Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or the characters. I do not own the song Somewhere Over the Rainbow. All properties belong to their rightful owners.
Spoilers: Pre-Glee. No spoilers.
Rating: Minor T.


Reply to comments (chapter 3):

Gwennie49: Thanks for the review! Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it. :)

GLEE111: Thank you for the review! I am excited, as well, to get to the pregnant Quinn storyline. I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

Thank you to those who reviewed on the last chapter, and welcome to my new followers: lalisamanobanss, Thequiettone113, Gwennie49, gdani, and GLEE111.

Notes: I have no idea what this even is. I was going to do another chapter like the last one, where it dictates a whole week but half way through I had an idea, and, well…this is what happened.

Trigger Warning: Character death, car accident. Marked as the entire flashback.


(Post Showmance but pre-Acafellas)
Monday, August 16th, 2009


*McKinley*

She really should be used to it by now. The anxious feeling that starts as soon as she gets close enough to the school because she is unsure if two changes of clothes are enough, I mean, what if they slushie her three times, and she is forced to wear a stained outfit, or worse, clothes from the Lost & Found?

She enters the building and tries to make the 3 minute walk to her locker unharmed. Hers is next to Quinn's locker, but of course, the blonde is never there in the mornings. She is usually down the hall, at Brittany or Santana's lockers.

She is approximately 90 seconds away when it happens.

Its grape and cherry flavored today. A horrid mixture of red and dark purple.

Like always, it's a cold slap to the face and leaves her stunned for a split second. She uses her fingers to get as much away from her eyes a possible so she can see to get to her locker.

She spins the lock, opens the door, and grabs her "slushie go bag" before slamming the door shut, and spinning around and stomping off towards the bathroom.

She doesn't even realize that the three girls who usually laugh right along with everyone else… are standing at Britt's locker with sullen expressions on their faces.

"I don't like doing this anymore," Brittany says before walking off in the direction of her first period. Santana and Quinn say nothing, and just follow behind her.

One day.

One day soon, they are going to make sure everyone knows that Rachel Berry is off-limits.


*Monday – lunchtime – Choir room*

Monday is Quinn's turn, so 5 minutes after the bell for lunch, she shows up at the Choir room, and finds Rachel in there, practicing for Glee.

10 minutes.

She pauses for a moment, letting her eyes roam over Rachel's outfit, and feels herself relax just a bit, because Rachel is still wearing what she had on in their shared second period class, which she means she was slushied only once this morning.

"Hello, Quinn," Rachel greets without looking up.

"Hey…"

"How has your morning been so far?"

The blonde shrugs; she wants to say it was fine, until you got slushied, but she doesn't because then she would have to explain why they have not "called off" the Slushies, and well, that can't happen just yet.

Rachel plays a few notes before asking, "What would you like to talk about?"

Quinn wonders if she has the right to ask what she really wants to. She glances at her phone.

8 minutes.

"Would you…would you sing for me?" And she can't decide if the look of shock on the Diva's face is good thing, or a bad one.

But then Rachel blinks, and she nods, and she's saying, "Of course. What would you like me to play?"

Quinn takes a seat in one of the front row chairs, knowing that if she sat beside Rachel on the piano bench, then there is no guarantee that she would be able to stop herself from breaking down in her ex-best friend – friend's? – arms, and telling her every detail of why she and San and Britt have treated her this way the last four years.

Instead, she breathes out once, and then… "Our song?" Because it's been so long, and right now she needs to hear the song that became theirs after Rachel sang it to her the first time, when she couldn't sleep because she fucking missed her sister so much.

Rachel smiles and nods, "Ok. I might be a little rusty, so forgive me if it isn't perfect, all right, Angel?"

Quinn just…nods, and she wonders if Rachel said the nickname on purpose.

The opening notes start playing, and Quinn is thrust 5 years into the past…


Flashback: (Q, Rach, San, & Britt are 10 years old)

When: July 19th, 2004 – 4 months since the car accident
Where: Rachel's house

It's been 4 months since that day in April. Since Rachel was standing by the window, waiting for her best friend, 10-year-old Quinn Fabray, to come over after church so that they could play together.

4 months since Josiah got a call from his husband, David, that Quinn and her family had been in a car accident.

Judy and Russell were fine, – scrapes, bruises, and Judy had stitches in her forehead. Quinn was also relatively ok, with just a broken arm, and…and a very broken heart to remember that day by. Abigale Fabray, however, was the unlucky victim of the car accident.

4 months ago today, Quinn, her older sister, 24-year-old Abigale, and their parents were driving home from church. It had been raining; the roads were flooded in some places, and slick as hell on other parts.

4 months ago today, Quinn's had her world turned upside down – literally – when the Fabrays' car hydroplaned across the road, hit a ditch, and flipped three times, before coming to a rest…upside down on the side of the road.

4 months ago today, Quinn sat by the roadside of her upturned vehicle, holding her big sister's hand, and begged Abigale not to close her eyes.

"Sissy," Quinn whispered, just 9 years old, but feeling and sounding so much younger. "Sissy, please don't leave me. If you leave me, who will protect me from Mom and Daddy? Who will take me to see Rachel?"

Abby gazed at her baby sister, she never knew this day would come so soon, when she would die and Quinn, who is 14 years younger than her, would be still be alive. Her breathing was labored, and she knew, she just knew, that she did not have long.

So, she took as deep a breath as she possibly could, and said,

"LuLu, I love you so much. I l-love you, baby, an-and I am s-so sorry. I am sor…ry that this happ…happened. I am sorry that–that I can't protect y-you anymore."

Her breathing came in gasps, but there is so much she needed to say, so she pushed through it.

"I am sorry th-that you h-have the m-m-mother a-and father you do, but I will never be…sorry for…you being my baby…sister. I w-wish Mom…and Daddy cou-could see…w-what a w-won…der…ful young girl…Rae is,…and h-how much…sh-she loves…and cares…f-for you."

"Please, Sissy," Quinn begged again, her voice breaking, and for once, she couldn't bring herself to remember the rule – Crying means you are weak, and Fabrays are not weak. Dry those tears up, now.

"Please don't leave me. I-I don't want you to go. Please don't. You-you have to keep… you gotta keep your eyes open, okay, Abby?" She tried to remember what all those stupid doctor shows say. "You-you have to keep your-your eyes open and you gotta keep talkin', okay? J-just keep talkin', cause if you do then…then you'll be ok. Please, Abby, just keep talkin', okay?"

It seemed simple enough to her 9-year-old mind. A person couldn't die, if their eyes were open and they were speaking…right?

But Abby knew. She could feel it. The energy draining out of her body with each labored breath she struggled to take.

She hated knowing, though. She never wanted this to happen. She wanted to be around, to protect her beautiful, loving baby sister from the wrath of their parents. God, why did it have to happen to her?

Abby reached out, she squeezed Quinn's fingers because she could not muster up the strength to squeeze her whole hand, and she rasped out, "I…love you…so…much…Babygirl. I-i-it's go-going…t-to be…ok. Be br-brave...for me, Angel."

Quinn cried even harder at this, and she continued to beg, "Please, Sissy, please don't go. I'll be good, I promise, but please don't leave me. I'm scared, Sissy," She confessed for the first time in her entire life.

"I'm scared of Daddy, and I don't want to be alone with him. Please don't leave me, Abby."

Sadly, she did not receive a reply to this, as Abigale took her last breath, and slowly, her eyes fell shut as the world around her went black.

:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/

It has been 4 months since that say. And now, the normally vibrant, outgoing little girl is unusually quiet and sad and starts crying at many things that would not have upset her 4 months ago.

Rachel knows it is because of what happened. She knows because she is so smart, because her daddies have told her so, treating her like an adult instead of child who is "too young" to "understand." And she knows because, God, she misses Abby, too.

She misses so many things about the oldest Fabray child. She misses how Abby would let her and Quinn, and San and Britt, come over to her apartment, and they would play with the Legos that Abby kept from when she was child.

They would bake cookies, vegan ones for Quinn and Rach, and "normal" ones for Brittany and Santana. She misses how Abby would turn on music and the five of them would literally jump around the kitchen as they mixed ingredients, and they would sing and laugh and dance.

She misses how Abby always asked her to sing. She misses when Abby would tell her that there was nothing wrong with having two dads.

She misses how Abby would always be so fascinated with Rachel and how her day went, and how she always showed up for Brittany's dance recitals.

How she made Santana a doctor's coat and got her a play doctor's kit, and how she would help Santana sew up and stitch on their stuffed animals, because she knew how much the young Latina wanted to be a doctor when she grew up, just like her daddy is.

But what Rachel misses the most, was the way Quinn would be so happy around her sister.

And she knows that Quinn is hurting right now, and she also knows that whatever hurt she is feeling, or Britt or San are feeling, that is nothing compared to how Quinn is feeling.

And, that is the other thing. Quinn misses her big sister so much that it feels like someone is constantly squeezing her heart. She misses Abby's laugh, and her smile, and how she would do everything that Quinn always wanted her mom to do.

She misses the way that, even though Quinn was 9 years old, Abby would still grab her up and tickle her until they were both laying on the floor, breathless.

And she misses the way Abby would still let her lay in her lap, and the way she would braid her hair and talk to her about the grownup things, and how she would be so patient as she worked on a hard math problem with Quinn

Or the science experiments they did because, according to Abby, girls can like science, too.

She misses how Abby would put bubbles on her face while they were washing dishes and pretend to be Santa Clause.

She misses how Abby would always have a pile a presents for her birthday or Christmas, unlike Judy and Russell did at home.

She misses the way Abby would talk about her future, about getting married and having kids, and how she would always, without fail, include not only Quinn, but Rachel and Santana and Brittany, in those plans.

She misses how Abby would sneak her out to go and visit Becca, and her girlfriend Tessa.

She misses her big sister so much, and no one seems to realize it. No one, except her best friends, and Josiah and David.

She's caught David and Josiah talking before, and crying, and whispering things that don't make sense to her because…it sounded like they were crying over the loss of their child.

Quinn wants to see her again so badly. She blames herself for Abby dying, and she just keeps thinking if she had done more to get Abby to talk, to keep her eyes open.

It's different at home. At home, her parents pretend Abby never existed. They scold her for crying, and threaten punishment for speaking about her. The room, which used to belong Abigale, for when she came to visit, is now emptied out, and made into a guest room.

That is why, she spends most of her time either with Rachel, or with their new friends, Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez. Right now, though, she is at Rachel's house for a sleepover.

It has been raining on and off for several hours throughout the day, and Rachel, sweet, sweet little Rachel, has done as best as she can at only 10 years old, to distract Quinn from it.

But now, it is nighttime, and they can hear the rain as it pounds on the room and hits the windows. And they can see the lightening and hear the thunder, and they hear the rattling of certain parts of the house during the particularly loud booms of thunder.

And Quinn, she is huddled under the blankets on Rachel's bed, and she has her knees drawn to her chest, her face pressed against them, as she fights with her mind not to go there. To not go to the last moments that she shared with her big sister.

"Quinn," Rachel whispers. She reaches out to Quinn slowly; knowing that she may not even realize Rachel is speaking to her, and therefore, will not be expecting someone to touch her.

"Lucy?" She tries again, and this name, one that only Rachel and Abigale call – or called – her, seems to snap her out of her thoughts.

Instead of saying anything, Quinn literally falls into Rachel, surprising the older girl for a moment before she seems to come to her senses and wraps her arms around her best friend.

"Oh, LuLu," She whispers, her heart breaking at the sound of her best friend's sobs. Everything is crashing down around her, missing her sister, the storm that is bringing back memories, and having to pretend she is ok when she is the furthest thing from it.

"I am sorry, LuLu," Rachel murmurs. "I wish I could do something to help. I wish…if I had one wish in the entire world, I would… I would wish for Abby to come back."

Her words don't seem to help, really, so she does the next best thing. She leans them back on the bed, against her pillows, and she begins singing (Somewhere over the rainbow).

As she sings, she feels Quinn relax, for the first the time in the last couple of hours, since the thunderstorm really picked up and Rachel could no longer distract her.

The Wizard of Oz has always been a favorite of the girls. Abby loved it and Quinn shared that love. They always used to watch it together, even including Santana and Britt. Brittany's favorite part is when the munchkins appear, and Santana loves the part with the Wicked Witch of the West.

They would all five sing along with Dorothy as she sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

As the song comes to an end, Rachel notices that, finally, Quinn seems to have fallen asleep. She looks so peaceful, as if she only gets to feel happy and relaxed in her dreams.

Rachel wonders if Abby visits her in them. If Quinn dreams of a world where her big sisters are still here, and where she has a good mom and dad, as she so desperately wants.

She hopes so, because even at 10, she knows that Quinn is a loving and kind little girl who deserves the world, and so much more.

*End of flashback*


Quinn is pulled out of her thoughts by someone touching her arm. She flinches harshly, leaning away, and blinks a few times.

She realizes she is at school, in the Choir room, about the same time that Rachel realizes touching her probably was not a good idea.

The Cheerio is dazed and she has a million thoughts running through her head, as she tries to figure out what is going on.

The memory of that day hit her hard. And she swears she can still feel Abby's figures squeezing her own. She looks down at her hands, notices her fingers are trembling, and then…

"Quinn?"

Rachel is standing a few feet away, not wanting to upset the Cheerio any more than she is already is.

Quinn suddenly feels like a caged animal backed into a corner. She feels her control over the situation slipping away, and she does the only thing that she knows might help her regain it…

She stands up, and she looks at Rachel, and some part of her, deep in the back of her mind, knows that there may not be any coming back from her next words…

"What are you looking at, Manhands?"

And Rachel is blinking, and Quinn registers hurt in the Diva's eyes a split second before it's gone and replaced with that mask, the one of indifference, the one that Rachel has perfected over the nearly past four and half years.

"Nothing," Rachel is saying, looking down, to the side, anywhere but at Quinn. "I–…" She seems to want to say something, but she thinks better of it, having been jarred by the nickname that the blonde has not used in the last couple of weeks.

The voice is back and it's whispering at Q – good job, Quinn. Look what you did now.

But the blonde ignores it, and that ache that came with that look of hurt, and before she can say anything else, she is spinning around and marching out of the room, and it isn't until she is far enough down the hallway that she realizes her phone is beeping, signaling her ten minutes are up.

She ducks into the bathroom, and she allows herself to break, and she feels a crushing longing for Abby, and she wishes her life were normal.

She wishes none of this crap were happening. She wishes her sister – both of them – were here. That Rachel could be a part of their friend group. That she had a mom and dad who would dance around the kitchen with her like Brittany's parents, or proudly displayed her As and Bs on the fridge like Santana's do.

And she wishes that she could take back the last five minutes – hell, the last 4 years – and now, Quinn realizes that she probably just blew her chance at fixing all this mess with Rachel.


Well, um… yeah. I feel like, as much as I hated writing that last bit, that it may have been more realistic – Quinn lashing out as a defense mechanism because that flashback sent her feelings spiraling – than what I would have wanted to write.

Next chapter will be short, and we will finally get to see a one-on-one interaction with Santana and Rachel. The talk that they need to have is, as of right now, chapter 11. After the next chapter, Quinn's pregnancy will be mentioned in a 3-part Preggers chapter.

Thank you to all who has followed, favorited, and reviewed! (I have 27 followers and almost 15 reviews.) Please review on this one, and let me know you thought. :)