Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters. I do not own PlayStation or Call of Duty. Santana's older sister, Daniela, is mentioned. Name credit for her goes to Isa Yodice12.
Spoilers: None
Rating: T for language.


Reply to reviews: (chapter 28)

chloe2007: Thanks for the review! Yes, Jacob is her brother! I was excited to do that. And Quinn tells them what happened at this end of this chapter. :)

Isa Yodice12: Thank you for the review. I am glad you enjoyed, and yes, Rachel pulling away from her was something I thought would get her attention, since physical contact has been so important to her. :)

Gwennie49: Thank you! The world is going to a much better place, and even better one the trial is over with, which will happen sometime around #35. Once Russell is officially behind bars, things will start looking better, and their recovery will begin to be continually progressive. :)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter! And welcome IcePhoenix12360, Iceraen1972 (favoriter), and Otighigbob (favoriter), and my new favoriter seg.


Notes: This chapter has taken forever and a day to complete. I am sorry about the delay but I just could not finish it. I do have several chapters prewritten once again, so updates should not be delayed for so long now. And you finally get to find out what happened to make Quinn panicked about Rachel leave her sight.

Notes 2: Shoutout to Isa Yodice12. She helped me figure out/gave me the idea for the first part of this chapter, and it really helped, so thank you!

Trigger Warning: Mentions of past miscarriage, plus emotional/physical abuse. Please read with caution. I'll have it marked.

IMPORTANT: I have a poll up on my profile about the prequel to this story. Please go and vote on it for which version of the prequel you'd like to see.

Quinn is 11 weeks, 3 days pregnant.

Enjoy! :)


Thursday, November 12th, 2009


*Rachel's house*

It's later when Santana really notices it for the first time. They are in the bedroom after they let up the rest of the cats, each one going to a person in the room. Zeke stays with Quinn who is watching Noah and Rachel set a three-way game with Finn to play Call of Duty on the PlayStation.

And while they are doing that, Santana watches them. Quinn is sitting close to Rachel, enough that her head can be leaned against the Diva's shoulder and, while this is not an uncommon occurrence in the last week or so, it is still… different.

She narrows her eyes, thinking back to earlier, when Quinn and Brittany came upstairs to find both her and Rachel upset to the point of tears.

While she had said she was not upset with Quinn, and even would go as far as to say she meant it, it still kind of… irks her that her best friend would jump to the conclusion that Santana was the reason Rachel was upset.

Now, Rachel is a big girl, and, while she was powerless to stand up to the Unholy Trinity and their cruelty towards her in the last four years, she is most certainly not a helpless little girl.

If Santana was upsetting her, she would have been spitting remarks right back at the Latina. She would have been angry, pissed off, and defending herself to whatever it would have been that Santana had said to her.

Her thoughts are interrupted by Brittany calling her name and waving her hand in front of Santana's face.

"S? You ok?"

She puts on a smile that no doubt Brittany can spot as being fake and nods her head. As expected, Britt narrows her eyes in scrutiny but eventually nods anyway, turning back to watch the game playing out on Rachel's TV.

Santana leans back against the pillows as she watches the scene in front of her. Even with Puckerman being a part of this, and with Quinn's anxiety…

It will still be one of the happiest times of her life. This is a moment that, 20 years from now, she will look back on. With her best friends shooting people, – or, in Rachel's instance, shooting each other, – in a game of COD, and her and Britt lounging on the bed with their Foster kitties…

Being 15 and lazy and with family. Being free and safe and, most importantly, Quinn being out from under her sperm donor's thumb… this is how their life should be. This is what makes the memories worth remembering…

So yeah, this is the moment she will remember for years to come.


*Later - at dinner*

It happens again much later on. They are having dinner, just the seven of them. It's potato soup, Quinn's pick, or rather, a Brittany-led choice. It isn't new, really. Not now, not even years ago. They always gravitated towards each other but now…

Now it is worse. Now it is more and Santana notices it and it just… It gets under her skin. What makes it even more worse, though, isn't that Quinn is sits closer to her. Or only speaks, through Morse Code, of course, to her, but…

That she seems to be protecting Rachel. In her own home. In a place that Rachel should never need to be protected in. She protects her from her fathers, from Noah, and…

From Brittany and Santana.

And that is what pisses her off the most. Rachel does not need protecting from them. Sure, they were all three bitches to her, and yeah, they have a lot of fucking making up to do, apologizing, working on her trust, because even if Rachel says she trusts them 110%, and even if that is true

It still does not erase four fucking years of ignoring, hating, name-calling, slushying, and just plain… terrorizing.

Because that is what they did.

They terrorized their best friend.

For four years.

The friend who opened her house to them, who protected them, all 3'9 of itty-bitty Rachel Berry. She invited them over, told them her secrets, let them in on a part of her that only her closest confidants were allowed to know and see…

But now?

That is not them.

It isn't Brittany, it definitely is not Quinn…

And it is sure as hell not Santana.

She may be a bitch but… Underneath she is scared little girl who needs to be told everything is going to be ok, especially now. Especially after everything they endured. Especially after being beaten and broken down until she was nothing except a hard, external shell made and built to protect that terrified 11-year-old little girl who she still is on the inside.

So now?

Right now?

Watching this?

Watching one of her best friends protect one of her other best friends from her? From Brittany?

It pisses her off. It pisses her off so very fucking much and…

But she waits. For the right time, for the moment to come…

And it happens. About 15 minutes after dinner is over with. Rachel decides to take a shower, and, in a moment of bravery, Quinn stays down in the living room. Not the basement, though. Because that would two floors between her and her courage, and right now, right now Quinn can only handle one floor between them.

She spaces out, though. And she can tell it is worrying Brittany. She paces back and forth, between the living room, dining room, and kitchen.

5 minutes pass. Rachel is probably only going to be 10 more minutes. She takes short showers now, especially since she knows Quinn can only handle small amounts of time separated from her.

Britt hovers in the doorway, and Noah… well, he hovers between the three rooms because while he and Santana were not as close as she was to the girls growing, she is still like his little sister, sometimes big, too, but mostly just his little sister. And he loves her. And he can tell when something is going on.

They are down to 7 minutes now and…

Santana makes up her mind. Quinn comes into the room, and she digs around in the cabinet next to the fridge where they keep the cat food and cat treats. She gets out a yellow package; this is Tigger's favorite.

Before she can leave, however, Santana calls out to her…

"Q?" Said girl turns. She does not speak, but Santana knows. "Can I–… Can I talk to you for a moment?" And because Santana knows, she adds, "You don't have to talk back to me, just… just let me, ok? And listen, ok? Please?"

The blonde hesitates, looking between her best friend and the doorway. But, eventually, she nods, and she comes over to the table and she sits.

And suddenly, Santana has absolutely no idea what to say. Or even how to say it. What was she going for here again?

"I just wanted to talk to you about something, but I promise, it is nothing…"

No, because it is big.

She settles on, "You don't have to answer, and you are free to leave at any time, ok?" And is relieved when Quinn nods.

Pacing always seemed to help but now…

Now it is probably making Quinn just as, if not more, nervous than she is, and that is not what either of them need.

She just starts talking, and hopes, somewhere along the line, that she will begin to make sense…

** emotional/physical abuse warning starts here **

"I get it, okay? I do. Your mind is fucked up right now, and I don't mean that in a-a bad way or a mean way, okay? I mean it as… that sorry excuse for a human being has said things to you – things we have no idea of – that have fucked with your perception of things."

God, of all the people who would be dealt the shitty life and abusive parents and the crimpling anxiety…

Why Quinn?

Santana would give anything to let her best friend have one normal day.

To be a fucking teenager without all of the extra worries and shit she is going through.

"And I am so sorry for that, Q. I am so sorry you had to go through it – that you have to go through it. I am willing to look past it, though. I can ignore it and I can take it in to consideration, and I can understand, to the best of my ability, but, Quinn, the one thing I won't ignore, – the thing I am not going to just simply look past? – is you treating Britt and I like we are the enemy."

She just hates it so very fucking much.

"We are not the ones who would hurt Rachel. We are not the ones who are going to harm her, do something to intentionally upset her, or any of the other scenarios that your mind is forcing you to play through…"

"I am so sorry that it took us this long to tell someone. I am so sorry that I could not be strong enough, for you, for Britt. We went through hell, and I know it was 100x harder for you, and for that, I am so sorry, babygirl, I am so sorry that it took us four fucking years to finally do something."

They should have went through with it. God, why didn't they go through with it back then?

"I love you, Quinn. I love you and Rachel and Brittany so much sometimes that it fucking hurts to breathe. I know you, okay? I may not know you the way Rachel does, but I do know you. And right now, your anxiety is absolutely through the fucking roof."

"The fact that you are able to function even half of capacity you are at is an absolute miracle. But I love you, and I know you, and that is why, – I need you to look at me, okay? And I need you to really listen to what I am about to say…"

She hates it. She absolutely hates it. Why weren't they brave enough back then?

** emotional/physical abuse warning here throughout **

"Do you remember back in the eighth grade? Do you remember the real reason you came to school that day with bruises on your arms? I know you do because no matter how hard you try to forget, your mind has every single fucking thing that happened in those four years categorized into your memory."

It's true. There is something that the adults do not, – that Rachel does not – know. Yes, Quinn went to school in long sleeves that day because of the bruises on her arms.

But what she never told Rachel is that, her father did not do that because Santana and Britt refused to partake in the bullying. That was just the belt, or at least, the threat of the belt.

No, the bruises on the arms, from where he held her so tightly that she was afraid her arms would break, that was from what he found out they were going to do.

You see, back in the eighth grade, only 2 years after everything started, Britt, Santana, and Quinn decided they were going to tell someone. An adult, a friend. They were going to tell of Russell's abuse, of the things he wanted them to do to Rachel.

But then, he found out. He found out what they had planned. He was livid to say the least. He grabbed Quinn up by the arms, and shook her, and demanded to know what kind of stupid idiot she was to think that he was not going to find out about their plans.

He wanted to do more. He wanted to actually use the belt, but thankfully, her mother came in, and for the first, and only, time, stopped him.

So, he sent her to bed without dinner, and the next day, in 90° weather, she wore long-sleeves to school.

When Santana and Britt asked about what happened, she lied. She said it was because they would not participate in the bullying the day before. It didn't matter, though. Because later that day, Santana's mom and dad gave them great news.

They were pregnant! It was a great thing. But that point also leads us to here…

** warning for mentions of past miscarriage here throughout; please read with caution **

"Do you remember why we decided not to tell anyone?" She whispers this sentence as her tears fall in sync with Quinn's, not even caring because being weak is the last thing she has to worry about right now.

Because she knows, she knows Rachel is standing behind her. She knows Brittany is standing behind her. She knows all of their parents are standing behind her.

"Mamí and Papí told us they were pregnant again. And we were so, so happy, but do you remember that, that was the reason we decided not to tell? Because… seventh grade…" Here, Quinn practically chokes out a sob as she nods. And Santana's facial expressions go from upset to downright heartbroken.

"In the seventh grade, when we were brave. When we were just calling her names. When it was just a few times of ignoring her, we wanted to tell. But then, Mamí said she was pregnant, and then, a few months went by, and things went to shit. I was being a little bitch, and I was causing her to be so fucking stressed and I will never forgive myself."

It's a wonder she is not crippled with anxiety like Quinn. Why does she have to be the one who can go through anything and it look like it does not affect her? Why does Quinn get panic attacks at something as simple as Rachel walking out of the room while…

While she is just… Normal? Able to handle it?

How is that fair?

"Mamí was on bedrest, but I was causing hell all over the place – at home, at school. She was supposed to be in bed, and taking it easy, and I, like the fucked up 12-year-old I was, couldn't give a damn about that. Her body could not take it; the baby could not take it."

"October 4, 2006, we said goodbye to our precious angel, Marianna Rose. The stress was too much, no matter what you say, Mamí," She tilts her head to the side, addressing her parents, breathing out, "No matter what you say, I know I was probably a big part of the stress that caused you to lose Mari, and I am so sorry…"

Her voice fractures here, it's a wonders she made this long with her voice as strong as it is, and Quinn reaches out a hand to swipe at her tears.

Santana covers the blonde's hand on her cheek, and she looks Quinn straight in the eye, emphasizing her next words, "And that is why I need you to calm down. Okay? Look at me, babygirl. I need you to try your hardest to go at least one day with a panic attack; without your anxiety levels higher than any person's ever should be."

"I need you to calm down because if you don't, if you continue to be as stressed as you are, I am afraid you will lose the baby. You are 15 years old, Quinn, and 15-year-olds are not equipped to handle the normal levels of stress, plus even more stress and worries that come with a pregnancy."

And…

She doesn't want that, God, how she does not want that. It would absolutely break them, and Santana does not think that even Quinn and Noah would be strong enough to get through it.

"And I don't want you to lose your baby, Q, because you are my best friend, and I love you so much, and I never, ever want you, or Noah, to experience the pain of losing your baby. Because they may seem just fine now, but I can promise you, Mamí and Papí will never be truly ok."

"Matthew doesn't remember it. He was only just shy of his second birthday, but, god, do I remember. And so does Maya. And Gabriel. And Daniela. We all remember having to say goodbye to our baby sister. We all know what the emptiness and longing of having someone who should be here but isn't here feels like, and I do not want you ever to have to know that pain."

She stops here because she can barely think let alone speak, and she gets up from her bent position in front of Quinn, and she sits beside her best friend, beside the girl who is like her family. Quinn crumples and collapses against her, and Santana just hugs her tightly because there isn't much else that can be done.

Santana looks up when she hears Carlos whisper, "Oh, Mijá…"

"I'm sorry, Papí," She whispers back but he is already shaking his head.

"No, Mijá, no. You have nothing to be sorry for, do you understand? I–… I can't believe we… I am sorry, alright, Mijá? I am so sorry your mother and I didn't see what was happening. I am so sorry that we–… That we punished you instead of looking into the root of the problem and seeing that you were crying for help."

Carlos engulfs Santana in a hug them, after making sure Quinn is leaning back because he is aware of her aversion to touch and does not want to make her uncomfortable.

Carmen looks on to her husband and second oldest daughter, and then she turns to find Brittany in her father's arms. She feels the tears roll down her cheeks and her eyes meet those of Jennifer Pierce.

She breathes out, "Oh, Jen, what have we done?" Jennifer just shakes her head. "How did we–… How did we let our babies stay with that monster?"

Surprisingly, it's Brittany who hugs Carmen, saying, "Rachie isn't the only who is good at acting. We put on a happy face, and you–… you had a lot going on. We pretended that everything was ok, and we pretended so much, that it was believable. Please don't blame yourself, Mamí."

The grownups stand in silence for several moments. None of them know what to do – not even the Police Officers of the family. They look around, at their children, at each other, at the mess that is now at the center of their lives…

It is silent for several more moments before Rachel clears her throat and…

It snaps the Unholy Trinity to attention.

They look to the kitchen doorway, where the Diva stands, arms crossed, and a not-so-happy look on her face. Quinn's shoulders slump while Britt and San share a look. They are both thinking the same think: fuck, mixed in with, we're screwed.

Santana clears her throat and motions towards the stairs.

"Uh, okay… I think we may have some things that need to be discussed."

"Ya think?" Rachel grits out and Santana winces.

"Right… OK, uh.. We will just be… upstairs if you need us." She goes to Britt, pulling the dancer away from her mom, and starts in the direction of the stairs, while Rachel simply turns and follows them, not even waiting for Quinn to at least stand up.

And that…

That is how the blonde knows she has – that they have – truly screwed up. She blows out a breath, stands up, takes a moment to yell at Chucky to shut the fuck up, and then she follows in the girls' trail.


*Rachel & Quinn's room*

Rachel waits by the door for all three to enter. Sometime in the last 20 minutes or so, Noah had left, so, along with their parents, it is just the four of them.

Once they are all in here, she shuts the door, facing it, taking a moment to try and reel in her emotions so she does not actually explode on them, and then she turns around, slowly, methodically, and she holds up a hand to whoever it was that was about to speak.

"No. My turn… You see, for the past four weeks, I have, apparently, been led to believe that you three have been telling me the truth." She lets out a harsh breath here. "When really, you have left out one of the most important fucking details!"

"No!–" She keeps her hand up here, eyes looking to Britt and Santana because if she, even for one second, strayed towards Quinn, she knows she would be done for. And she cannot do that right now.

Because right now, she needs to be angry.

Right now, she needs to yell, and rant, and just fucking be angry.

And she cannot do that if she is looking into those hazel-greens that take her breath away anytime there is so much as an inkling of something other than happiness, or excitement, or contentment swirling in them.

So, instead, she focuses on Brittany's baby-blues and Santana's brown eyes reflecting sorrow and regret.

"No, you not get to speak. Not now. It is my turn. You three–… You… You lied to me. You left out one of the most important details. Do you understand that? Do you understand the magnitude of what you revealed just a few minutes ago?"

Rachel starts pacing, weaving her way through the beanbags, backpacks, notebooks, and game controllers that are scattered across the floor.

She cannot decide what to say, where to start. She was led to believe that Russell was an asshole who threatened her best friend with the belt simply because Santana and Brittany did not participate in the bullying on that day, and instead…

Instead, she finds out that one of her best friends suffered through the worse kind of family losses.

And when she was 12 years old, at that.

"Santana," She grits it out, looking at said girl. "What the fuck were you thinking? Why didn't you fucking tell me?! All those times you caught me one-on-one, – and you couldn't corner me in a fucking bathroom to tell me about Marianna! Regardless of the shit you three have put me through, I was still your best friend! You could have fucking told me, so why didn't you?!"

Santana looks away, the emotional war clear on her features, and Brittany, sweet Brittany, is torn between watching Rachel, or trying to comfort her girl. The girl who takes her own breath away. The one with the heartbreakingly sad look in her eyes.

"Look at me, Santana Maria." She stops directly in front of the bed, where all three are huddled. And she waits for the Latina to finally look up at her, to make eye contact with her. "Why didn't you tell me? Of all things, Santana. He was not in charge of who you did or did not tell about that. You were, Santana. You, not him."

It is silence for about 15 seconds before Santana gathers the courage to actually look Rachel in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, Estrella…" She finally gets it out, however Rachel does nothing but nod, pressing the tip of her tongue against her upper lip, and looking away, and…

"Yeah, so am I."

And then she turns, and she walks to the door and she exits the room.


*15 minutes later*

Rachel leaves, and Santana, for lack of a better word, breaks. And for the first time since everything started, Quinn pushes aside her worry about Rachel not being back by now, in order to help calm down her friend.

"Shh… Sanny, it's ok, baby. She isn't mad, ok? She is just–… She was caught off guard, is all. She is… Rachel was just caught off." Santana falls against her, burying her face in the dancer's neck which makes Britt tighten her grip.

"Sanny," Her bottom lip trembles. "Santana, sweetheart, you have to breath for me."

Quinn suddenly gets off the bed, disappearing into the bathroom but Brittany pays no attention really, simply trying to get San to listen to her.

She takes her left and she places it against the side of Santana's face, threading her fingers through brunette waves, and rubbing her thumb soothingly against her forehead.

"Shh… It's ok. I promise. It's going to be ok."

Santana finally is able to choke out, "She hates me…" And Brittany laughs through her own tears.

"No, baby, she doesn't. She's just… We unintentionally dropped a huge bomb on her. Not only did we lie about that day but… But you – we – never told her about Mari. It was something big and it– we–… You didn't even mean for her to hear, which she probably realized meant that we were not planning on telling her anytime soon. She just… needs a moment. Okay?"

Quinn comes back at that moment. She has a wet washcloth, and she crawls up to in front of the two girls. She uses this as a moment of bravery, and says,

"Hey, Pretty," Santana blinks at her, stunned that she is… speaking. "May I…?" She motions with the cloth, getting a nod in return. As she gentle runs it across Santana's eyes and cheeks, she whispers, "B is right. Rae is… She was caught off guard, and she needs a moment. She has been… so strong… for us so far. For me, for Britt… So, now, it is her turn to just… need a minute."

It is not lost on Santana that this is most Quinn has spoken verbally for over a month.

Though, the words do escape her, (ironic, isn't it?) so she can do nothing but… nod… and then relax as Britt presses a kiss to her forehead.

"She called me Santana," She partially whines after a minute or so, having calmed down just the slightest. It is enough for Brittany to melt into a fit of a giggles that has Q and San relishing in the sound.

"Scary, isn't it?" Quinn asks because now Santana knows how she feels with Rachel Quinns her, instead of using 'Lucy' or 'LuLu' like only the Diva is allowed to. It means something different for her, and now Santana understands it perfectly.

"Yes, it is." The last time it happened was last Wednesday, when Rachel blew up on them after Glee, because she was pissed off about being told she could not tell anyone anything about what was happening.

There was a lot of Santana-ing going on then, but the situation called for it unlike earlier, when Rachel could have used 'Tana or T, and her point would be made perfectly fine.

After several moments, Brittany bites her lip, and…

She sighs.

There is something that they need to know. Something that Quinn has to tell them but will, most likely, not want to. And she hates herself for it, but she takes a deep breath, and she finally says the words that have been gnawing at her for nearly a solid week…

"Quinnie…" The blonde looks at her. "I don't really want to say this, 'cause I know it's gonna make you upset. And I don't want to do that, especially 'cause you've been so upset lately, and everything, and–"

"Britt," Santana cuts her off. "Just ask, okay, baby?"

The dancer nods.

"Okay…"

Swallowing, and nervously tapping her left knee, she finally gets out…

"Will you please tell us what… what happened on Friday? At–… You know… at your – at their – house?"

Santana blinks in surprise, though, she realizes, she probably should not be. This question was a long time coming, and they do need to know. It is so very obvious something other than Jackass Fabray beating her with the belt, and giving her a split lip, bruised wrist, and bruised cheek.

Namely what has Quinn so panicked when Rachel so much as leaves her sight for more than 2 seconds. Not mention, the fact that Quinn has went from not quite caring who touched Rachel, to the Diva needing to initiate any physical contact whatsoever.

And also, anyone not obeying that one rule getting to see just how protective Quinn can be over Rachel.

Something went on, 6 days ago, that skewed Quinn's perception of nearly every person she or Rachel come into contact with. Whether it is simply Chucky awakening to feed on her fears and anxieties, or if something was actually said to lead her to this point…

They don't know, and that is why she needs to tell them.

The anxious look comes back, and Brittany is afraid that Quinn will shut down again; go back to being silent. She really hopes she does not, because even she knows that their – that Quinn's – healing process cannot officially begin, and continue to improve, unless that they get past the biggest question of them all –

What happened that night?

Brittany watches as Quinn's body language changes, and she scoots forward on the bed, to where she is directly in front of the blonde instead of right beside Santana. She reaches out with both hands, slowly, so Quinn can move away, but she does not do that, so Britt just cups her face, saying,

"Do you want me to go get Rach?"

Quinn nods, slowly, and Brittany feels it more than see it, but either way, she hops off the bed and sprints out of the room, coming back moments later with said girl.

Rachel says nothing to Santana, and gets nothing from her, either. She just comes over to the bed, checks on Quinn, and then asks what is going on.

She is surprised when the answer is that Quinn is going to tell them about that night. She looks to the blonde to make sure, and gets a nod, albeit reluctant, in response.

"Well… Okay, then. Let's…"

She trials off, unsure of what to say. What is there to say? How is she supposed to respond to that? Quinn is going to do something that requires her to speak, verbally, when she has spoken only a handful of times in the last month.

Unless she is thinking of doing it completely in Morse Code.

Rachel does not have long to dwell on it. Brittany nudges her discreetly, and it prompts her to look back to Quinn.

"Let's get comfortable, yeah? This is probably going to take a while…?" She holds eye contact, encouraging her to nod, which she does.

They settle in different positions on the bed. Rachel watches them, and she feels…

Well…

It is not something that Rachel thought was going to happen, at least, not this soon. She makes eye contact with Santana and can tell she is thinking the same thing.

"He said he would hurt you." Quinn chokes out, getting all three girls' attention. She looks to Rachel with such a devastating expression and she silently wonders what on earth Quinn did to be dealt this life.

"He said… He said that–… He said if threats were not going to work on me then he would use… pro-promises."

Quinn looks to Brittany at this and she knows that the dancer understands exactly what she means by that. And because Rachel and Santana are watching them so closely, they see the look being exchanged.

"What–… What is that? What's going on?"

They hold eye contact for a few seconds longer before Britt shakes her head. "Nothing. It's nothing."

But secrets are what got them here in the first place, so Santana shakes her head and she waves her finger and she emphasizes, "No. No, no, no. No more secrets, remember? So, come on, spill. What the hell was that look between you and Q?"

Brittany watches Quinn for several moments, the blonde holds eye contact with her and the longer this goes on, the bigger that feeling of dread inside Santana grows, until it is gnawing feeling that things are about to get a lot more fucked up than what they are currently prepared for.

"Do you remember," She begins, speaking to Santana, and picking at a loose thread on her sweatpants, not letting her eyes stray from Quinn's. "When he said he had someone who could teach me how to 'man up, and not be so… so stupid'?"

Santana's heart sinks. Of course she remembers. How could she forget? That was the first time they – the first time Santana – realized just how bad Russell Fabray was. How violent he could get.

She can still feel his rough grip on her chin.

Unable to say anything, Santana just nods. And Brittany swallows roughly before whispering, "He showed me a picture once." Quinn is the one to react to this, and her body language tells them all they need to know. It is made worse when Brittany continues with, "Tall, sort of tan skin, brown eyes, sandy-blond hair."

Quinn's bottom lip trembles as she whispers, "He said if I was so set on seeing you, an-and being… around you, then he would make it to where I would need to see you… He didn't tell me his name, but he said his friend would hurt you…"

She looks Rachel now and the distressed expression written all in her facial features knocks the breath out of her.

"He said that I would need to see you and I would need to watch you because if I didn't… if I didn't then his friend would get you, and he would hurt you, even you were just gone a second. He said his friend has a key to your house, Rae, and I–… I don't know if it's true."

"He said the second you walked away, his friend would get you. Here, at school, anywhere. If you went out, his friend would snatch you up, and he said that–… That no one would believe because I-I am a… a worthless piece of shit, who lies all the time, but I don't, Rachel. This isn't a lie, and I am so sorry, I know you hate this. I know I am being a pain, and I know you said I could live here, but I would understand if you want me to go somewhere else–"

"Hey!"

Rachel immediately cuts her off here.

"No. Lucy, look at me. Hey, look at me. You are not worthless, you hear me?" She holds Quinn's face in both her hands. "You are worth the entire world and so much more. Do you understand that?"

Quinn shakes her head, though, repeating, "I'm sorry, Rae."

"Don't. You have absolutely no reason to be sorry, Lucy. This is not something to apologize for. I am so sorry that he has completely demolished every ounce of your bravery we worked so hard to build, but, – look at me, – you have nothing to apologize for. The only one who should be sorry is that fucking asshole, and Lucy, no one is going to hurt me, ok? No one. He is locked up now, and everyone is working very hard to make sure he stays that way."

And while this should help, it just causes more tears, as Quinn chokes, "I've seen his car, Rachel. I saw it Monday. It was here. You're not safe. He is here. He is everywhere."

Quinn collapses into Brittany's arms at that as Rachel shares a wide-eyed look with Santana.

"He promised, B," She whispers, voice raspy from a mixture of crying and not using it very much. Brittany nods to her words.

"I know, Quinnie."

"He always kept his promises." Any child would love to say that about their parent but not Quinn. Not when it is meant in the way of punishments with a belt, and hand-shaped bruises, and Quinn's person being hurt so much that there would be no coming back from it.

Brittany nods to this, too, "I know. I know he did."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Santana is the one that grits it out seeing as Rachel is too stunned to say anything.

"He showed me a picture."

Those words snap her out of it and, though she has locked eyes with Santana, she whispers, "He… showed you… a… picture… ?"

"Yes."

Rachel lets out an eerie half heavy-sigh/half-laugh, "Because of course, he did."

"I'm sorry–"

"Don't. It–… It's not you I am frustrated with, okay? I just feel like every time we take a step forward we take 4 more steps backwards, and…" She sighs. "It isn't you I am mad at. Okay? I promise." She has to duck her head to catch Quinn's eye, and tries her very best to convey how sincere she is at this moment.

"Okay?"

Quinn eventually nods, though she looks anything but like she believes it. So, Brittany transfers her to Rachel, and they lie down, side by side, with Brittany and Santana laying at the end of the bed.

They just… take a minute. To process what has been said. To realize that this shit goes far beyond Russell forcing the Unholy Trinity to bully Rachel.

This goes way passed him being an abusive, narcissistic asshole.

They agree to tell Rachel's dads this tomorrow. Because maybe Russell held some truth to what he told Quinn. Maybe he really does have someone, who supposedly sat in a car outside this very house on Monday, who can hurt Rachel, who somehow has a key or a way into this house…

He kept his promises throughout the last four years. Always. And while any child would love to say that about their parents…

This is one promise they want to make sure that, even from lockup and later, prison, Russell cannot keep or follow through on.

Sleep does not come easy to them. And it is fitful when it does come. They fall asleep early, wake several items throughout the night, Quinn for her morning sickness, Britt because of the dreams, and Santana and Rachel are a combinations of not being able to and just simply staying up for their girls.

Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Maybe the good won't come until next week, or maybe the entire fucking month of November will suck.

Whatever the outcome… they will stick together, and they will tell each other everything and there will be no more secrets.

Because apparently the secrets are now lethal. Apparently, their wellbeing hides in the untold parts of the four years of shit Russell put them through.

Friday morning comes and both Josiah and David have taken off of work. The girls tell him about the man that Russell is supposedly friends with. The one who is going to hurt Rachel. The one who has a car that was outside, the one who might have a key to the house.

They are assigned two cop cars to the house, and one each to the Pierce and Lopez household. Santana's siblings get a cop escort to school in the mornings, as well as, Brittany's little sisters. They all think it is the coolest thing ever, but their parents know.

Carmen and Carlos, Michael and Jennifer, they hide behind the fake smiles because they don't want to let on that their lives may actually be in danger because of some man that only Brittany and Quinn have seen a photo of.

Brittany describes the photo to Santana who sketches it out. David is astonished that her sketch looks multitudes better than anything a Precinct-assigned sketch artist could do. They put the sketch of the man and description of his car up and go on TV and they go and talk to Russell and…

They work their asses off to make sure their families are safe. And right now?

Right now, that is the best they can do.


This feels like it's taken me a million fucking years and then some to finish. And I am unhappy with that ending, but at this point, I am just happy to mark this chapter as completed. Also, I am thinking of having Santana become a professional police sketch artist, but that is beside the point for the time being.

Now, a little review for this chapter:

1. Santana spoke to Quinn about her protecting Rachel from Britt and Santana
2. Rachel found out that they lied about why Quinn came to school that day in a long-sleeve shirt.
3. Russell promised Quinn that Rachel would be hurt, he showed her a picture of some man that he is supposedly friends with, and told her that this man has a key to Rachel's house. He also showed her a picture of a car, which she then saw outside the Berry home on Monday (when the girls went to school, but Q and Noah stayed home).

So… yeah. Quinn knows that if this man gets Rachel, she will endure the same "discipline" that Quinn did over the years. But Josiah and David know this, and will work to get this "man" is either caught or ruled out as being fake.

Please review and let me know what you thought! :)