"Let's go for a walk. Fresh air will help your hangover, I promise." Santana suggested, popping her head into Claire's room. The teenager had been lying in bed all day with the curtains drawn, attempting to avoid her aching head. Yawning and forcing herself to sit up, Claire squinted towards the doorway. She nodded reluctantly and stood up, shuffling towards Santana. The Latina smiled at her and stepped aside before following her down the stairs.
"How long do you think it'll take before Jesse finds out you're hiding us?" Claire asked as they stepped outside. The day was cool, a little breezy, and it was obvious that autumn was on its way. As the two women started their way towards the trail into the woods, Santana struggled to think of a response that wouldn't cause the younger girl to panic.
"I think as long as we're careful, he won't find out." She reasoned, glancing sideways to check Claire's expression. Thankfully, the girl seemed to still be relatively calm. As soon as Claire looked towards her, Santana dropped her expression and focused on the trail in front of them.
"Why didn't you have sex with me last night?" Claire's voice was quiet, maybe even a little nervous. Santana felt her face heat up a bit and she was sure it was red. Once again, she was struggling for a response.
"Claire, you were drunk and I think you and I both know it would just make all of this more complicated."
"What's 'all of this'?" Claire asked.
"Just you and me…and Quinn." Santana's reply was barely above a murmur. Claire felt flooded with guilt at the mention of the blonde and she willed the blushing in her cheeks to disappear.
"I'm sorry for doing all of this. Ever since I came into your life, everything's been more complicated and now Jesse wants to hurt Quinn and I've just ruined both of your lives." Santana shook her head and stopped. She reached out and gripped Claire's elbow, stopping her in her tracks.
"You haven't ruined our lives. I actually almost ruined yours. Several times." Santana admitted. This time, Claire shook her head.
"No you didn't. You were different. The things you did happened because you were confused. And because he was involved." The dark haired teen's expression was honest, and Santana was at a loss for words for a few seconds.
"So last night…did you not want to?" Claire spoke again, starting to walk. Santana couldn't stop a laugh from escaping her lips. The teenager turned to look at her and her eyes told Santana that she had taken the laugh the wrong way.
"No, no, I laughed because saying no last night was one of the hardest things I've ever done." The Latina assured her. Claire looked a bit relieved and a tiny smile played at the corners of her lips.
"Oh, okay. Good. Can…can I kiss you again?" Santana's heart leapt into her throat and she stopped dead in her tracks. Claire was looking to her for an answer anxiously and the Latina forced herself to act.
"Well that depends. Are you drunk?" She chuckled nervously. Claire cracked a small smile and shook her head. Without saying anything else, the older girl leaned in and pressed their lips together.
Claire tensed up as the same surge of butterflies shot through her stomach, except she felt it much more than she did last night. Grabbing onto Santana's shoulders, she hesitantly pulled the two of them closer and heat seemed to flood into her body when she felt the Latina's hands wrap around her waist. Lips tangled with lips experimentally and Claire's hand reached up to cup Santana's cheek. She gasped into the kiss as Santana's hand slid up her back to tangle in her hair, while the other gripped her hip tightly.
"Are you alright?" Santana panted, drawing back at the other girl's tiny gasp. Claire nodded immediately and closed the distance between their lips once again. The Latina's lips smiled against the younger girl's and she somehow managed to pull her closer. Her heart was thumping in her chest and she prayed that Claire couldn't feel it.
Quinn's feet froze to the ground and her breath caught in her throat as she rounded the turn in the path. Her eyes were locked on Santana's back, as the Latina currently had Claire pressed up against a tree. Her stomach churned as she saw the teenager's fingers clench on the fabric on the back of her former owner's dress. Before she could be seen, the blonde quietly retreated back around the bend and let loose a shaky breath.
Struggling to process the whirl of emotions that had blindsided her, Quinn hurried back up the trail and emerged from Santana's woods. She hurried across the large lawn, out to the front of the house and climbed into the driver's seat of her carriage. Snapping the reins, the blonde urged the horses to run and within seconds they had taken off down the driveway.
With her jaw set and her mind determined not to picture what she had just seen, Quinn steered the carriage down the road to her estate. Upon pulling into the driveway, she found two other unfamiliar carriages in front of her large house. The blonde pulled back on the reins, waited until the carriage had come to a stop, and then hopped down. She walked over cautiously to the two large black vehicles and frowned as she found no one around them. Turning her attention towards the house, she started towards the front porch.
"William!" Quinn cried upon walking through her front door and finding her farm hand lying on the floor, unconscious. A puddle of blood had pooled around his head and she cringed when she saw the nasty cut it had come from. Just before she could stand up to go for help, a rough hand gripped the back of her neck and forced her to stay down.
"Ms. Fabray," Jesse smirked, stepping into the hallway from an adjoining room, "I believe you have something of mine."
"She's not here." Quinn spat out, glaring up at the man from her hunched over position. She felt the grip on her neck tighten and winced.
"Don't be like that. I know exactly what I want and I know that you have it. So we can do this the easy way, or we can do it my way. Your choice." Jesse's voice was almost a purr and Quinn knew he was on an absolute power trip. She watched as several more men appeared from the room behind him. A bundle of nerves settled in her stomach and her eyes flickered between them.
"I told you, she isn't here." The woman said shakily. Her eyes locked with Jesse's and she prayed he'd realize she was telling the truth. When she felt the butt of a rifle slam into the back of her head, that prayer disappeared into the veil of black that fell over her mind.
So there's a twist. I'm not really sure if anyone even read that last chapter, so I'm just going to get the end of this over with.