A/N: Thank you for the feedback! I love it! I still haven't firmly decided on a relationship direction yet so there is only friendship in this chapter. (I like a slow burn anyway lol) No performances either. Just a bit of plot and a bit of friendship to move things along!

...

Rachel was exhausted. She was so glad that her fathers would both be coming home the next day. She really just needed to curl up with the both of them and forget about this entire week. Not that they would stay for long, but they were great for a comfort cuddle in their brief times together. She felt like she was counting down the hours until then, dread pooling in her stomach and preventing her from leaving the school parking lot.

She didn't know how long she'd been sitting in her car, staring at the steering wheel and thinking. She refused to look at the clock or her phone. She could barely even focus on the music that was softly humming from the radio. Her thoughts were too loud and disjointed to focus on anything else.

Should she be scared? She was. Definitely. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to be or not, but she was. She supposed it might be flattering. Maybe it was supposed to be flattering? Every time she thought about it, she wanted to curl in on herself and hide, though.

She knew she should talk to someone about it, but the person messaging her had made it vaguely threatening but mostly clear that she shouldn't. She didn't like the feelings that stirred in her. It made her feel trapped, isolated…but mostly she felt like she was in danger. She had no clue if this was some weird joke, some crush gone too far, or if this was someone treading a very thin line of control. It was like playing a game of Russian Roulette that she never agreed to.

It was starting to get dark and she still hadn't left the school. The parking lot was long since empty and she was alone. She wasn't sure if that felt creepier or not. The chirping text message made her jump, her entire body tensing. A quick glance at her phone showed Santana's name, however, and her shoulders melted back into the seat, a deep puff of air escaping her chest.

Rachel scooped the phone up and opened the text message eagerly.

'Hey… I got your number from Puck. I don't even know what I wanted to say but I want to talk to you. Without all the high school bullshit. If you want. I know you like talking… You've kinda always had my back all these years even though I kinda don't deserve it and that makes you pretty awesome. I guess.'

She couldn't help but laugh at how painfully awkward the text sounded. It was too nonchalant. Like Santana was expecting her to not immediately jump on the offer which she was of course going to. Because that was the kind of person she was. Any one of her 'friends' in the Glee club could stomp all over her and yeah, she might get mad and fight, but if they ever apologized, she'd happily forgive them just to have someone in her life that wanted her around. It had been embarrassingly easy in the past to get her to do things with the promise of friendship. She was getting better at that.

She was quick to message back. 'Of course. I would love that! I feel that we will both grow wonderfully as people from this.'

Was that a weird thing to say? She felt that it was a really fake thing to say right after she sent it. Maybe she should send something more casual and less formal.

She tried to correct her mistake before Santana shut her down. 'What I mean is that I think that being friends would be a good thing for both of us. We have a lot in common. With nothing but - as you say - high school bullshit in between us, there is no reason for us to dislike each other.'

Rachel didn't think that made it better. It took several agonizing minutes before her phone chirped in her hands again.

'Look…I always just assumed you were sitting on a high horse with a stick up your ass and I hated how SURE you were that you were going to be on Broadway and be famous. Like…delusionally sure. Nothing we could do could convince you otherwise. Let's not kid ourselves, you can still be desperately annoying about your talent but…it's there. You are talented. I'm pretty sure you actually are going to be on Broadway and even though you told me that all I'm going to end up doing is working on a pole, you still stand up for me a lot. Even when I'm a bitch, which is also a lot.'

Another message followed quickly.

'I know that was a long text and we should probably be having this conversation in person but tbh, I don't think I could talk about it out loud without shutting down and getting mean. It's hard enough to stop myself from messaging you rude things that I don't mean. I erased them, though, which is better than blurting them out to your face and then hating myself later.'

Rachel sat stunned, staring at her phone with a tight feeling in her stomach.

'I appreciate your honesty, Santana. I know how hard it is to be honest with people.' Her fingers hesitated over the buttons. Mind racing with the things she wanted to say to the cheerleader but not even knowing where to start. 'I was angry when I made that comment about your future. I didn't mean it. You're not the only one who blurts out things they don't mean. It's okay that you can't talk face to face yet because I tend to ramble and I really don't know what to say. All I ever really thought about you was to avoid you so as not to draw your notice and make you target me. But that was before you joined Glee and then it was like…I wanted you around. Even when you didn't want any of us around at all. You were still there because you loved the rest of it and I liked that part of you.'

Everything was quiet in her car. The parking lot was illuminated by the street lamps and every dark corner seemed to stretch on forever but it was a peaceful quiet. She didn't like to look out into the darkness for too long because it started playing tricks on her mind. It always looked like the shadows were moving and she didn't want to think about that.

Her phone chirped, drawing her eyes back down.

'Thank you.' Was the very short response she received.

When nothing followed, Rachel sighed and put her phone down. She was sad that the conversation had ended so soon because she felt like they had been making progress. Talking with Santana had given her a new surge of control, however, and she was ready to head home and settle herself in for the night.

She started the car and turned the headlights on, staring out into the darkness for a moment as she waited for the heat to kick on. The temperature had started to drop with the sun and it would feel nice to soak in some warmth for a while. It took her a moment of unfocused staring before she realized she was staring at something. An oddly shaped shadow in between the trees just out of the reach of her headlights. Her head cocked to the side and she tried to strain her eyes to see more clearly.

It was nothing, she assured herself, just a trash can or a bush. Maybe the football team had left something out between the trees. She might have been able to drive off, confident in her own assessment, too… except the shadow shifted and then darted away, long legs never breaking stride as the person ran off.

Rachel's breath caught in her chest as if all the air had been violently sucked from the car. Her hands flew out and grabbed for anything. Something to cling to and ended up gripping the door handle like she was holding it shut.

Someone had been standing there.

She had been sitting in that parking lot for hours. Avoiding her house because she was terrified of that person coming back to rattle her doors and windows. Yet someone had been standing there. Watching her for however long. Standing so close to her and the only thing separating them was easily breakable glass. The thought sent shudders down her spine and she was quick to throw her car into reverse and hurry out of the parking lot. There was no point in staying there any longer, anyway.

…

Rachel was sure she sped the entire way home. If she got home quickly, there was no way that the person (she refused to refer to them as a stalker) would get there first, right?

Her house was dark when she pulled in. Why hadn't she thought to leave the outside lights on? Probably because she hadn't planned on sitting in the school lot for hours until the sun set. It made her nervous to get out of her car and she sat there for a moment just staring at her front door.

The longer she sat there, the more time she left herself vulnerable. She was going to have to suck it up and get in the house. With a deep breath, she steeled herself and darted out of the car, slamming it shut behind her. She sprinted to her front door, hands shaking as she tried to pull her keys from her purse. She should have done that in the car, she berated herself.

Her entire body was tensed with anticipation, waiting for the grab that never came as she was fumbling with the lock. She managed to get in the house and shut it behind her with a snap, locking it tightly. She leaned against it and took a shaky breath, legs feeling wobbly. Had she eaten lunch? She couldn't remember. She definitely hadn't eaten breakfast this morning or dinner the previous night. That had to stop. She had to take care of herself even if she was stressed and unfocused.

She made herself a sandwich filled with mushrooms and veggies, making sure to not look at anything in the kitchen least she catch sight of something that killed her appetite. She wandered into the living room and sat down on the couch with a content sigh. Her body was starting to relax and it had felt like forever since she'd just been able to exist in her own house and be comfortable.

Flicking through the TV was boring and there was nothing on. She tossed the remote to the side after settling on something to leave as background noise and looked around the room for something else to occupy her attention. That was when she noticed she had a missed call on the phone she had immediately discarded as soon as possible.

The call was from her daddy, Hiram, and he had left a voice message. She immediately clicked it to listen while she ate. A smile lingered on her face as she waited for his excited voice to tell him they were catching an early flight or got her a ton of presents while they were gone. Instead, she got a very hesitant apology.

"Hello Dear, I'm sorry I missed you but you must be very busy. Unfortunately, your dad and I are also very busy and they are extending our work trip for an extra couple of days. I wish we could come home right now, sweetheart, but we're busting our butts to make this company happy and well…the bonuses really speak for themselves, I think…" he ended in a mumble. He cleared his throat and tried to continue on in a stronger voice. "We're wiring you some more money and I know you will do fine. Call us if you need anything. We love you so much!"

As the call ended, Rachel realized that her face was hot. Angry tears were slowly tracking their way down her cheeks, feeling like a trail of acid as they slide down. When the first drop hit her hands, she flinched, expecting it to burn her skin but it didn't. She wiped at her face and threw herself back against the couch, arms crossed across her chest.

This sucked.

…

Hours later, when she'd finished her homework, she realized she didn't have much else to do. She could watch a movie. She could clean the house. Briefly, she contemplated putting up a new music video but didn't want to invite the comments from the text stranger and interrupt her peaceful evening.

She wanted to berate herself for hiding. Not doing the things she loved because she was afraid. What was she afraid of? Some noise around her house? Creepy messages? Shadowy figures? Sure that was all fairly concerning but honestly, she was probably being dramatic and blowing the whole thing out of proportion. Nothing had happened to her. She hadn't been attacked or threatened with violence. She was merely being harassed and she'd spent the better part of her high school career dealing with harassment.

It didn't feel the same, though.

She called Kurt, just to get her mind off of everything.

He answered after several rings, breathless. "Hey there, Diva," he greeted happily. "I thought you forgot about me."

"Did I interrupt something?" She asked with amusement.

"Hmm?" Kurt seemed distracted but then pulled his attention back and laughed. "Just dinner," he assured her. "I have something in the oven and when I heard my phone I went running for it."

"I didn't forget about you," Rachel promised him. "I've had a really stressful week and I just…"

"Decided to spend it with Santana?"

She could practically see his eyebrows arching pointedly.

"Well…I'd say that technically Brittany kidnapped me and forced me to agree to come over but…it was fun. I drank too much." She covered her face and shook her head.

"Oh, I could tell. A drunk Rachel Berry is an attention-starved monster with sex kitten qualities. If only she would come out sober…" he mused thoughtfully.

"Well, I'm already an attention-starved monster according to everyone else." She scoffed.

"Yes, but the sex kitten appeal is distinctly lacking and that's the part that makes being attention-starved cute."

"Kurt! I didn't call you to get criticized!" A pout formed on her lips and she furrowed her brow, annoyed.

"Sorry, sorry," he muttered in appeasement. "How is…everything?"

Rachel sighed heavily. "I'm sorry about shutting you out, Kurt. I know how close you and Finn are and I didn't want to make you feel like I was asking you to choose sides. It just felt easier to keep my distance for a little bit and let any emotions or tensions die down first."

"So are you really broken up for good, then?" Kurt asked skeptically.

"Yes. I am truly done with him romantically. I'm sorry if that makes it weird between us." Rachel frowned sadly. She didn't want to lose one of her best friends but she understood that sometimes family came first and if Finn didn't want Kurt to be close with her, then he probably would choose to keep her at arm's length.

"I don't think it will." Kurt dismissed the idea. "Besides, it's not like me and Finn are going to be living together for the rest of our lives. I just probably won't invite you to any Hummel family get-togethers."

"I suppose that is for the best," she agreed, absently walking through her house to check the locks.

"So, what else have you been doing this week? I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever."

Rachel debated on what she wanted to say but decided to test the waters first. "I was pranked at the beginning of the week. Right after I broke up with Finn. It really started to get to me and I'm pretty sure someone is following me around now."

Kurt let out a scoff of laughter before realizing that she was serious. "Don't you think that's a little dramatic?" He asked after a moment. "It was just a prank. I mean…come on. It's not like a jock is driving you out of the school for being gay, right?" he joked.

She didn't find it funny.

"I think you're being a little paranoid. Pranks are stupid and immature. They'll get bored eventually and go back to slushies like they always do. Don't even sweat it, Diva," he assured her.

Rachel didn't press further. She didn't even mention the text messages. Not after he reacted as predictably as she imagined. Kurt always liked to brush off the negative until it was too much to ignore. Still…the sinking feeling in her stomach when she realized that Kurt would be of no comfort was making it hard to breathe.

"Yeah, you're probably right." She wondered if he could hear the monotone in her voice. "Anyway, I've got to get this homework finished but I just really wanted to talk to you again." It was a lie. She'd already finished her homework but she couldn't stay on the phone with him anymore.

"Oookay…" He drawled out slowly. Rachel could practically imagine the annoyed face he was making. "Let's hang out tomorrow. We can all go to the mall together! I'll call Mercedes and Tina and we'll make a day of it."

Rachel would do anything to get out of her empty house. Being in public surrounded by people she knew didn't sound so bad.

"Sure!" she agreed as enthusiastically as she could. "That sounds really great, I can't wait!"

They said their goodbyes and hung up. For a moment, Rachel stood helplessly in the middle of her room and gazed around, glancing down at her phone trepidatiously. There had been no messages since the one after Glee. There had been no kind of interaction since she'd seen the figure run off earlier. It was freaking her out more than the constant communication had.

Determined to get back to normal, she changed into her workout clothes and set about the exercise routine that she had been skipping. She needed a distraction. Working her legs on the elliptical until they wobbled felt great and the focus she was paying to her muscles instead of her thoughts was exactly what she needed. After a long shower, she made sure there was a chair shoved underneath her locked door before she slipped into her bed and fell into an exhausted sleep.

…

The next morning was bright and sunny. The curtains on her window had been left open as usual because she loved to wake up with the sun. Her window faced the east so as soon as it was rising, it was shining in her face, waking her up with light and positivity and preparing her for a new day. She didn't feel as perky as the sun that morning but was determined to push through.

She felt much better when she was able to get through her entire morning routine without incident. She practically skipped down the steps and into the kitchen to grab herself some breakfast.

Looking around the fridge was difficult. She couldn't focus on any of the food in front of her and instead, her attention kept drifting to the back door and the garden that lay beyond. She gripped the handle of the fridge and stubbornly turned her attention back to the food. With disgust, she flicked the door closed and stomped over to the back door, peering through the window with narrowed eyes.

It looked like her garden. Everything was intact besides the one plant that had been completely shredded. She shook her head at herself and turned away. A flash of paper caught her eye and her heart leapt into her throat. There was another note pinned to the privacy gate. She could pretend she didn't see it. Just keep walking and go on about her day. That would be logical right? She can't be upset over what she didn't see…

But she knew that if she didn't go grab it, she would obsess over it all day and not have any fun at all. Knowing was better. She nodded to herself, for extra encouragement and turned back to the back door.

"It's fine," She said to herself. "It's just a piece of paper. It doesn't matter what is written on it. You're going to be fine." She didn't add the 'for now' that resonated in her head.

With shaking limbs and numb feet, she opened the back door and walked through the garden to retrieve the paper.

It was folded up and when she pulled it off the pin, it fell open, dropping a picture to the ground. She wasn't sure which one to look at first and it felt like she was choking on the air in her chest. Her eyes looked to the paper in her hands, catching the words '-so lovely when you sleep. So peaceful.' before she looked away again, eyes drawn back to the picture like a magnet.

This can't be happening, she told herself. This is too much. She was so afraid and so certain of what she was going to find in that picture and she didn't want to see it. She wanted to yell at her mutinous arm for reaching out and snatching it off the grass. She wanted to close her eyes and not look when her hands turned it over.

She could only stare.

Stare at the picture of her sleeping in her bed, hair splayed on her pillow. It had clearly been taken the previous night from outside her window. She could still see the residual tenseness on her face, even though her curtains blocked part of the picture.

A high-pitched sob tore from her dry throat but no tears followed. She took several staggering steps backward until her ankles knocked against the porch steps. Sinking down until she was sitting, she finally looked at the paper that was crumbled in her clenched hand. She smoothed it out, eyes traveling over the words that she knew her sick stomach couldn't handle.

'I know that it might sound more than a little crazy but I believe I knew I loved you before I met you. I think I dreamed you into life.

Are you dreaming of me too?

You look so lovely when you sleep. So peaceful. I could watch you forever and be content. You are mine.

Enjoy your weekend.'

Rachel didn't think she'd ever enjoy anything again. She turned and vomited into the bush next to the porch.

…

She felt like a robot as she got ready to meet her friends at the mall. She didn't look at her clothes as she put them on, already knowing that Kurt was going to hate whatever she was wearing anyway. As she was heading for the door, her phone chirped - reminding her that she'd left it on her dresser. She'd had no intention of bringing it with her.

She struggled with herself for a moment but eventually, she grabbed the phone and looked against her better judgment.

It was from Kurt.

A heavy breath of relief rushed from her chest and she quickly opened it, eyes scanning the message eagerly.

'Heads up, Diva. Finn deduced that I was hanging out with you today and decided that we need some brother bonding time. He's tagging along.'

Rachel could feel the waves of disappointment and defeat. Her shoulders slumped as she dropped her phone into her purse and exited the house. Couldn't she have one day where things just got better? She had been so optimistic this morning and that had not only crashed, but it had burned spectacularly.

She took her time getting to the mall and stood off to the side of the food court to wait for her friends. Her eyes traveled from one face to the next, unconsciously looking for anyone that was staring at her, or could potentially be following her. Maybe Kurt was right and she was being a little too paranoid.

"There is little miss Diva, right there!" Kurt's voice seemed amplified from across the large open area.

"Kurt!" She greeted him warmly as he approached.

Finn smiled hopefully at her, but she didn't immediately make eye contact with him. "Uh…Hey, Rach," he said, pulling her attention so that she had no choice but to acknowledge him.

"Hello, Finn," she returned politely but glanced back to Kurt. "Where are Mercedes and Tina?"

Kurt hummed under his breath as he pulled his phone out of his coat pocket and glanced at his text messages. "They're about fifteen minutes away. Tina's mom lectured them on mall safety before she let Tina leave, apparently."

"We should get food!" Finn enthused. "We could all three split a pepperoni pizza while we wait."

Kurt expelled an exasperated breath of air.

"I'm still vegan, Finn," was Rachel's only response. She was used to him forgetting.

"Wait…which one is that?" He furrowed his brow in confusion. "Oh, right! You don't like…eat meat or stuff, right? Yeah, I totally remembered that." He nodded assuredly.

Kurt rolled his eyes, muttering about needing a miracle. Rachel agreed. She couldn't think of anything more awkward than spending her day out 'relaxing' with her newly dumped ex. After five minutes of agonizing silence, Finn walked off and headed towards the food stalls, leaving her alone with Kurt.

"I'm really sorry he's here," Kurt began. "I didn't plan this, I swear. I heard you loud and clear when you said that you were done with him romantically.

"I believe you." Rachel nodded her head and clasped her hands together in front of her. "I am still a bit put off with Finn, but I'm sure we will eventually get back to a place where we are friends."

"I hope so because the past couple of minutes just lasted an entire decade. I'm going to need Mercedes and Tina to get here, stat, and cut this tension."

She giggled at him and shook her head.

"So…about what you said last night…"

Rachel froze, mind flashing back to the picture of her sleeping that she'd left on her dresser. "Yeah?" she asked, hoping that her voice wasn't as strangled as it felt.

"I thought about it and I was curious… what was the prank?"

She decided to tell him the same thing she'd told Tina. "Someone came to my house and was rattling my doors and windows like they were trying to get in. It lasted for a while and I went to bed sufficiently afraid."

"Wow…" Kurt seemed impressed. "I remember when the jocks glued my lawn furniture to my roof, but they never rattled my windows. Then again, my dad probably would have shot them…" A frown crossed his face. "Are your dads not home?"

Rachel shook her head sharply and looked down at her hands.

He tsked underneath his breath. "I wish I could offer you a place to stay tonight; but, well - I live with Finn."

"Right," she mumbled, nodding at her fingers.

Why couldn't she tell him the rest? She wanted to, but getting the words to leave her mouth was another thing entirely. She couldn't imagine saying out loud what she'd been dealing with the past week. The stares alone would be too much but the insistence that it was either her ego or her imagination that she was sure would come was unbearable.

A tense silence fell between them and Kurt seemed desperate to break it.

"You should just ignore it," he told her softly. "It's not like they are going to hurt you. They would have already done it if that was the case. Maybe they're just trying to run you off like they did to me."

Rachel nodded again, unable to answer him while her gut was churning miserably. She wanted to shove her phone in his face and make him look at all the text messages she had been receiving. But she didn't. Because the thought of him seeing those words written about her was humiliating even if she knew, logically, that it wasn't her fault and she didn't cause this.

A couple of minutes stretched by, endless, as they waited impatiently for someone to come over and change the topic. She was grateful when Finn ambled over with his soft pretzel only moments before Mercedes and Tina walked through the door and spotted them, hurrying over with matching grins on their faces.

Tina slowed when she approached and narrowed her eyes. "What is Finn doing here? I thought it was just supposed to be a girls' day?"

"Kurt's here!" Finn protested, then thought about what he said. "I mean…I know he goes to the girls' side when we have competitions in Glee, but he's not actually."

"Look. My man, Kurt, is great with fashion and we love our mani/pedis. Do you love mani/pedis, Finn?" Mercedes cocked her head and pursed her lips, hands on her hips.

Rachel pulled her lips between her teeth to stop herself from laughing. Finn turned to Kurt for help, having no clue what Mercedes had just asked him. Kurt rolled his eyes in reply and shook his head.

"Exactly." Mercedes scoffed. "Why are you here?"

Finn ripped off a piece of soft pretzel and shoved it in his mouth, chewing slowly while he thought of an answer. "I just wanted to hang out with Kurt," he finally said. "He said he was going to the mall with you guys as a group and I figured if it was a group thing, it'd be okay if I joined. We never get to hang out together anymore."

"You live together," Tina pointed out, unimpressed.

"Come on, let's just shop," Rachel said diplomatically, not wanting to argue anymore. "I want to have fun today."

"Yeah!" Kurt hastily agreed. "Maybe I can even talk you into a new wardrobe?" He raised his eyebrows eagerly.

Rachel looked down at her blue blazer with red pinstripe and frowned. "I dunno. I think it's cute?"

"But think of how much…more it could be." Kurt spread his hands wide. "Remember the other thing we talked about last night?"

The words 'sex kitten' entered her mind and she glared at him, unamused. He held up his hands in surrender and laughed. She couldn't help but laugh as well, feeling the tension in her shoulders ease for the first time since that morning. This was what she needed, time surrounded by her friends having fun - even if her ex was there to spoil some of it.