Thank you so much for all of the support last chapter!

Isaiah Flamez - A combination of things! It mostly has to do with the fact that she's been raising herself for the majority of her life and feeling like Beca and Chloe don't understand that/are trying to change her. Some of that will be explained in this chapter and the next. Thanks for the question! :)

NJCE - That's awesome that you were able to predict some of those things! I wonder if there's anything in this chapter hahaha...I want to hug Jordan, too :( That part with Macy was really fun to write. It's strange because, at this point, I've written Macy in three different stages and it's interesting to see how her character has changed over the last three stories. There will be a Beca and Jordan music scene within the next few chapters! I promise it is coming... after we get over these angst-filled chapters, there is a chapter that is fluff and happiness and will have them bonding over music. Thank you so much for your kind words! I hope you enjoy this chapter, too!

Jody1990 - I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! Yes, Jordan is seriously struggling, but he will definitely get some reprieve within the next couple of chapters, I promise! Thank you so much for your review!

Wolvezz - Yay! I'm glad you enjoyed the proposal, I was really excited to write that flashback. These last few chapters have definitely been a challenge for all of the kids in all different ways, but I promise after the next few, there will finally be some happiness in the Mitchell household./ I really don't know what to say; thank you so much for the kind words. I am so sorry that you've had such a difficult time, and while I wish I could offer you some sage words of comfort, it sounds as though these stories have done that for you, which is more than I could ever hope for in something that I've written. There isn't a doubt in my mind that the people around you will realize how amazing you are, and when they do, they'll be sorry that they ever doubted you. I wish you all the luck on your audition, and though I wish your mom was more supportive, know that I'll be cheering you on from afar. Thank you again, and I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Somethingthatismine - I loved bringing Macy back in for this scene. Bear with me - only two more heavily-angst chapters, including this one, and then we'll all get to breathe. Thank you so much for the support!

Guest - The tension is definitely still there, but hopefully it will dissipate soon? Maybe? I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story and that you enjoyed the proposal (definitely one of my favorite flashbacks). Thanks so much for reading/for the review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

Chapter 13

As much as Beca and Chloe had hoped the incident with Quinn, and by default, the incident with Quinn and Jordan, was simply a rough patch, they quickly learned that that wasn't exactly the case. In the week following, Quinn stayed just as closed-off as she had been prior to sneaking out in the middle of the night. She rarely talked to Chloe, even at school, and there were even fewer occasions in which she talked to Beca. The few times they did manage to have a conversation typically ended with some terse comments from one person or the other, so for the most part, Quinn just tried to stay out of the moms' way.

Which also prohibited Beca from taking Macy's advice and having an actual conversation with her foster daughter; but that's not for lack of trying.

Quinn's interactions with Jordan stayed minimal, and by Wednesday the eight-year-old had come to accept the fact that Quinn just didn't want to speak with him – which made him cling to both of the Mitchell women far more than at the beginning of the week. The silence and Quinn's refusal to even say good morning to him was very clearly having an impact on the boy, as he would often wake up in the middle of the night sobbing because of a nightmare – or for just remembering what was going on. Beca and Chloe tried their hardest to ensure that he was sound asleep prior to leaving his room, but a lot of times it didn't matter. Two hours later the baby monitor would crackle, and the moms could hear his sniffles on the first floor, their hearts breaking each time it happened.

As for Ava and Rosie, they are perhaps adapting the best to the tension. Which is just another way of saying that they spend most of their time playing together and staying out of everyone's way. Quinn is still just as gentle and maternal with her baby sister as she was prior to the various blow-ups of the last weekend, but for the most part, Ava sticks by Rosie's side, and only goes to Quinn when the older teen asks her to.

Everyone in the Mitchell household is just trying to move past it; trying to return some semblance of peace to their daily lives. But unfortunately, Beca and Chloe weren't caving on Quinn's grounding, Quinn wasn't caving on her anger towards Jordan, and most of all, Quinn refused to cave to, what she sees, as the Mitchells' insistence on her assimilating into their life.

It runs on a loop inside of her head:

She has her own life.

She has her own family.

Anyone that tries to get in the way of that shouldn't be listened to or tolerated.

So, the tension continues well into Friday night, despite Beca and Chloe's every attempt to get rid of the dark cloud that has been hanging over their family for the entire week.

Beca stands at the bottom of the stairs, Chloe and the younger kids already gathering around the ottoman in the living room. "Quinn, come down here please!"

Chloe grimaces at her volume, continuing to shuffle the stack of UNO cards in her hands. "You couldn't have gone up and gotten her, Bec?"

Shrugging with a smirk, Beca just comes back over to sit in between Rosie and Jordan. "I have to make sure no one is stacking the deck."

"Can you even stack the deck in UNO?"

"Probably." Beca settles down on the ground, folding her legs underneath her. She leans over to Jordan, lowering her voice to a stage whisper. "You have to keep an eye on Chloe when we play games…she likes to cheat."

Jordan lets out a small giggle (a rarity these last few days) as Chloe's jaw drops open. "I do no such thing."

Beca quirks her eyebrow, turning to Rosie. "Ro? Back me up on this?"

Rosie rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "Mommy doesn't cheat, Mama!"

"Thank you, Rosie. Mama's just trying to fill Ava and Jordan's heads with lies."

Ava's voice is quieter than everyone else's, but she still contributes. "I didn't believe her, Chloe."

Chloe's heart gushes, the redhead dropping a kiss onto the top of Ava's head. "Well, thank you, baby."

Beca can't even pretend not to grin as soon as she sees the content smile that appears on Ava's face when it happens.

"So," Chloe starts to deal out the cards, giving Quinn's empty spot in between herself and Jordan a pile, too. "This weekend, we thought we would go over to Nana and Papa's house for dinner, instead of having Sunday dinner here. How does that sound?"

Rosie nods enthusiastically. "Is Auntie M gonna come, too? What 'bout Uncle Lucas?"

Beca leans back, wrapping her arm around Jordan's shoulders, pulling him into her side, and holding him close. He leans his head up against Beca's side, sighing into her hold. "Uncle Lucas is working tonight, so I think he has this weekend off. Auntie M will definitely be there, though."

Trying to organize her cards in her small hands, Rosie just smiles to herself. "Yay."

"Ava? J? You okay with going over to my parents' for dinner?"

Ava tries to do the same as Rosie but doesn't exactly know what she's doing. She tries to be discreet as she sneaks a peak at Rosie's hand, but nods all the same. Jordan, too, gives his affirmation, just as Quinn's footsteps resound through the hallway.

Beca almost immediately notices how Jordan stiffens in her hold and can't help but feel disappointed when he pulls away as Quinn comes around the corner.

Quinn freezes in the doorway of the living room, taking in the scene in front of her. She has been fully prepared to spend the rest of the night in her room, away from whatever 'family bonding activity' Beca and Chloe had planned. She was planning on staying up until she had to say goodnight to Ava – and maybe give Jordan a hug if he stuck around long enough – and then was planning on sleeping. This week has been one of the longest of her life, and she's ready for it to be over.

"What's going on down here?"

Beca doesn't look up from her own cards, keeping an eye on Jordan as he stares blankly at his hand. "We're playing UNO. Thought maybe you could join us for a few games."

Quinn rocks from one side to the other, tossing her thumb over her shoulder. "Actually, I was going to head to bed, but…"

"At seven-thirty?" Beca finally looks up at the sixteen-year-old. After a week of her attitude, and after a week of consoling Jordan who is pretty sure his relationship with his sister is over, she isn't giving up that easy. "Come on, just a couple of rounds. What do you say?"

Trying not to look too annoyed, Quinn finally relents, and sits down in between Chloe and Jordan, pulling her legs up to her chest. She takes the cards from the ottoman, resting her chin on her knees. "Any hints on how to play?"

Before either of the moms can answer, Rosie animatedly launches into a long, drawn-out explanation of the instructions, having been playing this game since she was old enough to understand it. By the time she finishes, Beca and Chloe have to explain it in more succinct terms, but all three of the Perry siblings seem to be on the same page as they start the first round.

As they start playing, each person placing card after card down as they go around the circle, Quinn can't help but fall silent. It's not like it's hard for her to fall into the background. With Ava and Rosie giggling to each other and having Beca and Chloe fawn over them, and Jordan contributing his two-cents every once in a while, it's perfect for her to just sit there in silence. She doesn't have to talk; she doesn't have to participate. All she has to do is throw down a card every once in a while and pretend to be interested.

It's not that hard to pretend; she gets lost in her thoughts as soon as the game begins.

They used to play cards all the time. That's the first thing that crosses her mind. How, when they were still living with Amanda, she'd camp out in her bedroom with the kids and play round after round of Go Fish. It's how she taught Jordan his numbers and how to count; it's how she kept Ava calm, enticing her with one more hand when she would start crying. She was fascinated by the shiny surface of the cards and would run her fingers over them for hours, sitting on Quinn's lap while she played with Jordan.

Now, she doesn't even know if they remember that. Instead, they're being flooded with these memories. With women they barely know.

She doesn't know if they remember the nights where Quinn would take them into the backyard and show them the stars instead of sitting in the empty house where the silence and fear of what to come was deafening. She doesn't know if they remember the rare mornings when the cabinets were stocked with food, and she could make the French toast that Amanda used to make her when she was a kid. She doesn't know if they remember the sleepovers they had with Izzy, or the makeshift tents that they used to make out of their sheets.

All of the memories that Quinn has of the kids growing up. Of her raising them.

At least in her previous placements their foster parents respected that. They respected the fact that Quinn knows what to do with the kids. That she knows what's best for the kids. Well, they either respected it, gave up trying to get in the way of it, or didn't care to begin with.

Yet here she is, in a home that many would argue – that Ava and Jordan would argue – is the best one they've been in, and Quinn can't help but think it's one of the worst.

She knows she should be grateful. Grateful that they are safe here. Grateful that neither Beca nor Chloe use or have had any interactions with drugs, the evil that destroyed her entire childhood. Grateful that Ava and Jordan like it here. Grateful that they're comfortable, because that's really all she can ask for these days. She should be grateful for it all; she should be living it up and enjoying the time that they have here before they're forced to move on to what is sure to be a much less enjoyable option. Who knows where it will be or who it will be with. Who knows if she'll even still be with her siblings.

But there's a part of her that wonders if that would necessarily be a bad thing. If moving from here, sooner rather than later, which is bound to happen anyways, would be for the best.

And yeah, maybe it's selfish of her. Maybe that makes her the worst older sister in the world. Yet she wouldn't have to fight to remain in her siblings' lives. She won't have to worry about them getting their hopes and dreams crushed. She'll have the kids back.

It makes her crave the times when they still lived with Amanda. Despite every little bit of hell that she made them walk through – that she made Quinn walk through – losing the kids - losing her life - like she has been the last few weeks, makes her miss living on Pollard Street. She misses the freedom. She misses the need that her siblings used to have for her.

Because without that, who is she?

Abruptly clearing her throat so that the tightness fades away, Quinn places her cards down as Chloe declares victory again. She forces a smile on her face. "Alright, I'm going to head back upstairs."

Beca's laughter dies down from where she was reacting to something that Jordan said. "What? You don't want to play a few more hands?"

The teen shakes her head, avoiding the drooping smiles on her siblings' faces. "No, I think that's all I have in me for tonight. I'm going to head to bed."

Beca seems disappointed, as does Chloe, both of them slouching and letting out soft sighs. Beca nods. "Okay, kiddo. Sleep tight."

Quinn stands from her position on the ground, leaning over to drop a kiss on top of Jordan's head, and then one on Ava's. Ava is the only one who responds, which Quinn is grateful for. "Night guys. Night Rosie."

Chloe, too, glances up at her. "Night, Quinn. Sweet dreams."

Quinn gives the Mitchell girls and her siblings a small wave, before heading the long way to the stairs. Unbeknownst to everyone in the living room, Quinn grabs the house phone, stuffing it in her pocket as she makes her way up the stairs. She's talked to Izzy every other day for the last week, with the other teen asking her time and time again when she was coming back. Right now, she can't think of anything she wants more. Just to get away from it all. To go back to a place where she knows, without a doubt, who she is.

When she's safely behind the door of her bedroom (that, after a week, she is finally allowed to start closing again) she doesn't hesitate in dialing the number.

Izzy picks up on the third ring. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you tonight."

Quinn keeps her voice low, making sure to pay attention to whether or not anyone followed her upstairs. "You working right now?"

"Only until one."

"Want to meet me at the barn when you get off?"

Izzy falls quiet for a moment, before starting again. "Sure. You okay?"

"I'm fine. See you then."

Hours later, long after the kids have gone to bed, and long after Beca and Chloe fall asleep, Quinn once again makes her way out of the house through the back slider door that she's learned is quieter than the front door. She waits outside for twenty minutes, making sure that the light in the master bedroom doesn't come on, and that there's no movement in her bedroom from either her foster moms or her siblings. She waits in the silence of the night, ensuring that her absence will go unnoticed, before heading down the street.

She hurries a few blocks away to the bus stop, managing to catch one of the last busses into the city. When she finally gets to the familiar streets, she walks past her old neighborhood, going toward the path that she has walked so many times before. She feels herself relax when she sees her best friend, waiting for her on the edge of the property line, still dressed in her work polo.

And together, they walk in the direction of the barn, past the 'For Sale' sign that has been stationed on the road for as long as they can remember. Yet this time, neither one of them notice that the sign now reads 'Sold.'

Beca shifts on the mattress, Chloe's arm subconsciously tightening around her as their bodies conform together. The warmth and comfort that Beca is experiencing right now is unmatched, and her eyelids are heavy as they slowly part to the darkness of the bedroom. It takes the brunette a few moments to get her bearings, before she recognizes the reason why she has woken up from her slumber. On her bedside table, her phone is vibrating loudly, the device flipped over so there's only a faint glow coming from the outline of the screen.

Squinting as she prepares for the sudden influx of brightness, Beca attempts to peel herself from Chloe's hold, but her wife groans out in her sleep. "Bec…"

"Sh…hold on." She reaches the final stretch, grasping her phone as she's blinded by the light. Her heart stills at the name on the screen. "It's Lucas."

Chloe runs her hand over her face, peering at Beca as she sits up straighter against her pillow. "Lucas?"

Beca can't even respond to Chloe, far too focused on the vibrating phone in her hand. She swipes across the screen to answer the call, holding her breath as she does so. The only reasonable explanation that Beca can think of for Lucas calling her in the middle of the night, is that something is wrong with Macy. She can't imagine what could be wrong with her little sister, but she doesn't even want to take a guess. She holds the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Beca, sorry to bother you so late."

"It's okay, what's going on?" Chloe presses herself into a seated position, leaning up against Beca's side and listening intently to Lucas' voice on the other end. "Is Mace okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry I should have led with that." Lucas clears his throat, and there's a certain commotion coming through the speaker that Beca can't exactly pinpoint. "I'm actually calling about Quinn."

Beca freezes, her voice coming out in a dangerously calm tone. "What do you mean you're calling about Quinn?"

"Well," Lucas glances behind him, down the hall where he knows the teen in question is sitting in a holding cell with who he is assuming, through both conversations with Macy and just the general context of the situation, is her best friend. "She was just picked up for trespassing. Her and another girl named Elizabeth – I'm just going to assume that it's the Izzy that Macy was telling me about after last Sunday."

"She was what?!" Beca keeps her voice at a low volume, but her shock, and quickly rising anger, is heard loud and clear by both Lucas and Chloe. Before Lucas even gets a chance to explain, both of the Mitchell women are throwing the covers off of their bed and heading down the hallway as quickly – and quietly – as possible.

"I don't know all the details, but a guy called in because he thought he saw someone breaking into a barn on the property he just bought. Apparently he's been suspecting it for a while, so he's been making an effort to drive out in the middle of the night, and he saw a light and some movement and called the station." Beca slowly cracks Quinn's door open. Sure enough, her bed is just as empty as it was less than a week ago. Chloe's jaw drops in disbelief, a flash of pure frustration and disappointment crossing over the redhead's face. "Two of the officers headed out there and found Quinn and her friend. They were arrested, but the officers are waiting to hear from the owner of the property about whether or not he wants to press charges."

Beca's eyes widen, standing in the middle of Quinn's bedroom. "Charges? Lucas—"

"I doubt it will happen, but either way, she needs a guardian to come pick her."

"Yeah. Shit, yeah, I'll be there in like twenty minutes." Beca takes Chloe's hand, leading her back down the hall to their own bedroom, finishing the call as soon as she can. "Thanks, Lucas. I'll see you soon."

"Sounds good. Drive careful."

Beca doesn't respond. She simply hangs up the phone and tosses it on to the bed before she does any actual damage to it. Beca turns to face Chloe, raising her hands up in confusion, her face portraying an expression of utter defeat. "I don't even know—"

"—How did she manage to sneak out again?"

"I have no idea."

Beca runs her hand over her face, "I'm uh… I'm going to go pick her up I guess."

Chloe blinks a few times, seemingly at a loss for words – and Chloe is never at a loss for words. "I can come with you, maybe Macy can come over and stay with the kids."

"No, that's… it's fine. I'll go pick her up and then I guess," Beca blows out a puff of air, gathering her hair into a bun on top of her head. "And then I guess we'll talk when we get back. That way you'll be here if anyone wakes up."

Slowly, Chloe nods in agreement, the redhead clearly struggling with processing not just the news, but her own emotions. Both of the women are. Because somehow, some way, they managed to miss Quinn sneaking out again (which, really, how could they possibly miss that - sure, they're tired and it's been a long week but seriously?). And this time, it wasn't an innocent endeavor. She got arrested. And they had no idea. "Okay. Text me when you get her?"

Beca scoffs, walking over to the bed to grab her phone, as well as the sweatshirt that she had taken off hours ago when she thought her eldest was sleeping. "Yeah. I'll let you know. Love you."

Stopping her on the way out with a kiss, Beca hears a reciprocal, "love you, too," before succumbing to the millions of thoughts racing through her mind.

Quinn cradles her head in her clasped hands, perching her elbows on her thighs as she sits on the bench in the cold holding cell. Izzy is sitting next to her, their legs touching, with her head leaning against the wall and her eyes closed, her thumb running against her fingertips just like it always does when she's anxious.

They haven't been there for long, maybe about an hour or so, but neither one of them quite know how to react or what to do. Ending up at the police station – with the potential for having to go to court come Monday – was not exactly what Quinn was planning for her Friday night (or her Saturday morning, to be more accurate).

They hadn't even been together for that long before the police showed up – and really, it's so annoying because it's not like they were doing anything wrong. They were simply sitting against the same wall that they always do, piled under the same blankets they always are, talking by the light of the lantern that they keep stashed away. Izzy had brought some food from the store that her boss would have gotten rid of in the morning, and they were just talking. Talking about Izzy's day at work, talking about how the tension in the Mitchell house – and the tension between her and Jordan – is quickly becoming insufferable.

They were talking about what how Quinn was supposed to go back, and what would happen if Beca and Chloe found out that she left again.

Now, she doesn't even have to question what would happen. She already knows.

She's so freaking screwed.

"I'm going to be in so much shit when I get out of here," Quinn says in a whisper. There are only a few other people in the large holding area besides her and Quinn. Luckily, they haven't made any effort to talk to them.

Izzy doesn't even open her eyes. "What are the odds that they call Beca or Chloe instead of Rachel?"

"I'm hoping really, really high." As much as she doesn't want to see either of the Mitchell women – both of whom are most likely going to be livid – she has zero interest in seeing her social worker and getting reamed out at two o'clock in the morning. At least with Beca and Chloe, Quinn knows that she'll come out relatively unscathed.

At least, she's hoping that the pattern remains the same.

Tears burn at the back of her eyes. She really fucked up this time around. Not only did she sneak out and get caught, but she snuck out and got arrested. Who knows what the owner (which, she is still shocked that the barn actually sold) is going to do about pressing charges. She could end up going to court, she could end up being sent to a group home or juvie – she could end up losing her siblings forever. And not just her biological siblings; she dragged Izzy into this mess to, doing the one thing she always promised herself that she wouldn't.

Everything leading up to this has been so miniscule – sure, Beca and Chloe have blown it out of proportion, but this? Quinn knows this is big.

Izzy must hear her breath hitch, because she's immediately sitting up straighter, wrapping her arm around Quinn's shoulder and pulling her into her side. "Stop. Don't start worrying. Everything's going to be fine. The dickwad isn't going to press charges, we're not going to go to jail, and you'll see the kids before you know it, okay?"

Quinn just shakes her head. "I'm going to end up getting moved, Iz. One way or the other, and who the hell knows where I'm going to end up and how long it's going to be before I can see you again, or if the kids will be with me."

"Don't worry about me." Izzy waves a hand at Quinn, but they both know that it is unconvincing.

"Really?" Quinn raises an eyebrow, turning so that she can face her best friend, and lowering her voice even more. "And what's going to happen when they can't reach Sandy?"

Izzy shrugs nonchalantly once more. "I'll give them Damien's number. Say that he's my older brother."

"But what if –"

"Quince, I love you, but if you keep talking, you're going to be the reason someone knows that something is up." Izzy pulls her knees into her chest, appreciating how concerned her best friend is for her, but also not having nearly as much patience to deal with her nerves, and the nerves swirling around in her stomach that are screaming at her that she's finally done it. "Everything's going to work out. You'll go back to the Mitchells –"

"—Yeah, right."

"You'll go back to the Mitchells or to a new foster home, I'll go back to my attic, and we keep on living like we've been living for the last sixteen years. It's going to be fine."

It's crazy how easily they switch roles. The past couple of weeks, it's been Quinn comforting Izzy. And now, like something flipped, Izzy is comforting Quinn. Yet, somewhere, deep down, they both know they should be focusing on their own situations and how they're going to manage to get out of this one.

The entire drive to the Atlanta Police Department, Beca's mind is on autopilot. Honestly, she's shocked that she doesn't get pulled over or into a car accident. She would let out a breath of relief, but she is far too stressed and far too infuriated to do so. So instead, she climbs out of the car and slams the door shut, trying to walk as quickly as possible up to the entrance of the police department.

For two o'clock in the morning, the police department is still hustling and bustling. Uniformed officers are walking from one side of the building to the other, some escorting other people, some not. There are a few other civilians waiting around for some sort of instruction, but the majority of the people seem to work there. She makes a beeline to the front desk, knowing that she is probably a peculiar sight in her pajamas and Barden Bellas' sweatshirt.

She approaches an older man behind the desk. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Lucas Monroe?"

The man, dressed in his own patrol uniform, gives her a tired nod. "Okay. Who can I say is asking for him?"

"You can just tell him it's Beca. He's expecting me."

Without another word, the officer goes down a hallway, with Beca's heart pounding in her ears. She can't think a single step ahead of just seeing Lucas. All she needs right now is to see him, get Quinn, and get back to the house.

"Hey, Bec." Lucas comes out from the hallway that the officer had disappeared down, his khakis and button-down shirt sticking out like a sore thumb amidst the sea of blue uniforms.

Beca gives him a brief hug. "Hey. Any updates?"

Lucas nods, pulling her slightly toward a more secluded corner. "The arresting officers were able to get ahold of the owner. He's not pressing charges because there was no damage; but he said that if it happened again, he would."

"It won't happen again, that's for damn sure." Beca spins her wedding ring on her finger a couple of times. "Did you see her? Talk to her?"

Shaking his head, Lucas says, "I saw her but didn't talk to her. I'm not sure if she would have recognized me. We only met briefly during Macy's birthday." Beca shifts from foot to foot as she takes in Lucas' words, her nerves quite obvious. "Come on, I'll go get Officer Torres and then you can take her home."

Following wordlessly behind Lucas to retrieve his colleague, Beca wrings her hands together as they round each corner. Her mind becomes busier and busier until she's standing outside of a spacious holding cell, looking at the far wall where Quinn is sitting with her legs crossed on the bunch, leaning up against Izzy.

"Perry." Office Torres calls into the cell. Quinn's head jolts upwards, causing Izzy to stir as well, and Beca watches as the teen visibly gulps, even from relatively far away. "You're out of here."

Quinn glances over at Izzy, who stays slumped against the wall, but eyes the officer all the same, and turns back to Beca, her mouth poised to say something.

Beca raises a single finger, not caring who hears her or how loud she is. "Unless the next words out of your mouth are going to be an apology, I would keep it shut. Let's go, we're going home."

In any other situation, Quinn or Izzy, or both of them, would have something else to say. But the look on Beca's face, the one telling her that she may be in deeper trouble than she was predicting, convinces the teen to remain quiet. She turns briefly to Izzy, giving her a tight hug, and hoping that this isn't the last time for a long time that she'll be able to see the other girl. "Call the house when you get home? Just let it ring a few times, I doubt I'll be able to answer."

Izzy squeezes her back. "I will. Good luck."

There isn't even a hint of a smile on Quinn's face when she responds with the same sentiment.

Quinn shuffles across the cement floor, hands shoved deep in the pocket of her sweatshirt to hide the trembling as she is allowed to exit the cell. Beca doesn't even meet her gaze, and instead keeps her focus on the remaining teen sitting on the bench. "Izzy, do you have someone coming to pick you up?"

Quinn watches the scoff rise in Izzy's throat, but she must hold it back, because she replies in a monotonous tone instead. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Beca gives her a single nod before turning back to Quinn, pointing a finger down the hallway. "Come on."

Quinn barely hears her foster mom saying goodbye to the two men that brought her to the holding cell, or the rest of the chaos that is happening in the lobby of the station. She keeps her head firmly facing the ground, never once wanting to look up for fear of seeing that same expression of anger and disappointment that has been painted on Beca's face since she showed up.

Beca, on the other hand, doesn't take her eyes off of the back of Quinn's head, staying a few feet behind her as she leads the way out to the car, mostly because she has no idea what to say. She can't express the aggravation she's feeling. She can't express the confusion as to why Quinn would even think about doing something like this. She can't express her disappointment, her own guilt. After everything that happened last week, after everything that has happened since she and her siblings moved in; Beca just doesn't understand why the teen keeps pushing and pushing.

She knows she's going to have to have that conversation with Quinn eventually. She knows that they're actually going to have to talk this out, whether Quinn wants to or not. But right now is not the time; Beca just needs to get her home without completely losing the small grasp of sanity and calmness that she is clinging on to for dear life.

So, they drive in silence, much like they did driving home from Pollard Street last week. The radio is off and there isn't any other traffic, so it's easy for the two of them to simply hear each other's anxious breaths.

When Beca finally pulls the car into the garage and puts it in park, she chances a glance at the sixteen-year-old. She has made herself small in the passenger seat, and even from across the center console, Beca can see how tense she is. Another pang of guilt pierces her chest, and Beca moves slowly to turn the car off, so as not to startle the, clearly nervous, girl. No matter how frustrated she is with Quinn, scaring her and making her feel like she's going to get hurt, is the last thing that Beca wants to do.

"It's time to go inside, Quinn."

Beca's half expecting Quinn to stay in the car. Maybe apologize before heading into the house. But the teen is stubborn, that's for sure, and simply remains silent, climbing out of the seat and following Beca into the mud room.

She takes her shoes off slowly, Beca following her lead. When her shoes are stacked next to Ava's, Beca motions for Quinn to head into the kitchen. She does so, her head still bent to the ground.

The kitchen lights are on full blast, and Chloe is standing at the counter, nursing a cup of tea. Her hair is pulled into a bun on the top of her head, her thick-rimmed glasses that she only wears after she takes her contacts out, perched on her nose. If this were any other situation, Beca might point out how this scene reminds her of when Chloe would be up late studying for an exam or something back in college; but watching her for a second more, Beca can see how different it is. Her wife is staring at the door, waiting, her nails tapping against the mug.

Quinn stops short as soon as she sees Chloe waiting for her.

Even from a few feet away, Beca can see her exhale the breath that she was holding.

"Are you okay? Were you hurt?" Chloe's tone is ice cold, unlike anything Quinn has heard in the last month and a half that she's lived with the Mitchells. Chloe moves her hands from the mug to grip the countertop as though she's trying to keep herself from stepping forward.

Quinn shakes her head, briefly meeting Chloe's gaze. "No. I'm okay."

"And Izzy?"

"She's okay, too."

Chloe gives her a single nod in return. "Good. We'll talk about this in the morning. Go upstairs and go to bed, please. And stay there, this time."

Quinn gulps, looking from Chloe, to Beca, before turning back to Chloe. She blinks back a few tears, before refacing Beca. There's something about Chloe's blank stare that cuts her deeper than she ever thought it could. "Thank you for coming to get me."

The faintest of smiles graces Beca's lips, the corner of her mouth quirking upwards. "You're welcome. Goodnight, Quinn."

Sensing – and practically being told – that her presence is no longer welcomed, Quinn simply dips her head once more, and slips down the hallway to go upstairs to her bedroom. Then again, who knows if it's even going to be her bedroom for much longer.

When the sound of the bedroom door shutting resounds through the house, Chloe's façade crumbles. She lets out a shuddering breath, and bends over the counter, a sob ripping through the kitchen. Beca doesn't hesitate; she moves quickly to her side, gathering the shaking woman in her arms.

"It's okay, Chlo, she's okay."

Chloe just shakes her head, gripping onto Beca like there's no tomorrow, and burying her face in the crook of her wife's neck. "I've never been so angry, Beca. Or so scared."

"I know, I know."

She holds on tighter, another choked sob releasing from her chest. "What was she thinking?!"

Much to Beca's dismay, she doesn't have an answer for her. She can't explain why Quinn keeps pushing them away. She can't explain why Quinn keeps putting herself in these situations. She can't explain any of it, and it kills her, because seeing Chloe like this – no matter what she, herself, is feeling on the inside – tears her apart. "I don't know, babe."

"We're going to have to talk to her, Bec, and I mean really talk to her. This cannot keep happening." Chloe sniffles a few times, and Beca can feel her breathing slow against her chest. "And I'm sorry that I just sent her to bed. But I saw her come in and I just felt everything that I thought I was going to say, disappear. I just… I couldn't even look at her."

"It was probably for the best. We'll talk to her once everyone has had a chance to cool down. Once we've had a chance to figure out what we want to say."

Chloe nods, never once thinking about releasing Beca from her arms. "I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep tonight."

"Me either." Beca plants a soft kiss on Chloe's forehead. "I'll make a pot of coffee. Why don't you go grab some blankets and put on an episode of Grey's or something?"

In a surprising turn of events, Chloe lets out a short, yet genuine, laugh. She perches her chin on Beca's shoulder so the brunette can turn and look at her. "You keep me sane; you know that?"

This time, Beca is able to press a kiss into her lips, Chloe savoring every second of it. "We're going to be just fine, Chlo. All of us."

Phew. Okay, next chapter, I promise we'll get some closure to this part of the story and get to start moving forward. Thank you so much for reading and for your continued support; I look forward to hearing your thoughts/comments/predictions! See you on Saturday :D