Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Glee or any of its characters.

A/N: Thank you all for your overwhelming support. Love for all.

Chapter 54

Quinn pulled into her mom's drive, grabbed her bags and headed up the walk way. She looked up as Judy opened the front door. "Hi honey, do you need help with your bags?"

Quinn shook her head. "No I have it."

As she moved past her mother into the house Judy hugged her but she did not return the hug. Just stood stiffly then moved on into the house. "I'm just going to go up, shower then go the bed. I'm tired."

She climbed the steps and Judy just watched her go, not knowing what to say to her. She sighed and went back into the living room. She was sure that once she got back into her normal routine everything would be ok.

Quinn entered her room and dropped her bags on the floor. She grabbed her phone then collapsed on the bed and started crying silently into her pillow. Her phone lit up with a message from each of her girls saying they missed her already and would be there bright and early for breakfast and to drive to school together. She replied back that she loved them and missed them too saying morning couldn't come soon enough. She placed her phone on the nightstand and went to take a shower.

Once Rachel and Santana collected themselves enough to function they got up and went upstairs, leaving Shelby and Sue to watch them go and worry. They each grabbed their phones and sent a text to their bear. After telling her good night they showered and dressed for bed silently then settle together, wrapped tightly against each other.

Rachel sighed and burrowed in to San's neck trying desperately not to cry again. "It's just not right angel."

San pulled her in tighter. "I know, I hate that I can't feel her with us."

"She's got to be feeling 100 time worse. I hate knowing she's alone." Her breath hitched.

San kissed her head. "I know querida, I hate it too. We just need to get up extra early and get to her and keep her close all day."

Rachel sighed again. "We will."

They lay there in quiet for the rest of the night, neither sleeping.

Quinn got out of the shower and laid down. No matter what she did she couldn't get comfortable. She tossed and turned and couldn't settle. A little while later there was a knock at her door that she ignored. She turned over with her back to the door so her mother would think she was a sleep. She didn't have it in her to speak to her right now or she would just break down.

Judy stuck her head in and observed her daughter's ridged posture in the bed. Understanding that she was awake and didn't want to speak with her at the moment, she closed the door, murmuring that she loved her and went to her own room.

Once the door closed again Quinn turned back over and stared at the ceiling. She just didn't understand this at all. Her mother had never really been there for her before. Even through childhood she always deferred to her father. When he slapped her and her mother kicked him out she was simply still not there. Always working, always partying with friends or out of town for this or that.

That changed a little when everything came to a head with Azimio. Her mother for the first time in her life showed up. All Quinn could wonder at was why now? She came and stayed for a week to care for her. She found out that she was gay with two girlfriends and barely bat an eye. She showed up for both her regionals competitions where she only ever came to cheer events before. She defended her to Fran and allowed her to stay away while she was home.

What was different now? Why start caring now. She admitted to herself that it was nice for once that her mother seemed to care, but it was such a foreign concept to her. She didn't know how to process it. She had fully prepared herself to be thrown out when her mother found out she was gay. She was more than shocked that she hadn't been. Then she worried constantly about this night and how she would deal with not having her angel and her star next to her. Short answer, not well at all.

She turned over again and pulled her pillow in close, wishing it were Rachel or San. She closed her eyes and thought of her loves. God she missed them laying with her. It was her night to be in the middle. They took turns these days and she had always loved it when it was her turn. Never in her life had she felt more loved or safe than while sleeping with her girls, whether she was in the middle or not. She was not feeling either of those things right now.

She finally passed out from shear mental exhaustion around 1:00 in the morning only to be awoken by a nightmare a short hour later. She sat bolt up in the bed and reached for her girls only to be met with air and pillows. She grabbed a pillow and held it to her chest as she rocked in place, tears streaming.

The nightmare was one she hadn't had in weeks about the incident with Azimio. In her dream Nelson didn't help them and she had to watch as they hurt Rachel and Santana. She sat there for a few minutes staring into space. All she wanted was to hold Rachel and for San to hold her. San always made her feel safe, she always had. After a while she jumped out of bed thinking of her girls. She knew she wouldn't be sleeping again anytime soon so she headed to the kitchen.

Judy awoke around 4:30 hearing noises coming from downstairs so she got up and stuck her head in Quinn's room to check on her. She wasn't there. She made her way downstairs and heard the noises were coming from the kitchen. As she rounded the corner she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight before her.

There were several pans of multiple different kinds of muffins on the counter. Fruit chopped up on a cutting board sitting next to a whirling blender. A mess of ingredients were strung on every surface. Quinn was in a panic looking through cabinets and the fridge, mumbling to herself.

Judy stepped fully into the room. "Quinn?"

Quinn whirled around, "I can't find the tofu, we have to have tofu or this breakfast bake will not work. San doesn't like the texture without the tofu and I already didn't get to make the blueberry muffins I wanted for Rachel because you are out of blueberries. I told her I was making the breakfast bake, I need the tofu!" She turned back around and continued her search.

Judy walked over to the pantry and grabbed the tofu and brought it out and handed it to Quinn. Quinn snatched it to her with a mumbled thanks. She watch for a minute as Quinn furiously chopped the tofu and added it to the mixture in her bowl then put it in a dish then in the oven. She turned to the blender and poured the smoothie into glasses then started another batch.
Judy was at a loss of what to do here. "Do you need some help honey?"

Quinn just continued to stand there and watch the smoothies blend. "No, I got it."

She spoke so low that Judy almost didn't hear her over the blender. "How about I start cleaning up?"

Quinn looked around at the mess surrounding her. "I can get it. Go back to bed, I didn't mean to wake you."

Judy stepped toward her. "Honey I can help."

Quinn's eyes snapped to her and she spoke harshly. "I don't need help. I will clean up my own mess when the smoothies are done."

Judy stepped back and help up her hands. "Ok, I'm going to take a shower."

Quinn looked back to the blender. "Yea, whatever. The girls will be here in about 45 minutes."

Judy nodded then left the room. Quinn put the last batch of smoothies in the fridge then quickly cleaned up her mess. Once the kitchen was put to right she checked her bake noting that it still needed 30 minutes to cook and ran upstairs to shower and change as quick as possible.

By the time she made it back down stairs she was able to take the bake out of the oven and put it in the warmer to stay warm until the girls and Shelby arrived. She looked around them started grabbing plates and things to set the table. As she finished the table the doorbell rang. Judy called out that she had it but Quinn yelled back that she did and sprinted to the door.

She opened the doors and was instantly in San and Rachel's arm. The tension that had held her body since the night before drained and she deflated against them. Behind them was Shelby and Sue. Shelby ran a hand over her head. "Come on girls lets close the door."

Quinn looked up and nodded, grabbing one of their hands in each of hers as she pulled them into the kitchen. They all started to grab food and smoothies, worked seamlessly together to finish setting it all out. Quinn pulled them to some chairs and sat between them. Both of them leaning into her as they plated their food. Judy watched it all from afar then joined them at the table with Shelby and Sue.

None of the girls had spoken a word yet just huddled together eating their breakfast. The adults tried to engage them in conversation but the most they got in return was short and to the point answers. They were all worried. After breakfast was over the girls headed for the school with Sue following.

Shelby turned to Judy. "Did she sleep at all? That was a lot of food she made this morning."

Judy shook her head. "I don't think so. I woke up to noise in the kitchen around 4:30 and found her cooking. Franticly looking for the tofu that we have always kept in the pantry. From the looks of my kitchen she had been up for hours."

Shelby nodded sadly. "That's what I thought. I checked on San and Rachel several times. They didn't sleep either and wouldn't let us in with them."

Judy sighed. "It will take time then they will get back into a routine."

Shelby just stared out into the lawn. "I hope so. Well, I gotta get to school. See you later."

Judy watched as she walked down the drive, got into her Land Rover and left. She went back in to clean up the table then headed off to work not sure of the choice she had made but needing to see it through.

The girls arrived at school at their normal time and prepared for practice. Monday would start the first official practice for their new routine and they were spending the next two days reviewing the stunt boards. The squad could sense immediately something was off with their leaders but remained silent. Britt and their other three girls shared a look and decided to just watch and shadow their friends all day.

After practice, to the astonishment of all of the squad Rachel and Santana flanked Quinn as they left to walk the halls to class. They held hands the whole time and leaned into her. Britt and the other girls were really worried. This was the first time since December that Rachel was not in the middle during school hours. They didn't talk, they didn't acknowledge other people just clung together.

In the one class the girls didn't share with Quinn, Sam and Marsha flanked her and kept her close. They didn't understand what had happened but they'd be damned if they left her alone. She smiled sadly at them and they just linked arms and went to class, repeating the process to return her to a very anxious San and Rach. The Cheerios and Gleeks hovered all day hating the broken hearted looks in their eyes. They were all shutting down and their friends didn't know why or how to help, so they just stayed close.

Lunch time came and the girls went to the auditorium to eat the lunch that San and Rachel had packed that morning. The others followed but didn't engage them. Just sat back hoping for an explanation or for them to ask for something, anything they could do for them that would help.

The rest of the day went the same and Coach canceled Cheerios practice that afternoon. The girls took that opportunity to head home and cuddle in their room until they had to let her go again for the night. Shelby and Coach watched them ascend the stairs and Shelby fell into Sue's arms quietly crying. They had watched them all day and could see what this was doing to them. Their hearts were breaking for them and there was nothing they could do.

Shelby had tried to call Judy and talk to her but she wouldn't hear it. Said she understood but that Quinn belonged home with her. It was the right thing to do. Shelby disagreed but Judy was not being dissuaded in her decision and told her Quinn needed to be home at 8:00. After that call Sue decided to cancel practice to give them an extra two hours at home together before Quinn needed to leave.

After composing herself she went up to ask them what they wanted for dinner. She opened the door and smiled a water smile to find them totally wrapped around Quinn and fast asleep. She went back downstairs and started some dinner. She woke them a few hours later to make them eat before Quinn had to leave. At 7:45 the scene was like the night before. Rachel and San kissed her passionately before she left and broke down after they could no longer see her.

Quinn went to her mom's house and went directly upstairs to her room after exchanging small hellos with Judy. She lay on her bed and like the night before just stared at the ceiling. Judy knocked a few minutes later and came in sitting next to her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Quinn scoffed and shook her head. "Nothing to talk about. I'm here like you ordered me to be. End of story."

Judy sighed. "Quinn, you are 16 years old. You belong here with your mother, in your own home."

Quinn just turned over. "Well I'm here so you got what you wanted. I'm tired."

Judy hung her head and left the room. After a few texts with her girls Quinn got up showered, changed into sweats and a tank then lay back down. She couldn't turn off her mind. Was Rachel ok, was she sleeping nightmare free? Was San? She couldn't let go of the fear of not knowing how they were. She knew she wasn't ok and by extension, they were not either.

She gave up sleep around 2:00 knowing it just wasn't happening. She wandered downstairs and walked around for a bit. She didn't have any cooking to do, she was going home to her girls in the morning to eat with them there. She was restless and went into the living room, sitting at the piano. She ran her hands over the keys for a few minutes before finally settling on a song. She didn't see Judy in the door way behind her as she poured her heart into her song. She had awoken hearing the piano when she first started playing.

Something in your eyes
Makes me wanna lose myself
Makes me wanna lose myself

In your arms

Quinn closed her eyes as she thought of Santana's eyes and how they always told her what she was thinking and feeling. The beauty of her rich dark chocolate eyes that were truly a window to her soul.

Something in your voice
Makes my heart beat fast
Hope this feeling will last
The rest of my life

She thought of Rachel and her voice. How it melted her soul to listen to her sing. How it always lifted her to a place she never knew existed before she had hear it for the first time. Rachel had the voice of an angel and she never failed to amaze Quinn at the purity in her voice and the raw talent she possessed.

If you knew
How lonely my life has been
And how low I've felt for so long
If you knew
How I wanted someone to come along
And change my life
The way you've done

She thought of both and how they saved her from herself and her loneliness, her isolation. They truly gave her a home for the first time in her life. Not just a house to dwell in, and actual home, where she felt loved and accepted for who she was. They changed her life so much for the better.

Feels like home to me
Feels like home to me
Feels like I'm all the way back
Where I come from
Feels like home to me
Feels like home to me
Feels like I'm all the way back
Where I belong

She almost broke down as she sang because if she had been home they would have joined her in the chorus, but she wasn't with them. Her home was too far from her.

A window breaks
Down a long dark street
And a siren wails in the night
That's alright
'Cause I have you here with me
And I can almost see
Through the dark as the light

If you knew
How much this moment means to me
And how long I've waited for your touch
If you knew
How happy you are makin' me
Oh I never thought I'd love anyone
So much

As she moved into the last chorus she decided she would sing this for them as soon as she had the chance. Just to make sure they understood just what they had done for her, just what they meant to her and how much she needed them.

Feels like home to me
Feels like home to me
Feels like I'm all the way back where I come from
Feels like home to me
Feels like home to me
Feels like I'm all the way back where I belong.

Feels like I'm all the way back where I belong.

As Judy watched Quinn sing, tears streaming down her face but never missing a beat. She had never seen her daughter sing so passionately or with so much heartache. It broke her heart to witness it and just wanted to gather her close, but she knew Quinn would not allow this at this moment because she was the one that broke her.

She backed out of the doorway and made her way quietly back to her room, all the while listening as Quinn started playing the song again. She closed her door and grabbed her phone.

After two rings the call was answered. Judy wiped her tears. "I need to talk."

After a very short conversation she hung up and lay down listening to her daughter's heart break downstairs, her own tears falling.

A/N: This was a short chapter but up next Judy makes a decision. Quinn's song: Feels like Home-Charlotte Joconelli version.