurried over towards her girlfriend and embraced her quickly. Santana felt Nana McLaurin grab her and give her a big hug, while Pop Pop patted her back. She could tell by the expressions on their faces that they hadn't heard anything yet about Sage and it caused her to feel a little more melancholy.

"Alright guys, I'm going to check and make sure everything is ready to go. When we're ready to go into the courtroom, the guard will come and escort you there. Any questions?" asked Elliot. Everyone shook their head no and the lawyer made a quick exit. Santana glanced around the room and the sudden memory of her being in a similar room like this, when she pled guilty for assault came to the forefront of her mind. Shaking her head Santana walked over to the window and looked out of it, at all the frenzy that was going on. Her life was so different now, it was definitely for the better but it was different. These trials were one of the last things that she had to settle in her mind in order to fully let everything from the past go. Quinn was right; they had to keep a positive attitude about all this. Everyone would be found guilty; she would get Sage back, win a national championship, and go to college. Too many positive things were on the cusp of happening but even still, it seemed she couldn't shake the anxiousness that was building up in her that things were going to get a little worse before they got better.

She glanced over and saw that Quinn had her arms wrapped around Kitty and she knew her sister would be supporting the girl all day…her father was going on trial as well.

Santana heard Rachel inquiring about Tyler's whereabouts and Nana McLaurin stated that he was sent to school. She didn't want him missing more time than he needed too and he was just way to angry to be there.

Just then the door swung open and the armed guard appeared, "we're ready" he announced seriously and they slowly moved out into the corridor one by one where they were lead down the steps into a courtroom. The same courtroom Santana was in when she'd experienced her panic attack from before. As the guard held the door open for them to walk in, Santana felt her breathing began to pick up and her chest began to tighten. Oh, how she wished Sage was here with her at the moment, but she felt utterly alone, even though she was surrounded by family. Fear started to grip her and she didn't think she'd be able to move when she felt a delicate, soft, and small hand slide into hers. Santana followed the arm that was connected to the hand and was met by the big eyes of Rachel, "It'll be okay…we'll lean on one another. No need to panic" Rachel said softly. The tension instantly melted away and she nodded as they were walking up the aisle on the right hand side of the court and to their designated seats.

Rachel kept their hands clasped together as they sat down and Santana knew she would be depending on the small diva to help her throughout this whole thing. As they settled Santana began observing her surroundings around her as her leg began to nervously shake. Mercedes placed a soft hand on her knee and she stopped moving them instantly. There row was packed but they were all able to sit comfortable. Uncle Stephen was on the end, with Nana next to him. Rachel was next and Santana was sitting next to her as their hands were still clasped together. Mercedes was on her right and Quinn was next to Mercedes with her hand locked with Kitty's who was next to her. Kitty's foster parents were sitting directly next to her and they rounded off the row.

Santana saw a numerous amount of reporters (local and national), rush into the courtroom and take their seats. Santana saw Elliot and Andrew sitting up ahead with another lawyer that was supposed to be representing the state of Ohio. The doors opened and Santana felt her breath stop for a brief second when in walked the Pierce family.

Brittany's eyes stopped on her for a second before looking over at who she knew to be Quinn. Santana turned around to see if her now all blonde headed sister was seeing what was going down and she watched Quinn look at Brittany quickly before turning her attention back to Kitty. Santana looked back to see that Brittany held watery eyes before her mother moved her along to sit on the left side of the court with her younger brother. Abigail Cartwright walked through the door and glared at them as she walked up the aisle and to the left. Quinn mumbled out the word 'bitch' as Santana felt Rachel scoot a little closer to her while Nana gave Quinn a warning to 'watch it.'

"This is gonna be a long fucking week" Mercedes mumbled next to her causing Santana to laugh a little and causing Nana to look over at them again with a stern look. If they weren't careful…they all would end up with sore behinds because Allison Corcoran did not play.

"All rise! The honorable judge Holland Conner will be presiding" was yelled out by the bailiff and the entire court room stood on their feet. Santana watched as the judge walked out in his robe looking very serious but somehow still held a kind expression to his face.

"Please be seated" said the judge. Santana noticed a camera was turned on just as the packed courtroom was getting settled down. That television was supposed to go directly towards their house so her mom and dad could watch from there.

Judge Conner reminded everyone to turn their phones completely off…no vibrating and he reminded everyone of proper court protocols before the bailiff called out the first cast.

"Call the first case please" instructed Judge Conner to the bailiff.

"Case number 77257, the state of Ohio against Amanda Cartwright" said the bailiff as he handed over a file from the lawyer to the judge.

A door to the left was unlocked and Santana could remember waiting with baited breath behind that door. Her freedom restricted with the handcuffs that were placed around her wrists and ankles, in her mind she felt like she was in a fog when she was locked up. She couldn't imagine being in prison for month's at a time like these people were…she would literally go crazy.

Amanda was shuffled into court in handcuffs with a female officer behind her and she looked horrible. This wasn't the vivacious and sexy woman she remembered from before and even though she hoped the bitch would go down for all the pain she caused her family, Santana could still empathize with her. She heard the reporters instantly starting to scribble down in their notepads as the prosecution read off the list of charges against her.

"The state of Ohio is charging Ms. Cartwright with unlawful surveillance and invasion of privacy in the second degree, wiretapping and recording conversations without consent, following targets and underage minors, disseminating of unlawful surveillance images and video in the first degree, accepting of bribery and unlawful commissions or pay and conspiracy in the second degree to commit such crimes" said the lawyer.

Amanda had a laundry list of charges against her and it didn't seem she had a chance of getting out of them by the way the lawyer was reading off each charge.

"How does the defendant plead?" asked the judge as he perused through the file that was handed to him by the bailiff.

"Guilty" said Amanda shakily. The furious scribbling started up again after the blonde woman made her confession of guilt.

"Can you give more details about the case against Ms. Cartwright?" instructed Judge Conner.

"Certainly" said the lawyer as he walked in front of the judge looking like he was about to put on a show, "Ms. Cartwright was contacted by another defendant with the possibility of making money if she bugged the potential buying homes for a family by the last name of Corcoran. Papers had been filed by a…Shelby Corcoran" said the lawyer as she glanced at his file, "she wanted full custody of four teenage girls after a horrific accident. The young ladies had received a substantial amount of money because of insurance policies cashing out. Ms. Cartwright agreed to bug and spy on the girls for payment and incentives that she received. Ms. Cartwright showcased numerous homes but saved the one for last that she knew would be most appealing. Before they moved in, the house was bugged and Ms. Cartwright spent the next several months handing over tapes and recordings of this family, until they were caught."

"May I ask, what would make you do such a thing?" questioned the judge.

"I wanted to take care of my sister, we were struggling and I needed the money since I was left as the sole provider by my dad" said Amanda quietly.

Sometime of silence passed as the judge perused leisurely at the information in the file.

"Okay…I'm ready for sentencing, there's no need for a trial because of your admission of guilt. Do you have anything to say before sentencing?" asked Judge Conner.

"No" she said shaking her head silently, "there wasn't any excuse for what I did."

Santana noticed she didn't even utter one apology before hanging her head down low.

"So be it, in the case of Ohio verses Amanda Cartwright, you have pleaded guilty to the crimes and charges against you. I hereby sentence you to ten years in prison, seven of which will be served without the possibility of parole" said Judge Conner before he beat his gavel and waved his hand dismissively to the guard so she could be escorted out of the court room.

Santana heard a loud gasp and her eyes instantly searched out Abigail in the front of the courtroom, whose shoulders were shaking horribly at hearing the final verdict. Santana just began squeezing her sister's hand because she hadn't expected this feeling.

Sympathy.

Santana suddenly felt a large lump in the back of her throat, if things had of ended up differently for her, what just happened would have ended up being her life, which caused an unexpected wave of sympathy to parade and overload her emotions. She could now understand Amanda doing whatever she needed to protect and take care of her family, even at the expense of her own. Santana would like to think she would do the right thing when put in that same situation but if history is any indicator she had an inkling for making the wrong choices.

"You may think this sentence is a little harsh Ms. Cartwright" said the judge as Amanda was being gathered to be taken out of the courtroom "but you never took into consideration what you were doing to the Corcoran family. There was a young child and minors in that home and because of your selfish ambition for you and yours, you were willing to disregard your better judgment. I think this sentence is worth everything you dished out" said the judge.

"Next case" said the Judge seriously.

She watched as Amanda was lead away in handcuffs and she could relate what was going through the woman's mind. The only difference was she knew she got to go home and now Amanda would be calling a prison cell her home for the rest of her life.

The next person that was brought from behind the iron doors was none other than Quinn's biological sister Francis. Santana glanced over at Quinn who held a stone like expression but was holding Kitty's hand with a death grip at the same time.

Frannie's charges were read off much like Amanda's had been and it looked like she would be given around the same amount of jail time as the other blonde. The lawyer explained the evidence they had against her and she entered in a plea of guilty, "anything you want to say to the court?" asked the judge.

"Yes sir" said Frannie as she straightened out her back in that Fabray way that was very familiar to Santana, "I wanted to first say I take full responsibility for my actions. My own issues caused me to turn against my sister and towards a man I never really cared for. Doing what I did, I thought I could finally be loved by at least one of my parents but I just played into his hands with my own selfish ambition in stupidity. Quinnie…I'm so sorry, I really am" said Frannie looking back towards their row as her eyes began to uncharacteristically water up. Santana heard Quinn chock back one of her classic cries and they all ended up holding their hands together tightly, "I-I'm just sorry" finished Frannie.

"Very well" said the judge who didn't seem to be impressed at all. "With the evidence of your involvement Ms. Fabray there is enough evidence to send you away for quite some time, like one of your other counterparts but you made a plea deal with the prosecution that if you helped provide accurate and detailed accounts of meetings in such that your sentenced would be lessened. Instead of serving ten years Ms. Fabray, I'm sentencing you to six with the eligibility of no parole" said the judge as he banged his gavel and waved his hand again dismissively.

Santana looked over at her blonde head sister and saw a slight state of shock but nothing more. The first two trials were moving by swiftly and Santana was feeling very overwhelmed by it all. As the lawyers got ready to call the next defendant, she popped out of her chair quickly and scooted down the row and hurried through the double doors of the courtroom. Some reporters were out there and they looked like they were about to say something so Santana walked towards the ladies room as she felt her chest tightening a little bit. She walked swiftly into the restroom and hurried towards the sink where she began her technique of counting down, to control her breathing. Turning on the faucet she bent down quickly and splashed some of the water in her face, not caring that it was bound to mess up her makeup. She didn't care, she just needed to cool down and relax.

"It'll be alright love" said Nana as she slipped her arms around Santana's waist, "just breathe."

Santana did what she was instructed and averted having another ever present panic attack, "I don't think I can do this Nana…can I please just go home?" she asked quietly.

"Of course, no one is forcing you to be here okay?" said the older woman.

Santana nodded and was told to wait in the bathroom until Nana got back. After watching her grandmother leave she pulled a few paper towels out of the dispenser and ran warm water on it so that she could wipe away her smeared make up. Nana was back almost instantly and she had the keys to the truck in her hand and motioned with her head for Santana to follow her. They were escorted back to the truck by an armed officer and Santana quickly hopped into the black vehicle. When she opened her eyes again she was in front of her house and never more thankful. As she got out of the truck the front door swung open and Terry was standing there with an understanding face.

"Tell my sisters I'm sorry" Santana softly said before she closed the door.

Nana nodded and she pulled off and headed back to the court.

"Hey kiddo" said Terry as he moved out of the way to let her in. "Hey dad…how's mom?" she asked as she hung up her coat in the closet.

"Good, she's in the bed and wants to talk to you" said Terry as she directed both of them towards the master bedroom. Terry swung the door open with hand and pulled her into the room and her eyes immediately connected with her mom's entire form. Her belly was really getting big and even though Shelby looked rested, Santana could tell immediately that they woman was tired of being in that room and in the that bed.

"C'mere Peanut" said Shelby quietly.

Santana walked over, kicked off her shoes and climbed into the bed with her mother. The television was set up to the channel that was showing the trial, so Santana turned her back towards it and buried her face in the side of her mother's laying body. Thankfully the television was on mute and she felt as Shelby began stroking her fingers through her hair and humming softly.

"I just couldn't do it" said Santana quietly as she began picking at imaginary lent, "I thought I could but I couldn't."

"It's okay, going to the trial was always an optional thing" replied Shelby.

"I felt the panic began to start and I've tried so hard not to let that happen as much…I just feel overwhelmed is all" said Santana quietly, "and I miss Sage" she put in as an afterthought.

"I know you do" was all Shelby could say in return.

The door opened and Terry walked in with a couple of bottled waters, "the verdict is in" he said as the bed dipped under his weight.

"For who?" questioned Santana. She didn't want to be there but she was still curios as to how all this would play out.

"Benjamin Pierce" said Terry as his jaw set and he turned the volume back up on the television. Santana turned around in spite of everything she was feeling and she was once again met with the scene of the courtroom. Santana could only see the back of Dr. Pierce's head but she knew it was the man standing beside his lawyer. It was quiet in the courtroom and she could tell the judge looked as if he was close to his own verdict.

"It seems as if you struck a plea deal as well with the prosecutors" said the judge.

"Yes your honor, it was the right thing to do" replied Dr. Pierce.

The judged scoffed slightly, "I wonder where all this moral code was when you guys were planning and executing these horrendous acts" said the judge angrily before slamming the file that he was perusing in his hand shut. "In the case of Ohio against Dr. Benjamin Pierce, you have pled guilty and are found guilty on all charges and counts. I hereby sentence you to eight years in prison without the eligibility of parole; your doctor's license is also suspended and will stay that way five years after your release" said the judge. A loud cry rang through the courtroom and Santana knew it was Brittany. She felt her throat lump up together and now sympathy had a friend…guilt.

If she'd never beat up Brittany in the first place, none of this would've been happening to that family.

"I think this sentence is reasonable and just" said Judge Conner angrily, "you took an oath Dr. Pierce to look after and protect people that come to be in your care to the best of your ability. Somewhere along the line you forgot that, and instead of helping you decided it was better for you to seek revenge and harm. I hope this time in prison will remind you that poor choices have consequences and I hope you are reminded of the oath you swore to when you first began practicing medicine. You're a good man, who obviously loves his family but even good men, do bad things. This case is dismissed" said Judge Conner as he banged his gavel harshly.

Brittany's crying had grown louder and Santana couldn't take it anymore, "I'm going upstairs" she said emotionally as she scooted her body off of the bed.

"Santana" called out Terry in concern.

"Dad, I'll be alright" she said as a few tears slipped out of her eyes, "I just can't do this" she said shaking her head.

"Honey, we don't have to watch this" said Shelby from the bed.

"You do mom, it will take a load off of you and that's good for the baby. I'm just gonna go upstairs and lay down. I don't need to see anymore" she said quietly before exiting her parent's room and swiftly walking upstairs to her own room. Santana stripped out of her clothing and put on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. She climbed into her bed and pulled the framed picture of her and Sage from up under her pillow. She softly kissed Sage's face before grabbing her phone and hitting a number that had been used a lot more lately.

"Hello."

"Marissa, its Santana…can we talk?"

"Of course we can" replied Marissa in her understanding tone.

She felt an arm slipping around her waist and it caused her to flutter her eyes open and began stretching her limbs much like a cat.

"Hey sleepy head" whispered Mercedes next to her.

Santana turned over on her side and faced her darker sister, "It's time for dinner" said Mercedes.

Santana nodded, "How'd it go?"

"Well, after Dr. Pierce got his sentence handed to him, Brittany was almost hysterical in the courtroom, so her mom took her out and I followed. She was so upset and when I went walked in the bathroom after them, it was like all those months of anger and resentment towards her melted away" said Mercedes quietly.

Santana's eyes began watering and a few tears slipped out of the corner of them, one particular tear leaving a trail down her nose and onto her pillow. Mercedes reached over and wiped the rest of them away.

"When Brittany saw me, she just flung her body into mine and cried" said Mercedes "and I let her" she shrugged.

"I feel so guilty about a lot of this" whispered Santana.

"You shouldn't and you know it" responded Mercedes.

"Knowing and feeling are two different things though" countered Santana.

Mercedes chuckled slightly, "sounds like you've been talking to Marissa" she said knowingly.

"Yeah, I'm just feeling so much right now and sometimes I don't think you guys understand how much of a struggle it is for me not to go drink or get high" said Santana, "I can't go back to that court room…it's too much for me right now. I rather just focus on school, and home ec, and glee. More importantly trying to get Sage back even though I'm completely clueless as to how" said Santana.

"We get it San, in fact I think it will just be me and Quinn going back tomorrow…Rachel had enough after today" replied Mercedes as she reached over and squeezed Santana's hand.

"Any more sentencing?" asked Santana.

"Yeah, that guy that used to be Terry's partner, he got over twenty years and he pleaded guilty as well. And like a whole bunch of lower level people, like secretaries who doctored the books, the guy that was stalking us and got arrested right outside the house got some years, and a whole bunch of other people that we didn't know was involved…like one of the former janitors at McKinley…he got like two years cause he let them in so they could bug the school and stuff…it was crazy."

Santana just held a slightly stunned expression while shaking her head, "what a minute, what about Kitty's dad?"

"His trial starts tomorrow and Elliot said he is pleading not guilty so that one might take awhile. Elliot said Alistair is just being completely stubborn cause when they presented all the evidence they had against the other defendants, they all changed their mind and pleaded guilty…but for Alistair it was a no go."

Santana sighed heavily, "I don't wanna talk about this any longer" she said exasperatedly, "who cooked tonight?"

"Terry…which means-"

"Takeout" Santana and Mercedes said simultaneously with small smiles.

When they got downstairs to the kitchen, there was an insurmountable amount of Chinese boxes all over the place. Nana was putting together a plate for Shelby and Beth was now home, sitting in Quinn's lap. Quinn was putting a plate together while trying to keep Beth's tiny hands out of the food. Rachel had changed into something a lot more comfortable and Terry was on his cell phone in the old family room, which is now the music room.

"Where's Uncle Stephen?" asked Santana.

"He went home dear…he was exhausted" said Nana before pecking her cheek and taking her mom's food into the bedroom.

Santana sat down and began preparing her food. Dinner went on as normal with no one bringing up the fact that she had left early from court, which she was forever grateful about. In fact Santana was really focused on her food, because she'd slept through lunch. She was going back for thirds when she glanced over and giggled at the fact that Beth was trying to get her hands on a piece of spicy chicken and Quinn kept batting her hand away and Beth was insistent on getting that piece of chicken. Beth was being a little bratty and it was obviously annoying the hell out of Quinn and Santana thought it was utterly cool that they were behaving like siblings rather than mother and daughter. Beth started doing that fake whining she does when she can't get her way and Quinn huffed in exasperation.

"Beth hush it right now, it's nothing wrong with you" admonished Nana.

Beth's bottoms lip started to tremble as she whimpered out a meek "daddy" causing Terry to look like his heart was breaking. Nana tutted disapprovingly as she looked at Terry while shaking her head and Terry had the decency to look slightly ashamed, "Go on and let her have a piece" he said quietly. The little blonde curly one had the man wrapped around her finger, thought Santana as she took a big bite of her food and looked over at Beth, who was receiving a piece of the spicy food from Quinn. Beth immediately fixed her phony face, snatched the chicken out of Quinn's hand, and popped it in her mouth.

Everyone stopped and was starring at the little girl's reaction to the spicy food and no one was disappointed. Beth spat the food out with velocity once the taste of it hit her tongue, and her face frowned up in a way reminiscent of Puck, as she began panting and crying out for her sippy cup. Mercedes and Rachel began cackling loudly with laughter and Quinn tried to square her eyes at them but it was pointless. Living with Quinn had made them all immune to that icy glare and the more Beth drank her juice from the sippy cup and coughed the harder Rachel and Mercedes laughed.

"Well lesson learned, can't always have what your eyes want little girl" said Terry in his deep voice while looking at Beth who sat back against Quinn's front and apparently had, had enough food for the night.

Santana was trying her hardest not to laugh out loud but Beth's face was one of pure exhaustion mixed with slight anger that her sister's were laughing at her. It was such a classic moment.

Family time like this…pure joy.

Only one thing was missing.

Santana drove Rachel to school the next day, while Quinn and Mercedes went with Nana and Uncle Stephen back to court. She never thought she'd see the day when she actually sighed with relief once she got into the halls of McKinley. School provided that distraction she needed. She met with Ms. Pillsbury and finished up a couple of college applications, worked out in the gym, cooked a little in home economics; cried a little while she ate lunch by herself, while thinking about Sage and then got it together once glee practice started.

Quinn and Mercedes had joined them and for whatever reason Mr. Schue was very serious about practice and there set list for a change; something she never seen the man do before with such fervor. They had decided on a Michael Jackson medley for Regionals and some of the unusual members of glee were heading up the solos. Santana was perfectly fine taking up the supportive role and providing her vocals in the background. It just felt good to be a part of this group once again…better than basketball and even better than being the only badass chick on the football team.

The only person who was missing the practices was Kitty.

Her dad's trial was taking a lot longer than the others, going on through the rest of the week at a tedious pace. Quinn said it was taking a lot out of Kitty emotionally and in some way they all could relate and that's why Santana had stopped going in the first place…she couldn't deal. So her focus was squarely on school and rehearsal in the afternoons.

The trusty camera was set up in the back so Shelby could give them pointers on how to improve their performance. When they got home, Shelby gave them some tips…stuff they already knew but it was good to hear from another point of view on how they could hide some things and improve on others.

On one of the last rehearsals everyone was surprised when they were on stage, and the side door to the auditorium opened and in walked or more liked wobbled Shelby. She came to actually see the rehearsal and to give them some final tips. All four of the Corcoran girls practically ran down the steps to help lower their mom into the chair that Mr. Schuester already had prepared.

Terry was parking the car and came in a little later. New Directions ran through their set list and Shelby in true Coach Corcoran fashion made them run it over and over…and over again, with the approval of Mr. Schue until they were both satisfied.

Saturday was an all day practice before the competition on Monday. Kitty had shown up to this glee rehearsal because the court had recessed for the weekend and she still wanted to participate in the competition. Santana watched as Mike and Quinn helped catch Kitty up and they ran through the set list of everything at least three times before they had everyone on stage going through the numbers. Three solid hours of nothing but singing Jackson family songs and Santana was sure she could go some months without hearing them again.

The New Directions were scattered all around the auditorium during the lunch break and Santana was off to herself in the corner. She always got sad around lunch times because that's when she and Sage used to spend a lot of alone time together, getting to know one another in an intimate way…not necessarily physical (although some heavy kissing was involved) but just learning about one another's fears, likes, and quirks.

Now she much rather spent it alone in silence, in a melancholy type way.

She was succeeding at this, and most of the glee club let her be and left her to her own devices except her sisters of course, that was until the auditorium doors were opened and Kitty's guardians came walking down the aisle…this couldn't be good.

Quinn

Kitty immediately stopped chewing on her sandwich, dropping it in her lunch bag and hurrying to go meet her Nana and Pop Pop McLaurin. Quinn knew something major had to happen for them to be here and she swiftly rose out of her seat and followed Kitty. Tyler hopped off the stage, where he was eating lunch with Rachel and met them up the aisle.

"Everything okay?" asked Kitty as she looked at the older couple for answers.

"Yeah, you guys don't usually come up here" said Tyler quietly, "not during rehearsals anyway."

"There's been a change at the courthouse" said Pop Pop quickly, "Alistair has changed his plea" he said.

"Wh-why would he do that?" questioned Kitty as Quinn moved directly behind Kitty and placed her hand on Kitty's waist as a show of support.

"I think he realized darling that he wasn't going to win this case and by not admitting to his guilt he was making things a lot worse for himself. He changed his plea early this morning and they went into trial on a quick hearing…he was sentenced to sixty years in prison, with maybe the possibility of parole in forty years. They've already sent him away" said Nana McLaurin.

Quinn saw the air almost leave Kitty and she moved even closer to her girlfriend, wrapping her arm around the shorter blondes' thin waist and squeezing tightly.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye or…or just see him off" said Kitty brokenly as Quinn placed a supportive kiss on the side of her temple.

"I know you didn't honey" said Nana McLaurin, "today hasn't been fair and it's only the beginning" the older black woman said as she reached over and grabbed Kitty's hand.

Kitty was taking deep breathes clearly trying to keep herself calm at the latest thing to go wrong in her life, "There's more honey" said Pop Pop."Your mother was called in as a contingency plan when and if your dad would be found guilty and apparently your parents were still married, at least by the law. That means that she rightfully still has custody of you and the money that the government couldn't get a hold of because your dad had washed it so clean, now goes to you…and her."

Kitty just shrugged in response.

"Your mom is at the house honey" said Nana McLaurin.

Quinn's mouth fell open slightly as she heard Kitty gasp loudly and place her hand over her mouth while Tyler made an indescribable noise.

"I think you should get your things and meet us at the car, while we explain to your teacher what's going on" said Pop Pop. Kitty nodded, and Quinn squeezed her waist yet again.

"I'm coming with" Tyler said seriously and Quinn expressed the same sentiment. Kitty turned around in her arms quickly and hugged her tightly before whispering a soft 'thank you'.

Walking through the door at the McLaurin residence was an interesting feeling, knowing that the woman responsible for Kitty's existence was there waiting and Quinn had a huge suspicion that things were not going to be ideal in this situation.

"Katherine" said Kitty's mother who stood immediately off of the couch. Quinn noticed the woman didn't come hug Kitty in greeting, like her mom, Shelby, normally would. She was sort of standoffish and Quinn noticed how tensed Kitty was in response.

"Mother" replied Kitty meekly.

"Hi, I'm Tyler" said the biracial boy while holding his hand out to shake, "Nice to meet you Tyler, I'm Lexi" she responded, "are you Katherine's boyfriend?" she asked.

"No he's not" spoke up Kitty, "he's more like my brother. This is my girlfriend, Quinn" said Kitty with a bit more confidence as she pulled Quinn over to her mother. Quinn held her hand out and put on a proper smile that she was taught and had mastered when she was a Fabray.

"Nice to meet you ma'am" said Quinn with her fake smile.

"Uh, um…um nice to meet you as well" responded Lexi. It was clear that she wasn't expecting to hear that Kitty had a girlfriend, or that she was gay, "so uh how about we get down to business? Hmm" said the woman.

"I think that's a good idea" Nana McLaurin spoke up, "we can use the dining room" said the older black woman.

Pop Pop had walked off into the kitchen some time ago upon entering the house. While everyone was getting settled he came into the dining room with a tray of tea and cookies and a file tucked under his arm. Quinn sat down next to Kitty, naturally, and Kitty wasted no time scooting her chair over so that she could be as close to Quinn as possible.

Quinn noticed that Kitty's eyes never met Lexi's and she thought it was quite odd, being as though Kitty wanted to see her mom, and at one point might have considered turning Quinn in to do so. As they waited for things to settle, Quinn was starting to realize why Kitty was being this way…the woman before them had abandoned Kitty, although knowing that Kitty was still in Lima, she made no move or effort to come and maintain a relationship with Kitty.

That pissed Quinn off and she felt herself trying to suppress the urge to glare at the woman across from them. As Pop Pop and Nana was helping everyone make tea, Quinn was giving Lexi a proper look over and she noticed that Kitty seemed to get most of her looks from her dad. The only thing Lexi and Kitty shared feature wise was their noses… if that. Kitty was almost a spitting image of Alistair and that may have played a huge part and why Lexi left Kitty there with him…she probably didn't want any reminders.

"I guess that now Alastair has been put away…for a long time" said Lexi, as she mumbled the last part, "the final affairs have to be put in order and that's why I came today and contacted you both" she said looking at Nana and Pop Pop, "I want to thank you for taking in Katherine and being here for her…just being the strong support she needed" said Lexi as she nodded her head appreciatively.

Quinn grabbed Kitty's hand, because by the tone of things it seemed as if Kitty was going to be taken away from her and she just really got her back for Pete sakes.

"Well she's been a delight to us both and we've had no problem keeping and having her here" replied Pop Pop.

"I understand" she said before taking a big breath, "that's why I think it's in her best interest if she stays with you" said Lexi.

Quinn's head snapped up immediately, "What?!" she said with a lot of bite. She watched as Lexi shrank back slightly before straightening her back and squaring her shoulders, looking directly at Quinn with a pseudo like confidence.

"I don't think it's a good idea to remove Kitty right now, especially after everything she's gone through in these past months'. She seems to have acclimated with these lovely people and found you…why take her away from all of this" said Lexi.

Tyler scoffed before Nana McLaurin cut her eye at him and he straightened up. Kitty never looked up at her mother and this was worrying Quinn tremendously.

"Is that the only reason you don't want to take responsibility for Kitty?" questioned Quinn even though her mind was telling her to shut up. Kitty squeezed her hand under the table and Quinn conscionably tried lessening her anger.

"You don't have to answer that question Lexi" said Pop Pop strongly, "and Quinn please be mindful that you are a guess in this home. Respect is always a must young lady" he said admonishing her.

"Sorry Mr. McLaurin, no disrespect intended" said Quinn as she hung her head down in shame.

"I just want Katherine to have a good existence, I want the best for her" said Lexi quietly.

"Is that why you left me all alone with him?" Kitty said, with almost no emotion in her voice. Her eyes stayed trained down on the table as it became increasingly awkward in the room.

"I left you with him because I thought I was making the right decision" replied Lexi, "I thought he would do right by you, by his own daughter. I thought he would get that right."

Quinn bit down on her tongue slightly to keep from saying something nasty.

"What do you think is the best option right now?" asked Nana McLaurin.

"I want Katherine to stay with you, I'll give you all parental control and she can have all the money that was allocated to me. That money can be for her and her needs and can be used for you to help raise her; I mean it's something like millions of dollars in there so it should be more than enough. Katherine what do you think?" asked Lexi as she looked over at Kitty.

"It doesn't matter what I think" replied Kitty in almost a monotone type of way, "Nana can we go back to school and rehearse" she said dropping Quinn's hand and standing up, "we have a competition on Monday and I'm not ready. I need to get ready, if that's alright" she said looking over at the older black woman and giving someone the first bout of eye contact and quite some time.

Nana McLaurin looked at Kitty for a long time before nodding her head in agreement. Kitty swiftly walked out of the living room and straight out the front door, with Tyler on her heels. Quinn stood slowly and began opening and closing her mouth, as she debated internally whether or not to say something.

"What is it Quinn?" asked Pop Pop, "say your peace."

"I just think you're making a huge mistake Ms. Lexi. Your daughter needs you and you are yet again turning your back on her. You may not see it today or in five years but one day, when you're alone, you will realize that you missed a great opportunity to get to know a beautiful person. You will regret that you didn't have anything to do with her being the great woman she's destined to be. It's not her fault that her dad did what he did, and it's not her fault that you are doing this but…you just blew it lady, you blew it" said Quinn before turning to leave.

"Who are you to say those things to me?" said Lexi tersely as she stood up.

Quinn looked at the woman before speaking, "I had a daughter when I was sixteen. I gave her up for adoption because she deserved way better than what me and her father could give her, so I sorta get why you're doing this…I really do, but giving someone up for adoption and completely walking out of their lives, twice, when they already know and love you as their parent is two different things. Like I said you will regret this but I promise you I'll be there for her to help her through it" said Quinn as she nodded her head as if she just made up her mind.

She didn't give Lexi a chance to respond before leaving and getting in the car with Tyler and Kitty. Kitty was in the backseat so Quinn got back there with her and tried to pull her into a hug but Kitty shook her head no and just grabbed onto Quinn's hand instead.

Kitty pretty much stayed that way the entire day. She was completely blank and emotionless and when Mr. Schue finally gave them the freedom to go, she gave Quinn a quick peck on the cheek and told her she would call her later. No tears, no sadness, no anger.

"Kit Kat" whispered Quinn, "please talk to me."

"I will. I-I'm still processing okay?" said Kitty.

Quinn nodded and Kitty swiftly left the auditorium, while Quinn watched her leave.

It was after dinner and she and her sisters had showered and were now in the family room watching some movie when her cell phone chimed with a text message from Kitty asking to come over with Tyler. Quinn immediately said yeah and twenty minutes later Kitty was making herself comfortable next to Quinn on the couch.

Quinn had the sneaky suspicion that no one was watching the movie and she was right. Mercedes phone rang and she darted out of the room and downstairs to her own bedroom. Santana excused herself with a sad expression and went down the hall to her room, while Rachel grabbed Tyler's hand and they made their way downstairs as well. That left Quinn, who was now looking at Kitty's profile.

"Kit Kat" whispered Quinn softly.

Kitty didn't respond but her face began crumbling slowly as she choked back a sob. Quinn immediately pulled her over and cradled her in her arms as Kitty let out all her anguish. A memory fell into Quinn's mind when Kitty had told her all she ever wanted was for someone to take care of her. It's what she initially wanted from Quinn to begin with. Quinn would always wonder what it was that made Kitty want her to be the one to look after her but as Kitty sat in her lap crying and literally soaking her shirt, she made the vow to try her best and take care of Kitty and not worry about the reasons about how they came to be as a couple. All that mattered now was that Quinn did like her, and Katherine Lily Wilde was growing on her daily. They both needing things from one another and they sorta mellowed each other out.

Quinn was determined to make this relationship work and she knew that she could.

Santana

Santana wiped her tears as Quinn walked in her bedroom cradling a sleeping Kitty. Once she heard Kitty sobbing, it started Santana's own tears.

"Can she stay in here? It's late and Terry said they could spend a night, just not in the same bedrooms" whispered Quinn.

Santana nodded and wormed her way out of her bed, snatching the pillow she had been crying into off of the bed and waited until Quinn settled Kitty's exhausted body in her personal sanctuary.

"You know she coulda just slept in your bed and you could've slept in here" said Santana irritably.

"True and I'm sorry for displacing you but my mind hasn't been working right lately" said Quinn apologetically. Santana grunted in agreement before leaving the room and going into Mercedes' room. She threw her pillow on Mercedes bed unceremoniously and told her sister she would be right back. Her throat hurt from all the crying she'd done earlier and she needed a glass of water.

Mercedes just grunted at her as Santana walked out into the hallway and past Rachel's room. Tyler wasn't in there so she assumed he was sleeping in the old family room.

Walking into the kitchen she got out a glass and almost dropped Rachel's star glass but caught it just in time. Breaking that would have lead to World War six in the house and she just wasn't up for it. Tyler walked out of the room and nodded at Santana before sitting down at the kitchen table. Santana filled up her glass and sat by him.

"You know I'm doing a terrible job" said Tyler blankly.

"With what?" asked Santana with a raised brow.

"Taking care of you, I promised I would and all I've been doing is letting Rachel console me" he said.

Santana just shrugged, "she's your twin sister, I can't imagine how it feels to have her snatched away from you like that" Santana said quietly.

"Yeah you can" said Tyler, "you're just as broken hearted as I am…if not more. But some good news I have to share" said Ty.

Santana immediately perked up at that news as she looked at the male version of Sage, "Pop Pop told me today that they believe Sage is in Kansas. He's trying to narrow down some places that they would've taken her and for the next few weekend, the both of us are gonna travel out of town to Kansas to find her. We're gonna bring her back home for good" said Tyler with conviction, "you are more than welcomed to come and I think my Pop Pop is gonna call your parents tomorrow to ask them."

Santana released a long breath and she tried to control her fluttering heart at the news of possibly getting her boo back, "I want to go with you guys but I can't" Santana finally said after a few quiet moments.

"Why not?" Tyler asked incredulously.

"I'm on probation" Santana said simply while shrugging her left shoulder.

Tyler looked at her for a few beats before scrunching up her face, "How do you expect to go to college then?"

Santana looked at him completely dumbfounded, because she had no freakin clue…she hadn't even thought about the possibility of her not leaving Lima after graduation.

They had won! They had won Regionals and the moment was completely bittersweet.

As soon as one of the judges had announced that McKinley would be moving on to nationals, Santana sought out the face of her sisters and she was met with Rachel's. The small diva's face immediately crumbled and Quinn was quick to scoop her up and escort her off stage. Santana followed with Mercedes right behind her.

It was exactly one year to date that the worse night of all of their lives had happened.

They had kept it together pretty well during the day and during the competition but being able to win again this year…on an anniversary of sorts was completely and utterly overwhelming.

Santana and Mercedes immediately went towards Quinn and Rachel and the four sisters huddled together in a show of comfort as Rachel let out a strangled sob. Santana hated hearing that cry coming from Rachel; it was a cry of utter devastation. The last time Santana had heard it was the day of Joshua's birth and death. She could go through the rest of her life and not hear that cry ever again.

Suddenly a circle of people were surrounding them and Santana felt the rest of the New Directions embrace them in what was classically known as a 'show circle'. Tears were falling out of her eyes as she was smashed into the side of Mercedes and the shoulder of Quinn simultaneously. It meant a lot that these people were here to support them in a moment of vulnerability. At one point in time she could only focus on things she lost, her parents, her home, her freedom, Marcellus, Brittany, and now Sage. But even with all she lost she could now see the major support she had behind her.

After the competition they headed back home to help Shelby settle in. Their mother was allowed a supervised outing to the competition and she was waiting for the girls after the emotional breakdown, near the truck. Shelby, Terry, Uncle Stephen, and Nana was all their kissing them all up and spoiling the girls with an expensive dinner at a nice restaurant before going home.

They wanted to celebrate the win but they didn't want to overdo it because of what this day meant.

After showering and changing into warm clothing, the teenage Corcoran's headed out to Mercedes' new car. They all had a bundle of flowers and the ride over was spent in complete silence. Once Mercedes parked the car they all shuffled out and went in four different directions.

It was eerily quiet, yet it still brought a comfort to Santana as the grass underneath her boots crunched loudly. The moon was high and bright in the sky and Santana could still see her breath through the cold night, even though the seasons were moving into spring. It seemed winter was lasting a lot longer this season, more than usual and everyone still had their winter gear out for nights like this. She'd never come to visit her biological parents or parent really, but her sisters were insistent on doing this tonight. Santana had called the people who ran the graveyard earlier that day so she would know where she was going once they came. She pulled out a mini map and made her way over graves and tombstones until she was standing in front of Maribel and Santiago's tombstone.

Even though they shared a plot, they had separate tombstones, which was almost symbolic of their marriage.

Santana ignored the cold slab of Santiago Lopez and focused on her mother…a woman she really didn't know while she was alive, but a woman she was getting to know now as time went by. Santana leaned down and placed her bundle of flowers directly in front of her mother's tombstone. The woman had sacrificed so much for Santana, she didn't learn about it until it was too late but it still mattered in her book.

"Thanks" said Santana quietly before she leaned over and placed a kiss on the cold stone. Standing back up she walked away and headed towards where Mercedes was. She heard her sister sniffling and crying the closer she got. Stuttering words were being released and Santana walked over and clasped her sister hands, as tears fell out her eyes when she looked at Marcellus' name. He was her first lover, literally her first everything when it came to stuff that mattered. She still felt like a part of her was missing when it came to him being gone and she knew that feeling would never leave her. She missed him dearly and would give up just about anything to get him back and apart of all of their lives.

Mercedes kept talking to her family and Santana looked over to see that Quinn had joined Rachel by her dads and Joshua. Mercedes had stopped talking and Santana reached over to wipe the tears from her sister's cheeks before placing a soft kiss there.

"I miss them Peanut and it still hurts" said Mercedes in a raspy voice.

"I know you do Squirt but I think we did okay this year. Marissa said it would get easier as time goes on and I think she's right. It's alright to always miss them" whispered Santana.

Mercedes nodded and Santana wrapped her arm around her sister's waist.

"I think we should check on Rach" rasped out Mercedes.

Santana nodded and they made their way over to Rachel and Quinn. Rachel was crying loudly as she stared down of the final resting place of her son and dads. This was hard mourning the loss of her nephew. The memory of when she first laid eyes on Joshua invaded her mind and Santana thought about how precious he looked when he was born. She liked to forget about that day often but she couldn't do that now…not tonight.

Tonight was about remembrance. And that's exactly what the four Corcoran girls did, as they stood in an empty graveyard in the middle of the night, holding one another and remembering the love ones they lost in the past year.

Somewhere In Kansas

Sage was lying on her stomach in the room that was assigned to her. She wasn't allowed to share a room and have a female roommate because of her "sickness". Today was hard for Sage because she knew what this day meant to her girlfriend…and she couldn't be there to help with the support.

Instead when she was in therapy that afternoon she deliberately said things that she knew this institution wouldn't approve of. Like Santana's favorite sexual position and what she liked to do to Santana sexually when they were together. Of course that didn't sit well to the powers that be.

Sage was forced to run to the point of exhaustion and no water, while quoting bible verses as she went. Afterwards she was stripped of her shirt and her hands were tied high above her head. She was given five lashes with olive branches that had been bundled together while a bunch of people stood around and prayed.

She was let off the pole and taken into her room, where they laid her on her stomach and a nurse came in to attend the whelps that were on her back. The so-called pastor came in and prayed over her soul and asked for all her demons to be turned away from her and let lose.

Sage let tears slip out of her eyes and she said the right things so that they would leave her alone. Later another nurse walked in with water and bread, while her parents were called and given updates about what she was doing daily.

Apparently this place was expensive and her parents were willing to pay a lot to get her back to "normal".

The door opened and the worse part of being here was upon her. Sage turned her head towards the bare wall as she felt her bed dip and a heavy body lean over her.

"This is for your own good and salvation" said one of the male attendees. Tears sprang out of Sage eyes as she listened to this man pray before he entered her from behind. It hurt like hell and he reached around her leg and in between her legs to her center. His fingertips were wet and he was trying to make Sage wet as well so this could go a lot smoother.

Instead of fighting like she'd done the first few times, her mind immediately drifted to Santana and the special intimate moments they had together. She forced her mind to go somewhere else more pleasant so she could get through the horrible thing that was happening to her that instant. Thinking about Santana in that way always made her body aroused and it become much easier for the attendee to move in and out of her and it hurt less.

Sage was willing to go through this hell to get back to Lima and back into the arms of the girl she loved. She had to play the game and today was just a really bad day for her. After surviving the night, she was determined to say all the right things and do all the right things to get back to Santana, to the love of her life.

Tears continued to fall out of her eyes as she never made a sound and thought about Santana, who was hundreds of miles away and had tears falling out of her own eyes.

In her mind she and Santana were destiny and she was willing to endure the worse so she could get back to her destiny.

Santana was worth it.

So I hope you guys enjoyed this latest chapter. I'm apologizing for the longest delay I've ever had. I rewrote this chapter so much because I wasn't satisfied. Hopefully this was good enough but it still didn't end up like I wanted.

I want to think the readers for reviewing and encouraging me to update, especially sarge362 and nelsonraven29.

For those that read but don't review, thanks for reading but I would love to hear your opinion on the characters and story as well.

To Bookworm0485…I definitely am interested in having a beta and I have another story I'm working on so I would like to use your services.

To all those that sat up all night reading my story, you have no idea how good that made me feel and how humbled that made me as well. Hopefully you new readers will stick around and drop a few lines in reviews as well.

For those that favorited the story and have the story on alerts thank you so much.

A few things as far as characters; I haven't forgotten that Quinn has asthma…I just feel like that is something that doesn't need to happen every chapter when she's involved.

Santana has evolved in my humble opinion. She's dealing with overwhelming situations in a much better way and I hope I was able to relay that too you.

Rachel is getting better but she's still a grieving daughter and mother.

Mercedes is learning what true forgiveness is, especially when dealing with someone she was never fond of to begin with.

Shelby and Terry are becoming a closer unit and Shelby's is also learning or trying to learn how to let others take care and worry about her and not the other way around.

Beth is just awesome.

I know some of you might not like what's going on with Sage but you know I always do things for a purpose.

Thoughts are greatly appreciated. All mistakes are my own and I don't own glee. And I hope you guys still stick it out with me.