Hey, guys. This chapter came fairly quick to me. It's a little bit longer than the others, but I had a lot to fit in one chapter and there's a lot more to come. It completely skipped over my mind to include the whole Quinn/Rachel being together thing. I had planned to do this sooner, but it fits in better here in my opinion. I've skipped some since the last chapter, it's now December and nearing Christmas. The next chapter or so will probably cover the actual holiday and probably New Years. Maybe. I'm just going to see where the writing takes me.

Just fair warning, this chapter will include A LOT of drama. There's going to be a lot of yelling and anger and I'm going to uproot some lives and friendships right now. I apologize, but things have to happen. I promise it will get better. I'm not leaving it like this. I promise. To kind of mellow it all out, I included a little fluff at the end. I can't help myself. I think Logan and Santana are so cute.

This chapter will also shift between Logan and Quinn's POV, but I've got all that marked off and I hope it doesn't get too confusing.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I'm already working on the next and I'll have it up soon. Let me know what you all think. The continued support for this story is amazing. I love writing this, guys. Remember to leave me some comments. Everyone's opinion matters.

Be brave, you wonderful people. ~BraveGirl

Ch:13

Logan

I let out a groan as soon as the Santa hat hit the top of my head, and seconds after I was being dragged around the choir room by my sister as she and Mercedes belted out their own version of All I want For Christmas Is You. And to make it all worse, almost everyone else was joining them, over top of my protests that it was such a cliché move and I just wanted to sit down and finish reading my book.

After receiving a glare from my sister, I quickly shut my mouth and obliged with whatever crazy thing she was doing, which meant I was simply standing next to the Christmas tree holding a box of ornaments open as she placed them all over the green branches. Judging by how each move was deliberate, I could have guessed she'd sat down at home with a bunch of different pictures of the tree and actually made a diagram of where she thought each ornament should go.

"Stop being such a Scrooge, Logan. Frowning so much will give you wrinkles."

"Explain to me, again, why this time of year makes you even more…boisterous than during the other seasons?"

My sister halted halfway through hanging (another) golden star, narrowing her eyes at me. "Must we go through this every year?"

Shrugging, I glanced around the room, watching in amusement as the other glee clubbers were doing their own decorating. Mike and Tina were currently hanging the mistletoe in the doorway, and proceeded to share a kiss after doing so. Brittney and Artie were setting up a little nativity scene on the top of the piano. Mercedes and Sam were whispering quietly to one another as they went through one of the thousands of boxes labeled "Christmas" that Mr. Shue had piled into one corner. Kurt and Blaine were obviously discussing caroling not far from where I was, something my sister must have overheard because she was now joining that conversation. Finn was nowhere to be found, as was Puck. And I suddenly found myself wondering where Quinn and Santana were.

"Oh my god, she has you doing manual labor."

Rolling my eyes, I glanced over my shoulder to see the two missing girls walking through the choir room door, squeezing themselves through the small space left from the make-out session being held by Tina and Mike in the doorway. "Only because you, my dear, were not here to do it for her. Otherwise I would be sitting in a chair in the back of the room reading."

Quinn chuckled, reaching out to take the box from me, which I gladly handed over before picking up one of the other stars my sister had been hanging up out of said box. "Sorry, I was breaking into lockers."

After giving the blonde a questioning look, which she simply smiled and said something about being skilled with a nail file, I handed the star off to my sister before turning my attention to my girlfriend, who was standing off to the side and was agreeing with whatever Quinn had said about the nail file.

"She isn't lying. I've seen that girl pick locks better than most criminals can."

Raising an eyebrow, I stepped over to stand beside her as my sister and Quinn took over decorating the tree. "Should I be worried that she can do that, or that you've been associating with known criminals?"

The Latina playfully slapped my shoulder, to which I laughed at before my name being called pulled my attention over towards the piano, where Artie was holding out a book of sheet music containing Christmas carols…piano sheet music.

"Oh, hell no. I am not playing carols. I hate them, they're overplayed and they make me want to jump off a cliff."

Soon almost everyone in the room was begging for me to play, all of them shouting overtop one another to try and be heard. Rolling my eyes, again, I held one hand out, smiling slightly at the round of applause and cheers I was getting as Artie placed the sheet music book in my waiting hand.

I easily slid onto the bench, opening the book and flipping through it with one hand as I held the other. "Do not film this, Lopez. I can see your phone out of the corner of my eye. Get your ass over here so I can keep an eye on you."

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Santana quickly slid her phone into her back pocket before taking my outstretched hand and sitting on the empty seat beside me. "That would have been perfect blackmail. Why do you have to be so hyperaware of everything?"

"I grew up with Rachel Berry as a sister. My stuff was constantly being organized whenever I had my back turned or I wasn't paying attention. I've learned to notice things."

Feeling something hard hit the back of my head, I glanced over my shoulder to see Quinn doubled over laughing as my sister glared at me. "If you keep throwing things at me, I will take you down, diva. Don't think I won't."

From my left Santana perked, up, turning to smile innocently at my sister. "Finally! I've been saying that for years!"

My sister glanced between me and Santana before throwing her arms up and taking a seat next to her own girlfriend. "It's a match made in heaven. Just play the damn carols already, or I will throw something harder at your head."

My fingers began to effortlessly glide over the piano keys, and I gave my sister a quick wink before turning my full attention to what I was doing. Eventually, as I went through carol after carol, and many impromptu performances from just about every glee club member, the bell rang overhead, signaling the end of the day and the beginning of our winter break.

There was a solid round of cheer and laughter coming from outside the choir room, to which the other people in the room joined in, everyone moving around to gather the rest of the Christmas decorations and place them around the room before our predetermined glee club meeting and the last one of this calendar year.

"Where did you learn to play?"

Closing the book of sheet music, I handed it back to Artie before answering Santana's question. "My mothers taught me. Both of them know how to play so they stuck me in lessons when I was little. I've been playing ever since. How are you not freezing in that outfit?"

The cheerleader glanced down at herself, an eyebrow raising. "You get used to it, I guess. My first year as a Cheerio it felt like my boobs were going to freeze off."

"Well, we couldn't have that now could we? Speaking of things freezing off, what are you and your parents doing for Christmas?"

Santana shrugged, standing up from the piano bench before picking up her bag. "Well we used to go the my grandmother's every year, but now…I don't really know what we're doing. I guess we'll just hang around the house."

I briefly nodded, not wanting to push the issue even further. Ever since that day Santana came out to her grandmother, it's been a somewhat touchy subject. Some days she'll just randomly speak about what was said, and how it's hard to go from seeing someone you used to see every other day to being treated like you never even existed. Other days we all were given a little flashback of the girl who hid behind insults and that complex, bitchy exterior. I was beginning to pick up signs of when that particular side of my girlfriend would come out, and something was telling me I should probably just steer clear of it for today.

Which I totally got. Coming out my Freshman year back in Chicago was nerve wracking. I remember thinking about how all my friends were going to react. Would some of them be uncomfortable? Would they automatically assume that I had a crush on them? Would they start asking questions I didn't even have the answers to back them? Would their parents make them stop being friends with me? A thousand things came with that uncharted territory. Thankfully, a few of them stuck around, but some did react rather poorly.

As another train of thought passed through my brain, my feet began to slow, until Santana was a few feet ahead of me. She stopped once she noticed I was no longer walked beside her, and I let out a sigh for not thinking of this sooner. "Crap, I'm sorry. I forgot I needed to talk to Quinn about something. Save me a seat in the auditorium?"

The Latina nodded, and I smiled brightly, taking a few steps forward and placing a quick kiss to her cheek before backtracking back to the choir room. Thankfully, the only ones still left in the room were my sister and Quinn. The pair settled their attention on me when I walked back into the room, halting in their movements of gathering their stuff together.

"Sorry, am I interrupting?"

My sister shook her head, but before she could open her mouth to bombard me with questions on what I was doing back here and how being on time to something is key for a successful life, I asked to borrow Quinn, who was watching me with curious interest.

"I promise we will not be late to the meeting. I just want to ask her something."

After reassuring my sister, four times might I add, that I would not cause her girlfriend to be late, she disappeared out the door with one last look over her shoulder. Once I was sure she wasn't waiting outside the choir room to eavesdrop on the conversation, I turned towards my best friend. "Do your parents know you're dating my sister?"

And just as I feared, Quinn's face automatically paled. "What?"

"Listen, I'm not here to bust you on it, okay? It's just that I've been so caught up in my own crazy, messed up love life that it didn't occur to me until now that your parents might not know about you and Rachel. Do they?"

The blonde sighed, slumping down into one of the choir room chairs on the risers. "No, they don't. Not that I'm ashamed to be with your sister or anything, I promise it's just…they reacted so poorly to my pregnancy that I…I'm scared to tell them."

Turning one of the chairs on the floor to face hers, I sat down, wishing more than anything that I would have to stop giving this speech to the people I loved. I mean seriously? I knew firsthand how small minded Lima could be. I'd heard it from my sister and her fathers, and I experienced it myself. "Hey, it's okay to be scared. You know that right?"

"No, it's not. I'm not that kind of person. I'm-."

"What? The same Quinn Fabray that tortured my sister?"

The blonde quickly glanced up from where she had been staring down at the floor, her expression unreadable. "That's not fair and you know it. I was under their control back then. I didn't have a choice."

Reaching out, I took one of the blonde's hand in my own, squeezing them slightly. "I'm not trying to belittle you for the mistakes you made in the past, Quinn. I am, however, saying that it's okay to be afraid. I get that."

The former Cheerio scoffed, reaching up with her free hand to rub a couple of fingers across her forehead. "There's a difference in being afraid of your parents and everything that happened with you, Logan. My fears look like ants compared to what you've been through. God, I'm such a baby. This? This is what I was afraid of. My parents are so far into my head that I'm already concaving in on myself. I'm weak. It's plain and simple. I'm weak."

Squeezing her hand again, I leaned forward in my chair, shaking my head slightly. "Don't do that, okay? Don't talk down about yourself. I swear, I hate that I have to keep reminding you all of this. I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told Santana when her grandmother reacted poorly to her coming out. You are a good person, Quinn. You have been through just as much as I have and I am so incredibly proud of you for coming out stronger. I know it may not seem like, and I know it's a touchy subject for you, but I reserve the right as your best friend to tell you this. Your pregnancy, it was hard for you and you handled everything that was thrown your way as best you could. You opted for a better life for your daughter, and that's something I'm not sure I could have done. You parents do not define you, Quinn. Their actions are not yours, their beliefs are not yours. If you're honestly worried about them kicking you out again, that's okay. I can't imagine what that was like, but you have a family now, Quinn. Rachel, Santana, me, my mothers, we all care about you so much. And we want you to be happy. I'm not asking that you go home and tell your parents you're dating another girl. I would never ask that of you, I'm just worried about you. I don't want you to retreat back into yourself and I don't want to see you or my sister end up hurt."

"I would never hurt your sister. I…I think I love her."

Nodding, I smiled slightly at my best friend, letting out a light breath. "To be honest, when I first met you I wasn't expecting you to return my sister's feelings. Now I might worry a teeny, tiny less about you two. Because I would totally kick your ass if you broke her heart. But I would also kick her ass for breaking yours. I love you both, so much that it's border line weird. You mean a lot to me, Quinn. You're my best friend and I just want you to be happy. So I'm asking if you're okay. And I'm sorry for not asking you this sooner."

The blonde shook her head, scooting forward in her seat until our knees were touching. "No, it's fine. You have been dealing with a whole lot of drama this year. I'm just glad you and Santana finally worked things out. I was beginning to think you two were doomed to be giving longing looks for the rest of your lives. But in all honesty, I'm not…I want to tell them, but I am scared they're going to kick me out again. I've already asked too much of Mercedes and her family, and I don't want to put anyone out like that again."

"You know you're more than welcome to come and stay with us, should you need to, don't you? My mothers adore you, and we have that spare room that Rachel uses whenever she decides not to take up residence in my bed."

Seeing a few tears well up in the girl's eyes, I quickly shook my head. "No, please don't cry. If you cry, I'm gonna cry and it was not my intention that I make you cry. I've always been a sucky best friend, and I'm really trying here. I'm sorry, I-."

The blonde threw her arms around my shoulders, pulling me to her. "Damn you and your sister for weaseling your way into my heart."

Chuckling lightly, I blinked a few of my own tears away before returning the hug. "What can I say? It's a quality that takes years to master."

Eventually, she pulled away, and I watched as she wiped under her eyes. "I'm a mess. I must look awful."

"You look fine. I seriously doubt there will ever be a time you don't look stunning. It's unfair, actually. Now, we'd better start off for the auditorium. Otherwise my sister will be looking for us."

After gathering our things together, we started off towards the auditorium. Thankfully, the school had pretty much cleared out now, save for a few scattered here and there, which I'm sure eased some of the tension from the glee club members. I, for one, was thankful for the quietness. Growing up in Chicago, crowds were pretty much part of the package deal. But there was always so much tension that ran through these halls, and taking a breather from that is something I would not take for granted.

"Shelby asked me if I wanted to babysit Beth for her. To get to know her, I guess?"

Raising an eyebrow, I matched my pace with the blonde as we walked through the empty halls. "Really? Why did you say?"

"That I would, but I kind of don't want to do it alone. That's a lot of pressure, considering it'll be the first time I meet her since…you know."

"I know. What about Rach? I'm sure she'd be more than happy to lend a hand."

Quinn shrugged, casting her eyes down to the hall floor. "I was thinking about it, but then I realized it wouldn't fair to her, to ask her to come over and sit inside her birth mother's house and babysit the kid she adopted after telling her she couldn't be a mother to her. Or bring said kid over to her house. It seems selfish. Plus, like I said, it's the first time I'd be meeting Beth since she's become her own little person and I was maybe hoping that you would come with me? I know it's sacrificing a nigh with Santana, and it's winter break and I'm sure you have plans, and I can always tell Shelby that I-."

"Stop right there, Q. There is no way in hell you are telling Shelby that you can't babysit for her. This is something you want to do right?"

After receiving a nod from my best friend, I stopped outside the auditorium doors, ducking my head down to try and catch her gaze. "Then I would love to come babysit with you. And meet Beth. When exactly did Shelby say she needed a babysitter?"

Holding the door open, I let the blonde enter first before following after. "She said next Tuesday. She's going for an interview at a bank about getting a loan for something. Are you sure you're okay with it?"

Nodding, I stopped at the row of seats where Santana was sitting off to the side, three seats in between her and Kurt, placing a light kiss to the top of the Latina's head and smiling when she glanced up from her phone at me. "Don't sweat it, Q. I've got your back."

The blonde took a seat next to me, her eyes scanning the auditorium surrounding us. "Where's Rachel?"

Santana, who's attention returned to her phone, pointed over at the stage, where my petite sister was towering over Mr. Shue's sitting form, the latter looking a lot like a deer caught in headlights. "Trying to convince Mr. Shue to let her teach us all a Hanukkah prayer/song thing. I don't really know. I tuned her out once I realized it wasn't something fun."

I nodded, watching as my sister began to use hand gestures, an amused grin sliding onto my face. "Ten bucks says he caves just to make her stop."

The brunette next to me snorted, her eyes never leaving the phone screen as she scrolled through what looked like Amazon. "Twenty says she's reciting about how important it is to keep us all culturally diverse or something like that."

Leaning towards the brunette, I let out a laugh as she instantly pulled the phone out of my line of sight. "What has your attention all of a sudden?"

"Nothing. I'm just looking at something."

Raising an eyebrow, I leaned further out of my seat, my smile broadening when she inched the device farther. "You wouldn't happen to be looking at Christmas gifts would you? Because I can totally keep a secret."

"Yeah, you're not looking at my phone."

"Oh, is it because it's a present for me?"

The Latina rolled her eyes, locking the device before shoving it in the side pocket of her bag. "Maybe, maybe not. What's it to you, Mackenzie?"

"Are you at least adhering to our agreement about nothing too extravagant?"

When my girlfriend couldn't suddenly hold eye contact with me anymore, I shook my head, leaning back in my seat before entwining our fingers together. "Nice, babe. You owe me hot chocolate on the way home."

"I owe you nothing."

"You two are sickeningly gross. Please, take your couple cuteness outside or I'm going to puke all over the both of you."

Both Santana and I sent Quinn and mock glare, to which the blonde shied away from before my sister rejoining our mini group pulled her attention away from us. I instead attempted to focus on whatever Mr. Shue was beginning to ramble on about, but my train of thought was began to derail as soon as Santana leaned over my lap to yell something out to one of the other gleeks, the hand that I wasn't holding coming to rest on my thigh. High. Higher than her hand has dared to venture since we began dating.

"You're blushing."

Clearing my throat, I situated myself in my seat, chancing a quick glance out of the corner of my eye to see Santana smirking at me. "Stop it. You're already distracting me as it is."

Feeling the hand on my thigh slide a little higher, I instantly brought my other hand down on top of it, keeping it from venturing more. At that motion, the girl next to me let out a laugh, retreating her hand back down to safe territory before she leaned her head towards my own, her breath washing over and down my neck. "You know, your Christmas gift could always cost you your clothes."

Narrowing my eyes, I turned my head slightly, catching Santana's gaze. "Keep it up and your Christmas gift is being returned."

Her eyes widened slightly, and I waited until she was sitting at a safe distance and for the thumping in my chest to quiet down before returning my attention back to where Mr. Shue was telling us to try and be safe over break, and that we would be meeting up outside the school next Saturday to go caroling to raise money for Regionals.

"…and on that note, I hope you all have an great winter break. I will see you all Saturday, eight o'clock sharp. Dress warmly and drive carefully. It was snowing earlier, so the roads will be slick. Happy Holidays, guys."

Quinn

Strange is not the word I would use to describe how I feel about my parents house.

The fact that I refer to it as my parents house is just the tip of the ice burg. It was never really my home to begin with. My father's demand to have everything perfect, and my mother riding along with him always made it feel more like a jail cell to me.

After Beth, and being forced out of it, I occurred to me exactly how unhappy I had been there. How unhappy I had been trying to live up to the expectations of who my father thought I should be, and how I should act, and who I should interact with. But it had something constant in my life, and that's why I came back after giving up Beth. They had said they were trying to change, to make things right. And they were still my parents, and everyone deserved to have their loved ones in their lives. Right?

So if I still felt like that, then why was life finding me standing on the edge of the snow-covered lawn, ringing my hands out in front of me while my best friend and my girlfriend's sister waited patiently next to me?

Why was this so hard? I knew I was afraid of their reaction. I didn't want to be kicked out again. And Logan's mothers have reassured me that I'd be more than welcome to stay with them, should I need to. But my fear was keeping me rooted in my place.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Nodding, I finally tore my eyes away from the house to look at Logan. "If they love me, and they say they do, then they won't react horribly. But I can't keep this a secret from them. They'll find out eventually, and it will be even worse if that happens. I have to be the one to do this. I didn't have a choice the last time, and I want that to be in my hands this time around."

Flashes of that dinner between my parents, Finn and I were replaying over and over in my head. It hadn't been the most…ideal way to inform my parents of my pregnancy, but Finn had only been doing what I didn't have enough courage to do.

"You shouldn't feel like you're being forced to come out, Quinn."

"I know, but I want to do this. I'm tired of hiding behind fronts and keeping secrets. If they kick me out, oh well, I still have you guys, right?"

Feeling a hand slide into mine, a little bit of that fear that was keeping my feet secured in their spot melted away. "Always, Q."

After a few moments of silence, and watching the shadows of my parents moving around the living room, I squeezed Logan's hand before letting it drop. "Okay. I'm ready. Let's get this over with."

Without waiting for a response from my best friend, I took off down the driveway, barely registering the sound of her snow boots echoing behind my own as I kept my train of thought on the task at hand. Get it, tell them, wait for a verdict and then I was either; A, packing my things and moving in with Logan, or B, staying where I was with my parents who were going to support me no matter what.

As soon as the front door closed behind Logan, the low mumble of the voices in the living room silenced and a few seconds later my mother appeared around the corner, her usual pinched smile appearing on her face. "Quinnie? I thought you said you were staying at a friend's house tonight? Logan, it's wonderful to see you again."

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Logan nod stiffly. "Mrs. Fabray, it's good to see you, too. I hope everything is well with you and Mr. Fabray?"

"Oh it's wonderful, dear. Now that my Quinnie is back home and we've all put our mistakes behind us. All three of us."

And as usual, whenever the subject of my teenage pregnancy came up, I felt myself getting irritated at the way they brushed it off as something simple. Like I could ever forget it? Their ways of coping and attempting to "move on" were annoying. "Beth wasn't a mistake, Mother."

"Please, Quinn, let's not argue over this now. Both of you, come in. I'm sure you must be freezing, but I'm still unsure of why you both are here?"

"Actually, Mom, I wanted to talk to you and Daddy about something."

My mother quickly nodded, ushering both Logan and I into the living room, where my father was sitting in his usual chair by the fire, a glass of whiskey sitting on the side table next to him and his nose as far into the local newspaper as could get. He barely glanced up as we passed him and took a seat on the couch across from him. "Quinn, I thought you were out for the night? And you brought your friend. Logan, how are you?"

"Wonderful, Mr. Fabray. Thank you for asking."

Taking a deep breath, and practically squeezing my hands together so tightly I'm sure I would have been able to break them if I hadn't felt Logan's rest over top of them, I glanced between my parents quickly. "Mom, Daddy, I need to tell you something…about myself. And I know we've had our differences concerning our views in the past, but I'm asking as your daughter for you two to hear me out before you start asking questions or you make any rash decisions. Please."

"Are you pregnant again?"

Rolling my eyes, I chanced a glance at my best friend, who was simply staring at the tiled floor below our feet. I was thankful that she was doing as I had asked. To be here as some kind of anchor, to ground myself. Otherwise I think I would have already tossed my lunch and would be sobbing unconsolably on the floor right now. "No, Mom. I'm not pregnant. I actually wanted to tell you two that I'm dating someone. I've been seeing them for about three months now, and I've liked them for a really long time."

My mother glanced between me and Logan before her eyes landed on my lap, where Logan's hand was still covering my own. "Oh my god, are you two-?"

"No, Mom. Logan and I are not dating. It's not her that I've been seeing."

My mother shook her head, looking over at my father who was sharing the same look she had been. "Then who?"

"Rachel, Mom. Logan's sister. I'm…I'm dating another woman. And before you ask, yes, I do love her and yes, I have thought about this. I was never in love with Finn or Puck or Sam the same way that I am with her. I care about her so much and I just wanted to tell you guys that she makes me happy and I'm not trying to force this on you, but-."

"You're not trying to force this on us, Quinn? Isn't you sitting here, going on and on about this thing you've been doing with another girl forcing it on us? I thought you were done making mistakes, Quinn? I thought going through that pregnancy and giving up that child would knock some sense into that thick head of yours! How can you do this to us? Is it your goal in life to ruin everything for us? Is that what you want?! Because it sure as hell looks like you're going trying to. No, we're not doing this again. Here is what you're going to do. You're going to stop seeing that girl and you're going to attend church with us every Sunday, and we'll set up meetings with our reverend about counseling. You're not doing this, Lucy Quinn. Not again, I won't let you do this to us again. How dare you put your mother and I…"

And suddenly, I was sixteen again, sitting in the exact same spot, listening to the same speech my father had given me, feeling just as powerless and small as I did then.

Was I ever going to learn?

Logan

"How dare you put your mother and I through this again! I am so deeply disappointed in you, Qu-."

"That is enough!"

All three heads in the room turned to look at me, and I found myself standing up from the couch while still holding on to one of Quinn's hands, every muscle in my body wanting nothing more than to shove my foot so far up Russel Fabray's ass that it would tickle the back of his throat. "How dare you sit there and tell your own child that you are disappointed in her for being who she is. I understand that this may confusing for you, and that you may not be able to accept this, but like hell will I just sit here and let you speak to Quinn like that. Your daughter came here tonight to try and talk to you about this, but it's obvious that you are just as small-minded as before, Mr. Fabray. Because you're a coward. You're more worried about what these stuck-up hypocrites who call themselves children of a God who is supposed to love everyone equally, rather than see that your words are causing your child harm. It's people like you, who make this world such an evil and hateful place. So don't sit there, like you're so much better than everyone else, and tell your daughter that there's something wrong with her. She deserves to be happy. She deserves so much more than you."

If I had thought Mr. Fabray's face was angry before, looking at the shade of red it had turned now, this must have been what Quinn had meant what she was afraid of facing again. "You do not get to come into my house and speak to me that way. You're not a parent, you don't know what's good for-."

"I know what's good for your daughter. I'm here for her, to support her. And I will support her, whatever she wants to be, who she wants to be, I will do that. Because I care about her. All you care about is yourself."

Suddenly Russel was standing up from his chair, the tension in the room obviously reaching it's breaking point. "I don't want you or her anywhere near this house again. She has a week to get everything out, and after that I'm trashing all of it. She was offered a second chance, and she spoiled it."

"I could speak the same for you, Russel. I hope you understand what you're doing."

"I know exactly what I am doing. Get. Out."

Taking a step forward, towards the man, I pulled Quinn up with my hand, worried by the far-away look in her eyes and gently pushed her in the direction of the doorway. "Gladly. Quinn, honey, go upstairs and pack whatever you need. We'll be back for the rest of your stuff later."

Without a word, the blonde nodded, slowly ascending the stairs one by one until she was out of sight. By that time, Russel had gulped down whatever was left in his glass and was now stomping off in the direction of another room. Judy, however, was still standing behind the chair her husband had been recently sitting in, her eyes trained on the spot where Quinn had disappeared. She looked so much like a hollowed out shell, her eyes vacant and emotionless. "How can you do this to her, Judy? How can you let him speak to her like that?"

The matriarch Fabray turned her vacant expression towards me, one hand coming up to grasp at the base of her neck. "I don't…Logan, please understand, things are complicated."

"No, they're not. She's your daughter, and you are her mother. You're supposed to love her unconditionally. Protect her from everything meant to cause her harm, but you just stood there and let him hurt her. Again. I know you love her, Quinn told me about how when she first came back that you kicked him out. But you let him back. Why? Was it because of his money?"

"Logan, please…"

"No! I'm not about to let that girl upstairs go through any more of her life trying to appease people who won't even bother to admit they're doing her more harm than good! If you're afraid of Russel, Judy, then please, think about what's happening. I can't promise that Quinn will come back this time. I'm asking you to make your choice. Him, or her."

The older blonde simply shook her head, her eyes casting downward before she let out a sigh and looked back up, her features and eyes cold. "I'm sorry, if you think we're being unfair to her. We only want what is best for her."

"What's best for your daughter is that you stick up for her. You're just as bad as your husband, Mrs. Fabray. And I am deeply disappointed in you for doing this to her again."

"Please, see yourselves out. When you're done gathering Quinn's things, she can leave her house key on the table by the door. We'll forward any mail she receives to your house. I assume she's going to be staying there?"

Nodding, I turned my head at the sound of the stairs creaking, to see my best friend slowly making her way down the last step, four bags loaded on each shoulder and her backpack settled on her back. With one last look at Judy, I took off in the direction of the younger blonde, taking half of the bags from her and opening the front door. She wordlessly met my gaze before walking out the door, not once glancing over in the direction of her mother, who hadn't moved form her spot, and her expression still cold and unwavering.

"If you come to your senses, you know where she is. And I hope that you do, Judy. She needs you."

Without another word, I closed the front door, the cold air of December hitting my flushed cheeks as I stalked off towards my car, still feeling my anger from my loud conversation with Russel coursing through my veins. Quinn was leaning against the trunk, her head cast down and her shoulders shaking slightly. I quickly deposited all of her bags into the back seat of my car before rounding back around to the girl, wrapping my arms around her slender frame and holding on as she slumped against me, sobs and tears being absorbed by my hoodie as I stared up at the Fabray household. "I'm so sorry, Quinn."

I wasn't sure how long we stood here, leaning against my car as she cried over her parents abandoning her again without so much as a care, but by the time Quinn finally pulled away from me, my cheeks, nose and fingers were numb from the winter wind. A few tears were still silently making their way down my best friend's face, and I gently wiped at them before pulling my phone out of my pocket and dialing my sister's number. I wasn't surprised that she answered on the second ring, she knew what we were doing tonight. What the outcome would have most likely been.

"Logan? What's wrong? Did Quinn talk to her parents? What happened?"

Sighing, I opened the passenger door for the blonde, feeling my heart constrict as she slid in without a word. "I seriously don't want to relive this night for the rest of my life. Just…Quinn's staying with us for a while, and I think you should come over tonight. She's going to need it."

"They kicked her out, didn't they?"

I nodded, even though I knew she couldn't see it. "Yeah, they did. She's not speaking and it's really worrying me."

"I'm walking out the front door as we speak. Be safe driving here, okay? Please."

"I will. Love you, Rach."

"Love you, too. Oh, and Logan? Thank you for being there with her."

"She's my best friend. I wasn't about to let her go through this alone."

On the other end of the phone, I heard the sound of a door closing before the unmistakable sound of the wind coming through the speaker. "I'll see you, soon. Bye."

Tapping my phone screen once, I slid the device back into my pocket before glancing over at the Fabray house, anger and sadness washing over me. For my best friend, and for the old feelings this was forcing to resurface in my own mind.

Sliding into the driver's side, I turned my attention towards Quinn, who was staring out the front windshield with that same faraway look from before. It was a look I was beginning to really hate seeing on her. "Quinn?"

"Can we just go? Please."

Her voice was raspy, not doubt from the amount of crying she had been doing while also inhaling the cold air moments ago, but I wasn't expecting the coldness that seeped through. It was like I had just been spoken to by the same Quinn Fabray I had first met last year. "I'm just worried about you, Quinn. Please don't shut me out."

"Why? Why shouldn't I? It's your fault I'm in this position to begin with. I should have just kept my mouth shut and none of this would be happening. If you hadn't had mentioned anything, I would be fine. If you hadn't had stuck your nose in my business to begin with last year, my life wouldn't be so damn complicated. I owe all of this to you. So please, just drive, Logan."

After what seemed like an eternity of Quinn glaring at me from my passenger seat, I turned to put the car into drive and started off in the direction of my house, my hands gripping the steering wheel just a little too tight. But I needed something to ground myself, something to keep myself from sinking too far into Quinn's words.

She's upset, Logan. She didn't mean it. Just give her some space.

Chanting that over and over in my head, the usually ten minute drive that I'd made a thousand times from Quinn's house to mine felt more like hours. The tension rolling off the blonde next to me wasn't helping either.

My sister was leaning against the front porch rails, her posture straightening as I pulled into the driveway. With a noise that was beyond angry, Quinn opened the passenger door before I could fully put the car in park, slamming it shut with enough force to make me wince and stomping up the driveway. Rachel glanced between me and the blonde who had bypassed her and disappeared through the front door, leaving me to stand helplessly in the snow.

Opening the back door to my car, I started pulling out Quinn's bags, forcing myself to take calm and steadying breaths. Without a word to my sister, I passed by her and into the house, leaving the bags sitting by the door and ignoring the concerned looks my mothers were giving me from their spots on the couch, vaguely aware of said sister following in behind me.

"It didn't go well, did it?"

Shaking my head at my mother's question, I cleared my throat before sniffling and tossing my keys onto the coffee table. "Uh, no. It didn't. I'm…I'm going to bed."

Turning on my heel, I started up the stairs and made a beeline for my room, and forcing myself not to stare at the spare bedroom door, where my best friend had no doubt locked herself up, only to hesitate in the doorway of my bedroom. Sitting in the middle of my bed was my girlfriend, and never had the sight of her ever been so comforting. I suddenly found the dull ache in my chest lightening lightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Rachel called me. She said Quinn's parents kicked her out."

"Oh, well, her room is over-."

"I didn't come here for her. I mean, I did. I'll check on her tomorrow. She needs some space to cool down and breathe. I'm worried about you."

Closing the door gently behind me, I shrugged, tying my hair up in a ponytail before moving around the room to gather something to sleep in. "Why? I'm not the one who was kicked out of her house. Again. Quinn needs the support more than I do."

"Quinn has Rachel. Her girlfriend. Who's supposed to be supporting her right now. I, however, am your girlfriend and I'm here because I know that sometimes when Q is upset, she takes it out on the people around her. She said something to you, didn't she?"

Stalling halfway through pulling out a t-shirt out of my dresser, and gripping the edges of the wood, the ache that was still pounding in my chest was enough to force whatever tears I had been trying to keep at bay were now falling freely down my cheeks. "She hates me."

Hearing my bed squeak slightly and the patter of bare feet across the hardwood of my bedroom floor, I quickly slammed the dresser drawer shut, clutching my t-shirt in one hand as I wiped furiously at the betraying tears. A pair of hands gripping my hips from behind forced a shaky breath from my lungs, and I tried to keep everything in check as Santana spun me around to face her. Almost instantly, her arms were around me in a hug a lot like I had given my best friend earlier outside her parent's house and I finally let my tears fall freely, finding some kind of comfort in her arms.

Eventually, I pulled away slightly, keeping on hand on her shoulder as I wiped at my face with the other. "I'm sorry."

Santana frowned, interlocking her hands at the small of my back, keeping me from moving away from her. "Why are you apologizing?"

"Because…I don't know…I just feel like I should be apologizing tonight."

"You know she doesn't hate you, right? No matter what she said, she loves you. She just puts these walls up around her when she's hurt. I mean, they didn't call her the Ice Queen for nothing."

Laughing lightly, I nodded, sniffling a little. "I know. But she was just so angry and cold in the car. It felt like she was slipping away from me. And I can't lose anyone else, San. I don't…I can't do that again."

The Latina nodded, pulling me back to her and I let out a sigh as I rested my forehead against her collarbone. That familiar, secure silence fell over us as we stood there, in the middle of my room.

"Russel Fabray is an asshole."

"Please tell me you laid into him, babe. He so deserves it."

Nodding, I finally pulled away from the brunette, picking up from shirt and shorts from the floor where I had dropped them. "Him and Judy both. I just don't see how a parent can treat their child like that. If my mothers reacted like they did…shit, I don't even want to think about that. It's way too nerve wracking."

Santana retook her seat in the middle of my bed, her eyes watching my every move as I sat down at my desk, reaching for the makeup remover that was sitting against a small mirror. "Yeah, well, that's the Fabray elders for you. God, I would love to go over there and slap some sense into both of them."

I quickly made work of taking off the concealer, my eyes automatically coming to rest on the scar splayed across my forehead and eyebrow as I lifted a finger to trace over the skin, scrunching up my nose as the skin tingled under my touch. "Please feel free to do so. I won't stop you."

"Don't tempt me. But are you okay? You're not going to go diving out your window, are you? Because I don't think I can handle another hospital trip with you again."

Smiling slightly, I shook my head as I stood up from my desk and began to shed my hoodie and long sleeve, replacing it with my tee shirt and making quick work of changing into my shorts before crawling into the empty space beside my girlfriend. "No, I'm not going to throwing myself out the window. That kind of dramatics is my sister's thing. I'll just lay here and wallow in my own misery. Everything is so messed up, San…"

The brunette smiled sadly, nodding her head in agreeance as one hand came up to rest against my cheek, her thumb brushing across the skin there. "Can I ask you something?"

Nodding, I kept my eyes trained on her face, watching as her eyes landed on the scar on my forehead. "Are you going to ask me why I cover it up?"

"I don't think you should. Because believe me when I say you're just as beautiful with it. Not to mention it's hot. I kind of have a things for scars. They're pretty bad ass."

Chuckling, I leaned into the touch, letting my eyes close. "Sometimes I'll forget it's there, and I'll forget the attack ever happened, but then I catch it in the mirror. Or someone will be staring at me at school or at the store and it'll all come rushing back to me."

"It still bothers you?"

"Sometimes. I used to have nightmares all the time after waking up in the hospital. Sometimes at school, when someone bumps into me, I panic for a second before I stop myself. Sometimes I hate just being touched if I let my mind think about it for too long. It comes and goes, but it's better now than it was then. I don't exactly hate the scar…I just hate that's it another reminder that people are filled with hate because they don't understand."

Feeling the hand on my cheek begin to withdraw, I opened my eyes, slightly amused at Santana's look of concern as I reached up to grasp at the hand before it could fully pull away. "Hey, I never feel that way when you touch me, okay? I trust you, and your touch is never unwanted. It calms me. Most of the time. Other times it drives me crazy, but that's not a conversation I want to have tonight."

The girl sitting across from me smiled slightly, dropping our entwined hands to rest on top of my thigh. "You're incredibly strong, you know that?"

"Only because I have the best girlfriend. Like ever. You should meet her sometime, I think you two would get along."

Santana raised an eyebrow, letting go of my hand to lean forward and wrap her arms around my waist, pulling me forward until I was practically straddling her lap. "Really? She sounds kinda boring."

Running a hand through her incredibly long hair, and letting it rest at the base of her skull, I nodded, placing a light kiss to her forehead. "She is, but only because I've domesticated her. It's sad really, how whipped she is."

"Damn, you've been hanging around me too long, Mackenzie. I'm rubbing off on you."

"Not in the good way, unfortunately."

The cheerleader blinked rapidly for a few seconds before groaning and letting her back hit the mattress, leaving me to basically sit on top of her as she mumbled out a quiet "fuck me" as her hands covered her face.

"Santana?"

The girl under me let out a grunt, which I smiled at before moving off of her, opting instead to lay beside her, my head resting on her chest. "Thank you for being here."

Almost instantly, her own arm wrapped around my back, pulling me into her side. "You told me that you'd always be here for me. To be a shoulder to cry on or to just listen. The same goes for you, okay? I love you, Logan. And I'm here for you, too."

Snuggling down further into the warm body of my girlfriend, I smiled slightly, feeling the stress, anger and sadness from the night's events fade, leaving my body to feel worn out and tired. "I love you, too."