Rose Hill, 1778

"Rachel?" Abbie asked in startle as Rachel stormed into the kitchen house slamming the door behind her. "What's wrong, dear?"

"It's nothing…" Rachel sobbed, wiping the tears from her cheeks with her apron. She tried to hold them back but the moment she was out of Quinn's sight all her efforts vanished and the gates were open for a waterfall of tears. "I'll be okay, don't worry."

"No," said Abbie, firmly. She narrowed her eyebrows and walked closer to Rachel, lifting her chin to see her face. "We're family, Rachel. You're a part of this now. We don't hide things from each other. Tell me what's wrong." Abbie knew exactly how to put words to make Rachel speak, and Rachel loved her for that. She didn't have the easiest time opening up, but seemed to be always able to with Abbie.

"It's just…" Rachel breathed in deeply, summoning in all her courage to let it out. "I got a letter today and since I can't read I asked for Mr. Henn to do so, but miss Quinn caught me and ripped the letter and now I'll never know what it said," she sobbed again, with a failing voice.

"Oh, dear!" Abbie shook her head, wrapping her arms around the girl. "A letter from whom?" It was the one question Rachel had hoped she wouldn't ask.

"My father," she answered quietly. She felt guilty for lying, but she couldn't bear the idea of telling Abbie the truth and dealing with what could come next.

"Why didn't you bring it to me? I would have read it for you!" Abbie complained, giving Rachel a small and affectionate tap on the shoulder.

"I- I thought you would be mad at me for getting letters. I didn't know if I was allowed to get them," she lied again, feeling her face getting red. Lucky for her, it could be excused as just a reaction from all the crying. "It doesn't matter now anyway, because miss Quinn says I'm not allowed to get them anymore."

"Of course I wouldn't be mad!" She shook her head, holding Rachel to close to try and stop the sobs. "I'm sorry, dear."

"I just feel so, so- helpless!" Rachel hid her face on Abbie's shoulder. "If I could just read nothing of this would happen. I would give the world to be able to read and meanwhile miss Quinn who can have all the lessons she wants is locked in her room because she doesn't feel like studying! It's so unfair!"

"It is…" Abbie whispered in a sigh. "It's very unfair, dear."

"Quinn Fabray, you open this door at this instant or I will order Malcolm to put it down!" Judy yelled from the hallway. Quinn rolled her eyes and groaned, getting up from bed to unlock her door as she was told.

She was furious with herself for not thinking before acting. If she had thought it better, she would have realized sooner that instead of ripping the letter apart it would have been a much better idea to show it to her parents. If anything, she would manage to get rid of her aunt for once and all.

"What do you want?" She sighed.

"Excuse me?" Judy half-yelled in disbelief. "Do not talk to me like that," she demanded, pointing her finger right at Quinn's face before letting herself in. "May I know why you are throwing this tantrum like a small child instead of being in the library where you are supposed to be having your french lessons?"

"I'm not in the mood for it today, mother," Quinn replied nonchalantly. She could see her mother's nerves boiling in front of her, and embraced herself to what could still come.

"Oh, you are the most spoiled brat I've ever seen!" Judy scoffed. Her mother didn't understand. She never would. Especially considering that not even Quinn understood - why was she so angry about the letter? "In case you don't know, we pay for those classes. The least you can do is pretend to enjoy the privileges you have!"

"Mother, please don't overreact," said Quinn, getting a huff from her mother. Not even she knew how she was managing to stay so calm. "Besides, I already know french, I don't need those classes. I'm not asking for you to spend your money with me. You can stop paying for them."

"Oh, Quinn, would you please try and not to be so ungrateful to everything your father and I provide for you?" Judy sneered, and Quinn rolled her eyes further.

"I am not being ungrateful! There's just no point to all of this!" She yelled back, falling with her back on her bed. "I don't know why you insist I learn all of this, it's not like I'll ever use it! I'm never leaving St. Kitts, I'm afraid of sailing in the ocean and even if I weren't - I like it here," she ranted. She could see the terror in her mother's eyes. "We've got pretty beaches and nice weather," she tried to argue, but her mother just shook her head.

"Quinn, don't be a fool," her mother lowered her voice. "I had no choice, but you do, Quinn. You can leave this hell of a place!" She reached out for Quinn, grabbing her by the cheeks and shaking her, as if she tried to shake senses into Quinn's head. "Wouldn't you like to live in a big city? Not like Basseterre, a real big city! With all the stores and restaurants and theaters! Wouldn't you like to see snow?" She almost begged.

"I wouldn't disappoint father," Quinn whispered. "This is his dream. He fought hard for it and I will stay in here and take care of the farm and the plantation for him, like we always planned. I would never disappoint him." Her mother shoved her back on bed.

"You disappoint me daily, but you don't seem to care about that," she growled before leaving.

"Did you call me, miss Quinn?" Rachel appeared by the door. The sun had barely rose, and Rachel had woken up with the rang of the bell. She thought Quinn would ask for water and go back to sleep but found the girl already dressed and sitting on the dressing table. She groaned internally.

"Yes," Quinn replied, fixing an earring. "Let's go ride again."

All the annoyance Rachel felt for waking up early completely vanished with the idea. She served Quinn's breakfast, excused herself to get dressed and they managed to leave before the sun was high in the sky. Quinn left a note at the breakfast table - Rachel presumed it was for her father, but she would never know for sure, just like she wouldn't know what was written on it. But she tried not to get herself down over it, after all, she was going riding again and she couldn't be more excited.

It was too early and Quinn hadn't asked for the horses to be prepared beforehand. Rachel watched in awe as Quinn saddled the horse. She didn't think Quinn would know how to do so, given that she always asked for other people to take care of it - but she worked with such gentleness and ability that Rachel could have swore she had done it everyday of her life.

Quinn mounted on the golden horse again, and Rachel realized it was a favorite of hers, especially seeing how affectionate she was towards the animal. It was odd, to say the least, to see Quinn being so kind to anyone. To surprise Rachel even further, Quinn choose another horse for her - much stronger than the one she had last ridden. In a matter of minutes, they were running free through the fields of the farm.

From up the hill, Rachel could see slaves waking up down the quarters and marching to the middle of the crop. She felt her stomach whirling when she watched small children being taken to the crops to weed it out. They were way too young for that, and she mentally thanked God for being lucky enough to have been raised in the mansion.

"Wanna race?" Quinn asked, bringing Rachel back from her thoughts. She had almost forgotten Quinn was there with her, and was taken aback by how casual she sounded - as if they were merely friends riding together. The idea made Rachel's stomach whirl again, but in an entirely different way. Maybe all the whirling was because she still hadn't have breakfast. Maybe it wasn't.

It wasn't.

Rachel nodded with a shy smile that she never thought would come out in front of Quinn, but before she could think any further about it, she shook the reins with all her strength and felt her hair flying back with the wind as her horse started running. Rachel giggled to herself without even noticing, but blushed when realized Quinn was right by her side and looked at her when she heard it.

She felt like they had just started running and had been running for hours, all at the same time. Running didn't make her nervous anymore. Her horse took a slightly advantage - she knew it could go faster, but she didn't want to make Quinn angry by winning. In fact, if Quinn could just be like this all the time, Rachel was almost sure she would never be punished again. But she knew it was only a matter of time for it to be over, and seized the moment as long as she could.

And then she heard a loud yell.

She looked back in time to see Quinn's horse spraining its ankle as it lost its horseshoe. Quinn held tightly to the mane as the horse lost stability and Rachel ran back in their direction, stopping by Quinn's side.

"Miss Quinn, are you okay?" She asked, hopping off her horse. Quinn did the same, with a confused look on her face.

"Yeah, I'm good," she whispered, leaning and dropping a kiss on the horse's forehead. "I don't know what happened, she has never done this before."

"She lost her horseshoe," said Rachel, grabbing it from the ground. "Her feet must be sensitive without it, so she sprained her ankle." Quinn looked impressed for half a second, and Rachel suppressed a smile of pride. Her father had taught her a lot about horses.

"Dammit, what do we do now?" Quinn asked, stomping her foot on the ground. It wasn't the smartest thing to do. The noise startled the horse, who started running again right into the crops. Quinn looked in shock at Rachel's direction, but Rachel had no idea what they could do. "Go get her!" Quinn yelled.

"Miss Quinn, I'm sorry but we both know I won't be fast enough!" Rachel argued, and Quinn groaned. "You can ride on this horse and I'll walk by your side. She probably won't run too far, especially in the middle of the crop. We'll find her."

"Alright," Quinn sighed, mounting on the horse.

Rachel grabbed the reins and breathed in deeply before pulling Quinn in the middle of the crops. The sugarcanes were taller than them, and the sharp leaves cut Rachel's arms as she opened the way for Quinn to pass. Something inside her tried to say this didn't sound like a good idea, but Rachel knew Quinn wouldn't go home without her horse.

"Can you see it from up there, miss?" Rachel asked. She couldn't see anything ahead of her, but hoped Quinn could, since she was up in the horse. It was their only hope.

"No," said Quinn, biting her lip. Rachel wasn't the only one unsettled by being in the middle of the crop, and she knew Quinn would be much more afraid then she was.

"Do you wanna go back and find someone who would help us?" Rachel asked.

"No," Quinn replied again. "We're gonna find her." Rachel consented and kept walking.

But they walked, and walked, and walked, and there was no sign of the horse. In fact, Rachel was almost sure they were walking in circles, but there was no way she could know for sure. Everything looked the same, no matter which direction she looked to.

"Are we lost?" Quinn asked. Rachel was too scared to answer. Quinn gasped, hopping off the horse and stopping in front Rachel. "Where are you taking me? Did you plan this?" Her eyebrows were furrowed and Rachel could see the fear building up inside Quinn. But it was Quinn. She wouldn't admit it. Instead, she channeled her fear to anger - like she did with most her feelings, Rachel had gathered.

"Of course not, miss." Rachel shook her head with a small scoff. "We're looking for your horse! I asked you if you wanted to get help from someone, and you said no!"

"I don't believe you. You're taking me somewhere, don't lie to me! I want to go home. I won't fall for your plan," she said with a sharp drew of breath. "I demand that you take me home right now."

"There wasn't no plan, miss." Rachel squealed. Quinn was frustrating, to say the least. "Do you really think I would go through all this struggle?" She pointed to the several small cuts all over her arms. "If I wanted to kill you I would have done it already, while you slept.

Quinn gasped way louder than Rachel thought was possible for a human. She wanted to giggle at the overreaction, but she knew better. Yet, Quinn slapped her. Quinn did it so often that Rachel rarely even bothered on rubbing her cheek anymore - but she couldn't help getting angry. There was no reason for that punishment.

"You!" Another slap. "Are an insolent wench!" Another slap.

"Miss Quinn!" Rachel yelled, trying to grab Quinn's hand to stop her but she pulled it back. She was terrified, Rachel could almost smell it on her. She didn't know if she was angry about it or if she felt bad for Quinn - the only thing she knew is that she had to stop Quinn before her cheek was raw from the incessant slaps. And she couldn't think of any other way.

Rachel grabbed Quinn by the cheeks and pulled her into a kiss before Quinn could think or process what was happening. When Quinn didn't move, Rachel couldn't even imagine in how much trouble she would be. But it was only a matter of seconds. Rachel sucked her bottom lip and felt Quinn shivering under her hands.

All of the sudden, it was like Quinn came alive. Her hands flew to Rachel's collarbone and she dug her nails hard, kissing Rachel violently, fast and hungry. It was fiercer than their first kiss and Rachel almost couldn't keep up with Quinn. It felt like Quinn had held back for too long and was letting it out all at once. But then Rachel remembered it was Quinn, and it all sounded absurd.

Rachel pulled Quinn impossible closer and dove her tongue inside Quinn's mouth. Quinn caught it between her lips and nibbled its tip. It wasn't enough. Rachel needed more. She urged for more. She felt like Quinn could bite her tongue off and she still wouldn't have gotten enough of that kiss. She was probably sick - that couldn't be normal. But she couldn't stop.

Until Quinn pulled away, and slapped her again. She stood still, fingers against swollen lips. She watched as Quinn marched away from her and didn't even object before following the girl.

She was definitely sick.

"Quinn!" George yelled, wiping his hair out of his forehead with a relieved sigh once the girls approached the front door. "God dammit, where were you? We were dead worried!"

"I went out for a ride but then Star ran away and I tried to find her but ended up lost in the middle of the crops," Quinn whined, running to her brother's arms. She knew they weren't close anymore for that kind of action and her suspicious were confirmed by how surprised he was. But she needed someone holding her to make sure she wouldn't crumble down to the floor.

"Dear God," he whispered, shaking his head and wrapping his arms on her waist. "Is she still out there? I'm gonna tell Malcolm to go find her." Quinn nodded silently. "Let's get you inside, father was about to have a heart attack worrying about you."

Quinn noticed how he didn't mention her mother. It stung, but she was still numb from everything that had just happened. She couldn't recall a situation where she was more terrified. It was one thing to face Rachel's defiance inside her room, where she had all the power and a lot of people surrounding her to call out for help. It was a whole other thing to have Rachel saying she could kill her in the middle of a crop she didn't know her way out and far away from everyone she knew.

But Rachel didn't. She didn't kill her and instead, she kissed her. Quinn couldn't understand how much of a fool Rachel could be to waste the opportunity. She couldn't understand what was Rachel plan behind that kiss - because she was sure she was planning something. And most of all, Quinn couldn't understand how much a fool she could be to simply fall in Rachel's arms and kiss like her life depended on it.

"Look who's back!" Said George, pulling Quinn to the office where their father paced back and forth.

"Oh, thank God!" Russell exclaimed looking to the ceiling before hurrying to take Quinn into his arms. She didn't know when she started crying, but she realized it when hugging her father left a damp mark on his shoulder. "What happened to you, my dear?"

"I was riding but Star sprained her ankle and ran away and I was lost in the middle of the crops," she whispered.

"Oh, poor thing," Russell caressed her hair. "How did you find your way back?"

"Rachel lead our way back," she confessed. It took more strength than she would like to admit. She felt bothered acknowledging that Rachel who lived there for just a few months knew the farm better than she did - she, who lived there her whole life and was supposed to run the place in the near future.

"Is that true, George?" Judy asked. Quinn scoffed. She never believed Quinn - ever since they were kids - and always asked her brother to confirm her stories. However, he wasn't even with her on that day. There was no way he could know if she was lying. Still, her mother trusted him more than Quinn's words.

"Well, yes, mother. Didn't you hear Quinn?" He asked with a sad smile. Quinn knew he was trying to pick her side and was grateful for it - but she knew it was a lost case. Her mother would never trust her. Judy ignored him.

"See, dear?" Russell asked, giving gentle taps on her back. Quinn felt just like a child in her father's arms. As if she was small and helpless. And maybe she really was. "That's why I tell you it's better to always have someone with you when you go riding."

Quinn nodded silently. She had no energy to fight his argument.

"She defended you?" Dorea half-yelled in disbelief.

"Well, she said I was the one who brought her back." Rachel shrugged. She didn't get why everyone was so impressed by it - it was the truth after all.

"Good Lord, what did you do to get that?" Lou Lee asked playfully and Rachel's eyes shot opened. She didn't want Dorea and Abbie to realize what Lou Lee had meant, and luckily they hadn't. Rachel kicked Lou Lee under the table, but the girl only giggled.

"Be careful though, dear. You were lucky she didn't focus on the part that you are also the one who got yourselves lost. You'd have been in great trouble," Dorea advised, and Abbie nodded. Rachel hadn't thought of it that way. She had never thought Quinn would help her someday.

"Anyway, I have something for you," said Abbie, sitting by her side with the biggest grin in her face and setting a book on the tabletop in front of Rachel.

"What's this?" Rachel asked with a frown. It was cruel for Abbie to give her a book when she knew Rachel couldn't read. Abbie wasn't cruel, so Rachel figured out there was something more.

"You're starting your first reading lesson today," said Abbie. Rachel's hand flew to cover her agape mouth and suppress her squeals.

"Oh my goodness, are you serious?" she asked. Abbie nodded and she felt her heart exploding in joy. It was her dream come true and when she saw how happy Dorea and Lou Lee were for her, it felt even more special. "Are you gonna learn too?" she asked Lou Lee.

"Oh, no. I'm too scared of getting caught," Lou Lee confessed quietly, and Rachel's smile faded. She had almost forgotten that.

"It's okay, they won't find out," Abbie reassured. "We just have to be really careful okay?" Rachel nodded.

She should allow herself to enjoy her happiness before it was taken away from her.