I know some of you don't want amnesia, but I'm sorry to say its part of the plan. This will be an angsty road, but if you promise to stick with me, it won't disappoint.

This chapter was a bitch to write, because I wasn't so sure on how exactly to write Quinn's reaction to everything. I did the best I could! Thanks for the replies and views! Xoxox

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

It was all dark. She wanted to move, she wanted to speak, but something was stopping her. Rachel felt as if she was numb. As her brain tried communicating with her body, suddenly she could hear what was around her. The last thing she heard was a mans voice. "Rachel's going to wake up." It was muffled and sounded almost like he was three rooms over. But she heard it, and she could have sworn she was Rachel.

Her eyes weakly fluttered open, then closed again quickly at the light above her. It was blinding, way too bright for her to handle. Rachel didn't even have time to question where she was and what happened to her, she just needed water, so she groaned. It was weak, and barely recognizable. But it seemed to work. Within seconds, three blurred figures surrounded her bed.

Rachel managed to open her eyes fully and caught a blondes gaze filled with relief. "Oh my god, baby, you're here." The blonde said, her hands fisting the hospital sheets, as if holding on for dear life.

She furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head, they had the wrong girl.

"We knew today was the day. Welcome back, beautiful." A man to her right said, holding onto her shoulder. This was all too much to process, and the machine that kept a steady beep beep beep was now speeding up.

Quinn, Leroy and Hiram all worriedly looked to the machine and stepped back from the machine. "Is she okay? What's happening?" Quinn frantically asked as their doctor rushed in with a clipboard and an intern trailing behind.

"Rachel, you need to calm down." Doctor Pane told her, showing her proper breathing techniques.

She assumed her name was Rachel, so she nodded along and continued breathing. Eventually, the machine went back to its steady pace, causing all three adults to exhale.

"How do you feel?" The doctor asked, easing his way into the questions. He knew how likely it was that she would have amnesia, and by the look on her face, clearly things were looking down for Quinn.

"Thirsty, confused, dizzy."

Quinn chuckled softly. It felt good to smile. The girl still sounded like the Rachel Quinn knew. Clearly she knew everything, and they would live happily ever after. The blonde rushed to get a plastic cup from outside, bringing the two men with her.

When Doctor Pane was alone with Rachel, he sighed heavily. He tilted his head and eyed her, "you must be confused." He stated.

She nodded in response, fiddling with her hands. "I just... What happened to me? Why am I here? And am I supposed to know those people?" She asked, rambling on.

"Rachel, I need you to calm down. I'm going to ask you a few questions so I can get a grip on your condition."

She nodded, exhaling nervously.

"What year is it?" He asked, following the questions on the clipboard.

She looked down, really trying to think hard. "I..." She trailed off, and shrugged instead.

Doctor Pane nodded. "What's your name? Your full name."

"I've gathered that its Rachel. Rachel..." And once again, she shrugged.

A look of concern appeared on the doctors face. He didn't expect it to be this bad. He thought Rachel would have some knowledge on her life, a few key moments blocked out. But this... He's never seen this before.

While he continued asking her procedure questions, Quinn, Leroy, and Hiram were outside. "Can you believe this?" Quinn asked, not able to erase her smile. "She's back. Rachel's back, she's awake, and she remembers."

Leroy shared a look with his husband and nodded slowly. "It's great, it's really great. But Quinn... Just... Don't get your hopes up. The doctor said there was a pretty good chance that she wouldn't have all of her memory. That still may be the case." Hiram nodded sadly.

Quinn chuckled lightly and shook her head. "No, no she remembers. I saw the way she looked at me. The second she opened her eyes, they locked with mine. Plus, she said she was thirsty. Remember that story she told about not being able to tell is she's thirsty or just sad? She's thirsty." Quinn said with a nod, moving the cup now filled with water to emphasize her point.

Both men lifted their hands in defence, allowing Quinn to have hope. But they knew. Rachel didn't look at them. She looked right through them.

Back in the room, Doctor Pane was now going into detail with Rachel about her condition. "I'll let them explain the rest to you, but Rachel... You need to have an open mind about this. That's the only way you're going to remember." He said.

Rachel nodded in response, then looked at the door. Quinn entered with a grin and a cup of water. "I have your drink." She said to Rachel, bringing it over. She carefully placed it to the girls lips, and watched her lovingly as she drank.

"Quinn?" The doctor asked, interrupting her gaze. "Can I see you, Leroy and Hiram outside for a minute?" He asked, standing from the chair.

Quinn furrowed her eyebrows, and nodded. "I'll be right back." She said to Rachel, kissing her on the forehead. The brunette sat there uncomfortably, desperate to hide her uncomfortable tears.

She didn't know Quinn, she didn't want to know Quinn.

The three of them stood outside the room as Doctor Pane got all of a paperwork. "I'm afraid..." He started, trying to phrase it in the best, easiest way possible. This family was fragile, they've already been through so much. "Her condition is much worse than we imagined." He stated.

Quinn furrowed her eyebrows, not sure what he meant as Leroy and Hiram shared a knowing look.

"While you three went to give her water, I questioned her. In order to test out her memory. Quinn... I'm so sorry to say but, she doesn't remember anything. Nothing. No childhood memories, not even the date or her own name. Not even you." He said, eyeing Quinn curiously.

She was in denial. Quinn chuckled and shook her head. "No, that's impossible. You only hear about that in the movies. Rachel remembers. I know she does, she looked at me with the same love I've seen these past 3 years." Quinn looked down, trying to really think about it. And honestly, the look didn't explain anything. Rachel looked at her with desperation. Because she was confused, because she didn't know anything and turned to Quinn for guidance.

Hiram put his hand on Quinn's shoulder, rubbing softly. "You need to be here for her Quinn. You need to come to terms with this, accept it, and help fix it. We can't do this on our own."

Quinn looked down as her eyes filled with tears. "She doesn't remember me?" She asked, hoping the answer changed in the last 5 seconds.

The doctor shook his head in response. "I haven't told her anything. I want to leave that with you. I have no right getting involved or sharing stories that you three are supposed to share." He said.

"Oh my god." Quinn whispered. She turned her head into Hiram's chest, and sobbed heavily, staining his shirt.

"Will she remember?" Leroy jumped in, his own eyes watery. "Ever?" He added.

"We've only seen one other case like this, and thankfully that person did. With amnesia this severe, it's rare, but possible if they do. Rachel has little to no chance of a full recovery." He confessed. "But with the right care, and proper attitude, I do believe you can beat the odds."

All three were in tears at the news. Their daughter, her wife, she was gone. Not physically, but emotionally. Mentally. She was starting all over again, all the good memories swipped.

"Quinn?" Doctor Pane asked after a few moments of silence.

She moved away from Hiram and eyed the older man.

"Please, be strong for her. Rachel is going through a lot right now, and she needs you more than ever. Be patient, be loving. Spend these next few months explaining everything to her, showing her everything, everyone. Even the smallest thing can trigger a memory. If she does remember it'll happen in pieces and over a long time. Just, don't give up."

Quinn nodded, wiping away her tears. "Okay." She said, her voice shaky. The man offered the three of them a smile before walking off. Quinn turned to Rachel's dads and eyed them nervously.

"This is completely selfish and horrible of me, considering you just got her back too, but I need to do this alone." She said, avoiding eye contact.

Leroy and Hiram chuckled softly and nodded, pulling her into a group hug. "Completely understandable. But please call us and let us know when we can come. We want her to remember us too."

"Of course." Quinn said, and pulled away, sighing heavily. She watched them walk off, and wave sadly to them. She turned around and faced the door. Her wife was inside. Or rather, her wife's body was. And it was time to win her heart, all over again.

Rachel looked up at the door when she heard it move. She smiled slightly at the blonde and watched her as she moved to sit down. "I'm guessing Doctor Pane told you the same thing he told me?" She asked, hoping.

Quinn nodded, eyeing her sadly. She wanted nothing more than to kiss her, hug her, love her. But she couldn't. "He did. This is... I'm so sorry for you, Rachel. No one deserves this, especially not someone as amazing as you."

She offered a soft smile. "I'm sorry for being blunt, but... How do I know you?"

"My name is Quinn." She said, offering her left hand. She smiled as Rachel shook it, their rings brushing against each other. "And I'm your wife."

Rachel's eyes widened as she glanced down. Matching wedding bands. "Oh god..." She whispered to herself, pulling her hand away. Rachel slid off the ring and read what was engraved on the inside. 'I'll love you forever'.

Quinn nodded, scratching her head awkwardly. "Sorry to disappoint."

The brunette shook her head and looked up at Quinn. "No, I'm not disappointed. I'm just... Shocked. This is all too much, my brain feels like it's overflowing."

"I'm sorry, we can take a break. You can rest and I'll tell you everything when you wake up."

Rachel shook her head. "No, I don't want to wake. I got my memories taken from me, I'm not resting until I get them back." She said determinedly.

Quinn offered a small smile and nodded. "You're so beautiful." She whispered. It slipped. It was instinct, and she had to say it.

The blonde watched as her wife's half smile faded. It was an awkward moment shared between the two. "I'm sorry, it slipped." Quinn apologized immediately.

"It's fine."

Quinn nodded, but she knew she made Rachel feel uncomfortable.

"Can you tell me our story?" Rachel asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Our story?"

"Everything. How we met, how we became friends, how we started dating, how we got engaged, our wedding, all the way up till 30 days ago."

Quinn chuckled lightly. "That's almost 10 years of stories. It's going to take a while."

Rachel nodded and bit her lip softly. "Okay, a stage a day. Today, tell me how we met."

She nodded, and did as her wife said. "It was freshman year in high school. First day. I was head cheerleader, and you... Weren't. We were from two different cliques, and had two different reputations. We weren't born to like each other, so we didn't. We didn't have a proper introduction, but I'd see you down the hall, and you would see me. I was always sort of curious about you. Something about your confidence and willingness to be different captured my eye. Everything about you was beautiful. The reason why the two of us started talking in the first place was because I joined glee club. Glee was the club you were in a few weeks prior to me joining."

Rachel smiled softly at the idea of singing. "Why did you join?"

"My boyfriend was in the club. Finn Hudson. I joined for possession reasons. I knew you had a thing for him, it was evident in your performances. So I wanted to make sure I owned my territory, so I joined." She finished telling the basic beginning to 'their' story. It sounded awful she could imagine. Hearing that story for the first time with the girl who ended up being your wife is odd. They hated each other for years.

"Then what?" Rachel asked, eager.

Quinn chuckled at her excitement, and shook her head. "Get some sleep, Rachel. I'll tell you tomorrow morning. And hopefully we can get you out of here, and back home."

Rachel's smile dropped once again. Home? She didn't have a home. A home is a place where the heart is. Where all your memories are. She didn't want to be in a big house alone with Quinn. She didn't know the girl, not even a little bit. "Home with you?"

Quinn nodded slowly, "is that a problem?"

"I just..." Rachel started, and scratched her head. "I'm sorry if I'm distant. I don't know you, and it's hard for me to just give myself to someone."

"I understand. No rush. I'll be here at the finish line waiting for you. And when you get there, that'll be a good day."

Rachel nodded slowly, no form of smile on her face. She felt bad. Quinn seemed like a great girl, and she seemed to really care for Rachel, but it was just impossible to act like her wife now. She didn't feel like her wife. As far as Rachel knew, she was in high school, in glee club, crushing on Finn Hudson. Because that's all she knew.

"Goodnight Quinn." Rachel said, laying down on the bed. "Tomorrow, after you continue on with the story, can you bring my dads to visit me?" She asked, desperately.

"Yeah of course. They'll be here in the morning. Goodnight." Quinn watched as her wife shut her eyes. The minute she assumed the brunette was completely asleep, Quinn quietly left the room. After shutting the door, she slid down on it and shook. She was out of control, she felt depressed, neglected, forgotten and unloved. She saw the look of discomfort in Rachel's eyes. This mission seemed impossible, and unfortunately, Quinn wasnt Tom cruise.