Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.
I actually have a few more chapters done because finals are over and I have another month before my summer job starts. I also apologize for the cliffhangers. I love them too much to not use. It helps with the shock factor from time to time. Now please enjoy Chapter 5!
"You kissed her," Santana stated matter-of-factly as the three were in Brittany's bedroom. After being dragged out of the Berry Oscar Room, the couple were taken to the Pierce household, dizzy from the wine coolers and what happened after drinking. "You kissed Berry, Q! What were you thinking?!"
"Even I don't know! I just- I just went for it for some reason!"
"What did she say?" Brittany asked, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her cheer captain. "Was she swooned?"
Quinn slowly blinked, surprised at the word used by the ditzy cheerleader. "Wha- N-no! She said nothing! She was in complete shock because I was an idiot to just kiss her even on the cheek! Oh my God, she's going to hate me more than she already does!"
"Q... don't say that..." Brittany took hold of the shorter blonde and pulled her onto the bed. "Why would Rachel hate you?"
"Gee, Brittany. I dunno. Maybe the fact that I have tormented her ever since we've joined the Cheerios and even when we're in glee club. Throwing slushies in her face and trashing her MySpace videos. Yeah. Sure. I'm trying to be nice to her now but knowing her and everyone else in the glee club, they'll think I'm using her to destroy her at Prom!" She fell back onto the bed, her arms covering her face. "I really shouldn't have taken that wine cooler..."
Santana folded her arms before letting out a sigh. "I really can't disagree with that statement because we have treated that hobbit like crap the past three years. But." She laid down next to the blonde. "You do know that you're Lucy Quinn Fabray. One of the most badass girls in McKinley and pretty much the HBIC. Why can't you use that to your advantage to fight that fear?"
"Because I can't fight like you, S... I have fought for so long to be at the top... So many things have happened to get there and we've fought so many times over that title... One wrong move and I'm down at the bottom... much like how I was before I came to McKinley..."
"Hey..." Santana turned to face the blonde, using her arm to prop up her arm. "Look at me, Q. What makes you think you'll fall to the bottom just for liking a girl?"
Quinn turned away at this, trying to hide the sadness in her eyes. "I just... Things went crazy when I became pregnant... People viewed me as a slut because I slept with Puck and got pregnant... I had to fight Sue to get back onto the Cheerios when the new school year started... My mom is still pressuring me even though she's more lax about how I live my life... But not enough for this..."
"You wanna talk about it?"
"I dunno..." Tears started to well up in her eyes as she laid in the bed. "I just don't know..."
Brittany gently brushed stray strands of hair away from Quinn's face in comfort. "Just tell us when you want to talk about it... Having it with feelings makes things better."
"Besides. You're talking with the school's biggest bisexual and openly lesbian relationship. We're your friends so you're free to use us about this type of situation."
"Yea. Santana was yelling at people and picking fights because she was afraid of being a lesbian. She learned to accept it after a while and now look at us. Perfectly happy."
Quinn let out a soft laugh, happy to hear her friend's childlike innocence in her voice. "I wish it can be that easy for me, Britt... I wish..."
"So what do you want to do? Wait until graduation to land a big one on that hobbit?" Santana asked, resting her head on Quinn's shoulder, gently rubbing her arm in comfort.
"I want to wait... Fight that temptation again... Still try to be on her good side without talking to her... I have to wait... Because I don't know how she'll react the next time we see each other..."
"And Glee?"
The head Cheerio took in a deep breath. She completely forgot that she couldn't miss out club meetings. With Nationals coming up, they had to practice and perfect their skills. Mr. Shue wouldn't accept absences during preparations so she has no choice but to attend. And with glee club, she has no choice but to see Rachel. "Try to not talk... Still work on our assignments, but I can't talk to her... Not after today..."
The couple looked at each other, their hearts breaking to see their friend so hurt about the situation.
"Rachel! Rachel, wait up!" A hand took hold of the diva's shoulder, making her stop and turn to find a familiar football player.
"What do you want, Finn?" She asked, albeit annoyed.
The quarterback looked at her, raising his arms in confusion. "What's going on? You've been completely out of it during all of our glee club meetings. You've been really quiet, not putting in any opinions on your solos, you're not even fighting with Santana or Kurt. This isn't like you and we're getting worried."
"And? Aren't they happy that I'm not speaking up? They're always complaining about how much of a diva I am so they should at least be happy I'm staying quiet for once."
"For a whole month? Rachel, you know that's not you."
"Yeah, well I'm kind of dealing with personal problems right now. Things have gotten really crazy and I really need some space. I'm sorry, Finn." She broke out of his hold before going to class, leaving the boy speechless.
She couldn't help it. It's been a month ever since Quinn kissed her. It left her shocked and confused because of how sudden it was. It probably made the flirting make much more sense but it just didn't seem to sit right with her. The head Cheerio has been avoiding her ever since. Ignoring her when walking down the hallway, not answering any of her texts or calls, not even looking her way during glee club and sitting on the ends of the room as if she was the plague.
But it couldn't be helped, right? Quinn liked someone else and to have her suddenly act like that probably made her feel bad about taking action on someone else would have hurt her. It might have reminded her of what happened with Puck and getting pregnant with Beth, or when she cheated on Sam during Valentine's Day. Even if it was just a kiss to the cheek, it might have affected the blonde negatively after pouring her heart out about this guy she's liked for a long time. Kissing a girl, to be more specific.
She continued her way through the halls towards her next class, not noticing two pairs of eyes looking at her in worry. "Something definitely happened between her and Quinn, Kurt," Mercedes murmured, saddened by her friend's current state. "As much as I love singing more in glee club, it hurts to see her like this."
The boy quickly gave a nod, his finger raised to his lips as he thought. "We should really get to the bottom of this. The air is always heavy now and those two never really said anything about it when it first started. Santana and Brittany seem to have an idea, but I guess they swore to secrecy for Quinn's sake."
"Then we should probably talk to Quinn if we can't talk to anyone else. She might be able to give us some clues as to why this is happening."
"Agreed."
Quinn looked at the two standing in front of her as she sat in the choir room. Their arms were folded as they stared down at the head Cheerio. She looked down, knowing those two were close to Rachel and only now realized how much the girl has fallen since their... incident.
"Quinn. Is there something you'd like to tell us? Something about you and Rachel?" Mercedes asked. Quinn didn't like that tone in her voice. It was the same one from when she took her in after being kicked out last year. One that was filled with concern and the motherly love she never got at the time.
"There's nothing wrong, Mercedes. I really don't see why you would think that."
"Then look me in the eyes and say nothing is wrong between you and Rachel."
Quinn didn't let her gaze leave the floor as she hugged her arms, not wanting to admit her secret to her friend. She heard the sound of a chair moving across the floor before stopping in front of her. A familiar black pair of shoes on either side.
"Quinn. We're really worried. We haven't seen Rachel this broken ever since her breakup with Finn," Kurt said, hoping he can urge her to look at him. "And you've been really quiet and I think your grades are starting to slip from this behavior." He looked at her and noticed she took deep yet shaky breaths to calm down. "Quinn. Answer this question for us: do you like Rachel Berry? Friendly or romantically? The second one is optional."
Quinn wrung her fingers together, unsure how to answer to the two. She viewed Mercedes as a sister ever since she was taken in. They bonded more after that even though there were hormonal issues during her pregnancy. She felt safer trusting her with small secrets like her love for reading geeky books or having to wear glasses as a child before getting surgery for her eyesight. They were small so she couldn't tell her about something as big as this.
Kurt... Kurt was different. Their relationship is quiet due to how they never really talk to one another, but they have had bumps on the road. Her family always had suspicions about his sexuality so they wanted her to avoid him at all cost. She never paid any heed to it, but still stood to the side and laughed whenever he was bullied. They weren't on speaking terms due to her fear of him holding a grudge against her being a bystander, but they slowly accepted each other through glee.
"Do I really have to answer that?" she asked.
"If you want to fix this problem you have to Rachel, yes. We want to help as much as we can."
"But I don't want your help."
"Don't say that, Quinn." Mercedes took a seat next to her. "It's been a month and we're scared of what could happen if this continues. We know you're fragile so it's best to let it all out. Does Santana or Brittany know what's going on?"
Quinn gave a shaky nod. "But they can't tell you... They promised me they wouldn't and that they wouldn't interfere."
"Quinn, that's not safe for either of you. You should try to talk to her. You wanted to be friends with her, didn't you? You asked her to go to Prom with you if either of you don't have dates and helped her with stopping the jocks from giving her slushie facials every day. If you really want to be her friend, it's best to talk to her."
"I really shouldn't... I just can't."
"Why not?"
"Because you're afraid of your true feelings," Kurt said, making Quinn look at him. "We thought of the possibility. Just need to confirm it." He rested a hand on hers in comfort. "If you are what you think you are, we won't tell anyone, not even the glee club. No one will know until you figure it out for yourself."
Tears started to fall as the girl looked at him. "Wh-why would you do this for me...? After everything that's happened..."
"Plenty of us have been in your shoes. And the glee club is filled with those willing to watch out for one another. That's how we do things. Besides, what's going on now is similar to what Santana went through. You two just have different ways of expressing it."
"We won't tell anyone about this, Quinn. Not even Mr. Schue," Mercedes said," But you have to talk it out with Rachel. It hurts seeing you two like this and it will affect the club really badly if this continues. If one falls, so will the rest. We don't want you doing that to yourself." She pulled the blonde into a hug. "Just let it out... We're right here." She felt the blonde crying into her arms, gently stroking her back in comfort. She looked at Kurt who grew worried about the head Cheerio breaking down in front of them.
"So we knew. So what? She told us to not do anything to interfere," Santana said with a scoff as the four sat in the library. "As much as I'd love to poke fun of her having these feelings, it's the first time she's like this about a person."
"Well we have to do something," Mercedes snapped," What is going on between those two will clearly drag everyone down by the time Nationals come closer. And it hurts to see those two so upset about whatever happened between them. Can't you tell us now that we have some clue about why she's like this?"
"We promised her we wouldn't," Brittany pouted," We can't break a promise."
Kurt scratched his temple in thought before looking at the Cheerios. "Must be really serious for you two to keep a secret from fellow glee kids."
Santana rolled her eyes. "This is Quinn we're talking about. Sure, we stab each other in the backs so many times, but if this involves a secret like this, we don't have a choice but stay at the side until she's ready."
"Santana, it's been a month. We can't just sit by and let them sit around moping. I know this sounds selfish but we need Rachel for Nationals and if she's being this hung up about Quinn, we have to do something."
"Well you better have a plan because we can't touch Berry."
"Why not?"
"Also part of that promise."
Kurt raised his eyebrows. Of the two years they've spent time with the Latina, she would often make jabs at all of the glee club members without mercy. Insults, names, maybe a slap or two. She would often interfere with other people's relationships for her own gain so to have her sit out on a promise was too good to believe.
"Oh please, Lady Hummel. I have my soft side when it comes to people who aren't Brittany," the Latina snapped as if she read his mind. "Sure, I helped you come back to McKinley to make sure I can get votes for Prom Queen but I gotta admit. I miss you and your flamboyant ways. We need a diva that can cancel out the hobbit. No offense, 'cedes."
"Well we have to do something. Stage an intervention of some sort between the two of them and have them talk about what happened."
"You really think those two would want to talk after what happened? I've seen Rachel's face and she looks like a kicked puppy whenever she lays eyes on Quinn. Shocked and scared and unable to trust her."
"Quinn is just sad... She was crying on my bed for hours..." Brittany murmured, remembering how heartbreaking the scene was. "Santana and I couldn't do anything to make her feel better or talk to Rachel..."
"Did Quinn say anything when you talked to her?"
"Barely. But the way she looked already gave us enough answers to talk to you two about it," Mercedes said," And clearly you two know the most about her and what she's going through."
The two looked down in guilt, unsure what to say. Kurt leaned forward. "If you really want to help her, you have to trust us on this."
Rachel opened up her locker and looked at the photos she had set up. Some of them were similar to the ones on her room but many were filled with Broadway and a notepad for her to write down her goals for the week. She ran her hand over it, seeing how she hasn't really written anything on it ever since Quinn kissed her. It just felt so confusing for her and she couldn't find a set goal for the next few weeks. She's been trying her best to focus on Nationals but the pressure didn't help with her ongoing problem.
She took out the books she needed and closed the door, only to hit head against it. She let out a soft groan before hitting her head repeatedly. She wanted to get that moment out of her head. It's been a month but it was all she could think about since so many questions rang through her head about it. She would have forgotten about it after telling someone but she just couldn't. Someone would have gotten the wrong idea and word will spread and ruin their new friendship. Quinn has been avoiding her so she couldn't confront her at all.
"What the hell did you do to me, Quinn..." she softly muttered to herself.
A small fleck seemed to have caught the corner of her eye as she found a folded piece of paper on the floor with a gold star on it. The corner was frayed as if someone tried to jam it into the slits on the lockers. She wasn't sure how she didn't see it before but she picked it up anyways. She carefully opened it up.
Hey, Rach. Would it be okay if you can meet Mercedes and I in the choir room after school? I know we don't have Glee rehearsals today but maybe we can have a mini diva-off to warm up. You've been feeling down so we hope this can cheer you up. -Kurt.
The diva's eyebrows furrowed at the request. Knowing those two, it would have been easier if they had it during club meetings to put in a vote or let everyone have fun when they sing. A diva-off wouldn't be complete without having people vote.
She looked at the note again before letting out a sigh. Perhaps a private one wouldn't hurt. Quinn won't be there so at least she'll be able to concentrate.
"I really don't see a need to go to the choir room when we don't even have rehearsals," Quinn groaned as the Unholy Trinity walked through the halls. They actually didn't have Cheerios practice, either. Their rehearsal schedule has been scattered after losing Regionals but it didn't mean that Sue was going to show mercy to any of the girls whenever they meet.
"Well it's to work on the assignment Mr. Shue gave us this week," Santana snapped," Britt and I want to work on a song and it's been way too long since the Unholy Trinity performed together."
"Does it have to be this week?"
"It'll be fun, Q," Brittany grinned," All three of us being beautiful badasses."
The three walked into the choir room. "Sure, but I don't think 'bonding' will fit for a trio." She slowly went to a stop when she found Rachel sitting in her usual spot with Kurt and Mercedes standing at the piano.
"What's going on here?" the diva asked as she stood up.
Quinn folded her arms and looked at her friends. "Okay. Why did you bring me here if she's going to be?"
"An intervention," Kurt said as he played with his hair. "You two need to talk things out."
"We have nothing to talk about, Kurt," Rachel quipped," We are here to warm up."
"Can it, midget. You two need to sit your asses down and listen to what we have to say," the Latina snapped as she walked closer to the shorter brunette and easing her back into her seat. She looked over at Quinn. "Sit down, Q."
Quinn looked at her friend before reluctantly sitting down a few chairs from the diva. She let out a small groan when Brittany pushed her chair closer to the other girl. "Britt-"
"Santana's orders," the blonde said before petting Quinn's head in comfort. She went over to the others who faced the two.
"I know you'll hate this but this is for your own good," Kurt said, folding his arms as he looked at the two. "Things have been really tense the past month between you two and everyone has been getting worried. No one knows what's going on but the four of us have a pretty good idea."
"This is ridiculous. You're talking about a nonexistent problem that does not require a talk between the two of us," Quinn said. She stood up but was stopped by Santana.
"No, Q. We don't know how much Berry knows, but we do know that you two have to make up for what happened. I'm not telling you to do something crazy. I just want you to talk to the hobbit and make nice with her again."
"San-"
"No, Q. Do this for us. Do this for Glee Club. If it will make you feel any better, I'll call her by her name. Just talk to her."
"We don't have anything to talk about, Santana," Rachel said, trying to hide the hurt in her voice. "We truly don't."
"You don't have to lie, Rachel. You always look hurt whenever you two avoid each other," Brittany said. "You should be friends by now."
"We'll be outside the choir room so just tell us if you need anything," Mercedes said, knowing it might take a while. "But this is all for your own good."
Santana eased Quinn back into her seat before the four left the room. "Don't even think about trying to leave. We'll be watching all of these doors." She closed the door, leaving the two in silence.
"They'll be okay, right?" Brittany asked as she looked through the small window on the door.
"Well they'll have no choice but to talk about it," Kurt said. "Something happened and we have to get to the bottom of it." He looked at his phone to check the time. "We have about an hour and a half before school closes. Do you girls want me to stop by the Lima Bean and grab drinks for when we wait?"
"That would be great," Mercedes said.
"I'll go with you. This might as well be some kind of team effort if we want those two to make up," Santana said sheepishly. "And I want to talk to Lady Hummel for a bit. Britt. Will that be okay?"
The blonde gave a nod, knowing it might be time to explain the whole situation to the two if possible. "Okay. I'll talk to Mercedes while you're gone."
"Okay. We'll be back as soon as we can." The two took off, leaving the Cheerio and proud diva to themselves.
Brittany smiled and happily hopped in her spot, glad they're able to have a plan to bring their friends together. She looked at Mercedes. "Would it be bad if I ask them to be on Fondue for Two after they talk?"
Mercedes looked at her, taken aback by the comment before laughing. "I swear, I still don't know how you and Santana are dating."
The blonde looked at her before shrugging her shoulders and looking back into the room, waiting for the conversation to come.
And that's Chapter 5! I find the dynamic between Brittana and Kurtcedes to be quite mysterious and wanted to see if I can explore it a little more while we go through the FaBerry situation. Since they're the closest to their respective heroines, it would be a good chance to let them have fun with letting their ship come together through the struggles. Next chapter will have the first half covering their thoughts on the situation and the second half will focus on FaBerry. This story will be taking the relationship development more slowly. Prom might be in Chapter 8 so I'm not sure when the confession will come. Rachel's feelings about Quinn is still a jumble so we just have to watch the development.