A/N: Sorry this has taken forever. I'm basically living at work right now and I've got major writers block. I promise I'll try harder to update faster and come up with better chapters! This one is more of a filler then anything and will cover a large amount of time. I decided to not actually write sectionals but still have it included in some way. Also, for the song, This is Rachel, This is Quinn, And this is both.
Glee!
Thursday and Friday came and went without any problems. Quinn continued to stay quite while home, but at school she kept her HBIC attitude and spunk. From the outside, no one would be able to guess something was wrong.
Rachel was taking her plan to heart. She was slowly becoming her loud, talkative self. She knew if the change was instantaneous that Quinn or Santana would suspect something was up and it would destroy everything she had her mind set on.
They girls decided that they would be going back to Glee on Friday. Rachel had a song already planned in her mind to sing to Quinn. The club hadn't been given an assignment for the week, but that wouldn't have stopped Rachel anyway.
The girls now found themselves standing outside of the choir room door. They were the last to arrive, and even Mr. Schue was already there. "I've got your backs no matter what the cost." Santana told them in a deadly serious simply nodded, took a few deep breaths, and walked inside with Santana close behind them. The room went silent as they entered. Santana smirked. Mercedes broke the silence "Told ya'll she'd come crawling back.""Zip it, Beyonce." Santana sneered. "The rules still apply to all of you regardless of the fact it's Glee. You will treat both Quinn and Rachel with respect. If you have nothing nice to say then keep your trap shut. No one wants to hear the comments. If you can't, you'll be getting daily slushie baths. Am I clear?"
The rest of the club silently nodded, too afraid to say anything.
"Good."
The three girls made their way to the top of the risers and sat with Brittany.
"Humm. Ok then. Welcome back Rachel and Quinn. Since there was no assignment this week, does anyone have anything they want to sing?" Mr. Schue asked.
Rachel's hand shot into the air.
"Of course she does." Kurt mumbled.
"Shut it." Quinn sneered at him.
"Alright Rachel, the floor is yours." Schue told her, afraid of what Santana or Quinn would do to him if her said anything more or told the girl no.
"Thank you." Rachel told him politely as she took her place in the front of the room. "This song is self explanatory." She nodded to the band to begin and her voice softly started to fill the room.
It's like a storm
That cuts a path
It breaks your will
It feels like that
You think you're lost
But you're not lost on your own,
You're not alone
I will stand by you,
I will help you through
When you've done all you can do
And you can't cope
I will dry your eyes,
I will fight your fight
I will hold you tight
And I won't let go
Quinn recognized the song and quickly made her way to the front of the room as Rachel finished the chorus so she could join Rachel and sing it back to her as well.
It hurts my heart
To see you cry
I know its dark this part of life
Oh it find us all and we're to small
To stop the rain
Oh but when it rains
I will stand by you,
I will help you through
When you've done all you can do
And you can't cope
I will dry your eyes,
I will fight your fight
I will hold you tight
And I won't let you fall
Don't be afraid to fall
I'm right here to catch you
I won't let you down
It won't get you down
You're gonna make it
I know you can make it
Cause I will stand by you,
I will help you through
When you've done all you can do
And you can't cope
I will dry your eyes,
I will fight your fight
I will hold you tight
And I won't let go
Oh I'm gonna hold you
And I won't let go
Won't let you go
No I won't
When the song ended, the girls pulled each other into a tight hug. The reaction among the club was mixed. Finn was scowling. Santana and Brittany were smiling. Kurt and Mercedes rolled their eyes and scoffed, which earned them a growl from Santana. The rest of the club looked on with indifference.
Schue's mouth was open. It took him a few seconds to recover before he spoke. "Girls, that was incredible. Your chemistry towards each other and how the song came off was perfect. Would you two like to sing that for sectionals?"
"Oh hell no Mr. Schue! That's not fair! They left us hanging and now that they're back you're just going to give them a duet? This is crap!" Mercedes cut in before Quinn or Rachel could answer.
"Shut up Mercedes. They damn well deserve the duet and everyone in here knows it. Rachel holds this club together. Things went to hell when she was gone. And Quinn was the only one who stood up for Rachel when the rest of you continued to make her life hell. So yes, they both deserve this. You're just jealous!" Santana actually growled as she spoke.
"She's right. I'm sorry if you don't feel that way, but I do and it's my decision. Also, Santana will be getting the solo. She's shown huge improvement in her singing lately, and I think she should be rewarded for it."
Brittany squealed and wrapped her arms around a shocked Santana while Rachel and Quinn quickly made their way back to their seats to congratulate the speechless Latina.
"Alright guys, I think we've had enough fun for the day. You're free to go. Have a nice weekend." Schue told them before walking out of the room.
"Hey Britt, why don't you come to my house for the night to celebrate?" Rachel told the taller blonde.
"Ok, but is San coming too?" She asked.
"You haven't told her?" Rachel asked looking at Santana.
"No, I didn't know if you wanted me to so I didn't say anything. I've been staying at Rachel's house, B."
"Why?"
"Because my dads are out of town and she didn't want Quinn and I to be alone." Rachel answered for her.
"Oh, ok. Well lets go then!" Brittany bounced in her seat.
Over the next couple of weeks, Brittany became a familiar sight around the Berry house.
Rachel had lit the Hanukkah candles and said the prayers like she did every year. She had decided to not make a big deal out of it since she was the only Jewish one and her dads weren't home.
The four girls did decorate the Berry house for Christmas. It had been Rachel's idea for Quinn to have at least some type of normal Christmas holiday. Rachel actually celebrated both with her fathers growing up, so it wasn't an issue for her.
Quinn was becoming more open with the other three girls and was now talking to one of them, (usually Rachel) when something was bothering her or she was feeling down. She had admitted to feeling unloved by her parents and how much it hurt her. She was adjusting to her three best friends becoming her family now.
Rachel was continuing her act of being ok. Anytime she was asked how she was doing, she easily lied and said that she was doing just fine and plastered on a smile. She continued to make "progress" but she was pulling into herself more and more. She told herself that by doing this, she was helping Quinn, and that was all that mattered. She didn't care that it was killing her inside. She was still cutting and had added another 30 cuts to her stomach and thighs. She hid those areas of her body from the girls, but did wear t-shirts and tank tops around the house when Brittany wasn't around to show that there were no new cuts on her arms. The old ones had faded and were now thin, light colored lines, thanks to the oil Santana had given her. The cut on her stomach that was becoming infected did not become worse. The ointment had worked and it was now healed over. She was relieved that she wouldn't have to get it looked at and vowed to be more careful to avoid the situation in the future.
Santana had her doubts about the way Rachel was acting, but she decided that Rachel would come to one of them when she needed to and decided to let it go.
Sectionals had come and gone, and the Glee Club had managed to take first place thanks to Rachel, Quinn, and Santana.
It was now December 17th, the last day of school before the holidays, and the day before Rachel's birthday. The Berry men had yet to be heard from since the phone call about Quinn's custody arrangement.
That was all about to change due to the text message Rachel would receive after school that day.
A/N: Song: I Won't Let Go by Rascal Flatts
