A/N: Sorry it took me a bit longer to get this up I have to thank my beta Swankkyy for getting on my ass to write it. It's also her bday today so you guys should go and read all her fics and wish her a happy birthday! :D

Chapter 35

Lia screams and bolts upright in bed. Sweat drips down her neck and she's breathing heavily. When Quinn touches her arm she gets scared and scurries off the bed, curling up in the corner. She rocks back and forth, clutching her head and whispering something Quinn doesn't quite hear. The blonde has never seen her girlfriend act like this before, it's heart breaking and more than a little frightening. Quinn slowly gets out of bed and softly calls to Lia. She tells her that it's ok and she's here. She kneels down next to the sobbing girl and wraps her arms around her. Lia immediately buries her face in Quinn's neck and clings to whatever she can grab.

They stay like that until Lia calms down. Quinn pulls back and wipes her girlfriend's tears away. She asks her if she's ok now, and Lia just shrugs her shoulders. She tells her that she had a nightmare about her parents.

Lia stood above their graves with flowers in her hand and tears running down her face. She kneeled to put the flowers down, and a hand shot out of the ground, grabbing her. She screamed and tried to pull away, but another hand came out of the other grave and grabbed her legs. Michelle and Justin climbed out of the dirt all bloody and bruised. Lia's heart was pounding and the tears were relentless. She tried to crawl backwards, but her parents grabbed her every time she pulled away.

"You didn't even come to our funeral, what makes you think you can just show up now?" her mother said.

"You're selfish and you don't think about how your actions affect others. Your life is full of nothing but misfortune and you bring pain and heartache to everyone around you." Justin added.

Lia shook her head back and forth until her brain hurt and her lips trembled. She quickly hopped to her feet and ran as fast as she could to get away from them, only to run right into an intersection where she witnesses their accident.

They're happily singing in the car at a red light. When it turned green, they moved forward only to be T-boned from an oncoming speeding car that ran their red light. Their car flipped multiply times then landed upside down. Lia stared at the car wide eyed and mouth agape until her parents crawled from the wreckage and moved towards her. She ran, and when she looked back, Justin was hot on her heels. As she looked forward again, Michelle was directly in front of her. And that's when she woke up screaming.

Quinn tries to tell her that it's just a dream and that it doesn't mean anything, but Lia doesn't quite believe her. There has to be some truth to it right? She has been hurting the people she loves by selfishly taking an entire month to herself without calling or anything. Quinn says that it's just her guilty conscience bleeding into her dreams. But Lia doesn't want to talk about it anymore, and when she looks at the clock it's 6:30 am. She gets up and heads to the bathroom to start getting ready for school, she doesn't want to be late. Quinn sighs and gets ready as well; she has Cheerio practice in a few.

Ten minutes later and Lia comes out of the bathroom in a towel. She sees Quinn in her uniform and raises an eyebrow. This is the first time she's actually noticed it since she's been back. Quinn notices the look on Lia's face as she puts her hair up in the signature high pony.

"I rejoined when you were gone." She shrugs. "It was a distraction."

Lia nods her understanding and starts to get dressed. When Quinn is all done, she tells Lia that she has to go and she'll see her later. The brunette nods once again, but that's not enough for Quinn, so she steps up to her and cups her face.

"It'll all be ok. I promise." Lia goes to say something, but Quinn presses their lips together.

It's a kiss full of passion, love, and promise; everything Lia needs right now. Quinn pulls away and smiles sweetly. She tells her that she loves her and that if she wants they can talk after school at her house, before leaving. Lia looks after her longingly then sighs.

How the hell am I supposed to be guarded when she does things like that!?

Umm, you're not?

But you heard my parents, I'm nothing but pain and heartache for everyone close to me.

That was a dream, dude!

Yea, but even Quinn said she had to join Cheerios to distract herself from how much I was hurting her when I was gone.

…

Exactly. I can't keep hurting the people I care most about. It isn't fair. I have to distance myself and make them see I'm no good in their lives.

Stop being stupid. If you pull away any more, it'll hurt them even worse.

Lia once again sighs and grabs her jacket as she heads out the door.

In school Lia just mindlessly goes from class to class, not paying attention to anyone. The jocks seem to be afraid of her again because every time they see her they run the other way. She doesn't quite notice that people scurry out of her way when she walks down the halls. You'd think she was a Cheerio with how much power she has over the entire school now. But because she's so immersed in her head, this information eludes her.

The glee kids try talking to her, but she keeps walking completely unaware of their presence. Santana and Brittany wave to her in the hallway, but it goes unnoticed as Lia has her head down. Even Rachel gets the cold shoulder, which is baffling to the rest of the glee club. She tries starting a conversation with her best friend when she sees her in the bathroom, but Lia absently washes her hands then leaves without one word to Rachel. Quinn seems to be the only one to bring Lia out of her daze as she approaches her in the choir room during lunch. She sets a PB & J sandwich, an apple, and a bottle of water on top of the piano in front of Lia. The brunette looks at the food then up to warm hazel eyes. Her heart clenches at the loving smile her girlfriend is giving her and she can't help but feel grateful for her.

"I didn't see you in the lunch room, so I thought you'd be in here." Quinn sits next to Lia on the piano bench. "And since you more than likely haven't eaten in a few days, I figured I'd bring you something."

"Thank you." Lia whispers and looks at Quinn like it's the first time she's seeing her.

"Of course. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you."

Lia's eyes sting, so she looks away and tries to clear the emotion building in her. Quinn smirks knowingly then kisses a blushing cheek before leaving again. It's like they're back to square one, back to the sweet gestures and subtle blushes. But Lia knows her and Quinn share a lot more than that, she just needs to take her head out of her ass and continue moving forward. That's when an idea hits her. She scarfs down her food and runs to find Puck.

At the end of the day, Quinn gets a text from Lia to meet her in the auditorium. When she gets there, Lia is on stage with Puck and a couple band members. She sits in the front row where Lia instructs her to sit. She watches as Lia takes a deep breath and grabs the microphone and its stand.

"I know that I've been acting bizarre since everything happened, but I want you to know that from now on I'm going to try harder to be everything that you deserve. It's only you, Quinn, you're it for me." Lia then nods to Puck and the band.

Well I was moving at the speed of sound.
Head-spinning, couldn't find my way around, and
Didn't know that I was going down.
Yeah, yeah.
Where I've been, well it's all a blur.
What I was looking for, I'm not sure.
Too late and didn't see it coming.
Yeah, yeah.

Puck rocks out on his guitar as Lia gets into the lyrics with her mic. Quinn is immediately captivated by the pure passion radiating off of her girlfriend.

[Chorus:]
And then I crashed into you,
And I went up in flames.
Could've been the death of me,
But then you breathed your breath in me.
And I crashed into you,
Like a runaway train.
You will consume me,
But I can't walk away.

Somehow, I couldn't stop myself.
I just wanted to know how it felt.
Too strong, I couldn't hold on.
Yeah, yeah.
Now I'm just tryin' to make some sense
Out of how and why this happened.
Where we're heading, there's just no knowing.
Yeah, yeah.

[Chorus]

Lia sings with her eyes shut tight and her grip on the mic stand unyielding. Puck backs her up with his passion of the guitar; they make a great musical team together. Quinn gets chills just from watching them.

From your face, your eyes
Are burning to me.
You saved me, you gave me
Just what I need.
Oh, just what I need.

[Chorus]

And then I crashed into you,
And then I crashed into you,
And then I crashed into you,
And then I crashed into you,
And I crashed into you,
Like a runaway train.
You will consume me,
But I can't walk away.

When the song finishes, Lia drops to her knees out of breath and looks down at Quinn. The love between them electrifies the room as their eyes meet. Puck literally has to take a step back from the sheer power of their connection. Deep down he might be a little jealous, but from the performance he just helped concoct and what he's witnessing right now, he knows that these two belong together.

Lia hops off stage and hugs Quinn like she's the last person in the world. She rests her forehead in the crook of Quinn's neck and just breathes in her scent. The feeling she gets when in the blonde's arms is enough to make her want to cry, but she keeps it together and basks in the essence of the love of her life.

"I'm not going anywhere." Quinn says softly, seemingly reading Lia's thoughts.

"I love you." Lia pulls away slightly and kisses soft lips.

Every feeling either girl has ever had can be felt in this kiss. Love. Loss. Passion. Grief. Yearning. Satisfaction. Contentment.

When they break apart and rest their foreheads together, they notice that it's silent. Puck and the band must have left, but they don't know when. They smile at each other then head out of the auditorium hand in hand. As they make it to the parking lot, Lia sees Puck by his truck. She tells Quinn to head home and she'll meet her there. She then approaches Puck and shyly smiles at him.

"I know I've been an ass lately, but I want you to know that I appreciate your help. With Quinn and Rachel, and with the performance today. You're one of the good guys."

"Thank you, that means a lot." He whispers as he hugs her tight.

"I love you, Noah." She says into his neck and he has to fight to keep his tears at bay.

They pull away and smile at each other before heading their separate ways.

Lia parks her motorcycle in Quinn's driveway and rings the doorbell. When the door opens, it isn't the blonde she was expecting.

"Hello Judy." Lia greets quietly.

"Lia, it's wonderful to see you." Judy smiles and steps aside to let her in. "Quinn is in her room, but before you go up there, I was wondering if I could speak with you for a moment?"

Lia nods and they head to the living room. They sit on the couch facing each other, Judy looking over Lia, and Lia staring at her fidgeting hands.

"I understand that you are going through a tough time right now and for that I'm sorry. It broke my heart when I learned what happened and I would like you to know that if you need anything you can come to me." Lia takes a deep breath and nods. "But as a mother, I also must protect my children. I know you and Quinn love each other very much, and with that may come heartache. I know you don't mean to hurt Quinn, no one ever wants to hurt the ones they love, but sometimes the things you do can have that effect even if it's unintentional." Lia's hands start to shake and she still can't look at Judy.

"When you were gone and didn't call, she completely broke down. She cried herself to sleep every night and she barely ate. I hardly recognized her after a while because she folded in on herself so much. You both need each other right now, and I understand that, I really do, but I will not hesitate to make sure that you never see her again if you continue to hurt my Quinnie. She is my baby girl and I will do whatever is necessary to keep her from getting hurt like that again. Do you understand?"

Lia quickly wipes her tears away before they have a chance to fall and nods. She sniffles and tries to compose herself as Judy hugs her and rubs her back.

"Now I'm not sure how sexual you two are, but I want the door to be open at all times. I know it's physically impossible for either of you to get pregnant, but still, a mother doesn't want to know or see or hear that her little girl is doing those kinds of things." Judy makes a face and Lia chuckles awkwardly a bit.

They hug again then Lia heads up to Quinn's room. She knocks and waits for Quinn to invite her in. The blonde is on her bed reading a book. As soon as she looks at Lia, she puts the book down and rushes to her.

"You've been crying. Are you ok? What happened?"

"Yea, I'm fine. Your mom just gave me 'the talk', that's all."

"What did she say? I'm gonna go give her a mouthful for making you cry." Quinn goes to stomp out of her room, but Lia chuckles and grabs her.

"Quinn, it's fine. She's your mother and just trying to protect you." Quinn gives her a dubious look then nods.

They lay in bed next to each other, Lia on her back and Quinn on her side. Lia stares at the ceiling while Quinn stares at her profile. As Quinn's eyes roam over delicate features a smile graces her lips and soon she's beaming. It's so bright that Lia can feel it, so she turns to look. Her eyebrows furrow and she can't help but smile too.

"What?" she asks.

"Nothing, it's cheesy." Quinn waves off.

"No, come on tell me."

"I just…really love you, and I'm glad you're back." Quinn rolls her eyes at herself, and Lia gets serious.

"I'm sorry I was gone for so long and not calling. I–"

"It's ok, you're here now."

"No, it's not ok. There's no excuse for what I did and how I made you feel. I hate myself for hurting you so much and I promise to never do that to you again." Lia rolls over on her side and looks at Quinn with teary eyes.

"Please don't beat yourself up about it, I forgive you and I don't want you to think about it anymore, ok?" Quinn cups her cheek and she nods.

They share a sweet kiss then lay in each other's arms. Quinn runs her fingers through dark locks and Lia runs her nails up and down pale skin. They stay like that for a while until Quinn says something.

"How about you tell me more about that dream you had?"

"Nightmare." Lia corrects in a sleepy voice.

"Ok, tell me more about your nightmare." Quinn chuckles.

"Mmm do I have to?"

"I would like you to, but you don't have to if you really don't want to." Lia's silent for a moment then speaks.

"It was…really scary. Dreaming that my parents raise from their graves to reprimand me for not going to their funeral, that's frightening and makes me even guiltier."

"Why didn't you go?"

"I was in denial. I figured that if I didn't go then they would come back, that it wouldn't be real."

"You can always go visit them, maybe it'll ease the guilt."

"I'm scared." Lia whispers.

"Because of the nightmare?"

"Yes, and because I wouldn't know what to tell them, or that I'd break down again."

"I could go with you if you'd like. I'll always go with you."

"Maybe one day. I don't think I'll be ready any time soon." Quinn continues to stroke Lia's hair until they both fall asleep.

Later, Judy walks by the open door, she stops and smiles at them fondly. They look so peaceful together, so in love. Her heart swells with pride for them. She lays a blanket over them then turns off the light and closes the door slightly.

The girls sleep peacefully until about four in the morning. Lia tosses and turns. She kicks off the blanket and sweats profusely. Her breathing picks up and she clutches the sheets tightly in her hands. All the movement causes Quinn to stir awake and look concernedly at her girlfriend. She sits up and carefully tries to rouse the brunette. Calling her name, she gets nothing, but as soon as she touches her arm, Lia jumps up screaming.

A/N: Hope you guys liked it!

Song in this chapter:

Daughtry - Crashed