Thank you for all of the lovely reviews, everyone. Enjoy chapter two.
Rachel pressed her tiny palm against the window of the silver car, her eyes narrowing in confusion as she peered closer into the vehicle. It was hard to see through the glass because of the pouring rain but she was almost positive that the car belonged to the old woman who directed the church choir. Concerned in general for the health of the elderly, the diva felt it was her duty to make sure the nice woman was okay.
"Hello there?" Rachel politely questioned the silence, brows furrowed.
Quinn let out something of a breath, shaking her head in disbelief at the midget who was knocking on her window persistently, asking her if she had her hearing aid on high enough. Still quite distressed, the blonde wiped at her eyes weakly before heaving in a heavy, stuttering breath, trying to quiet her previous sobs. She reached out and opened the passenger door a crack, readying herself to tell the girl to leave her alone.
Before Quinn could even protest she found Rachel flinging the door open, plopping down in the passenger seat with a small thud. Taken aback, the blonde scooted away, not exactly having wanted the brunette to see her in such a state.
The diva, who happened to be wearing a hot pink raincoat with matching boots, lowered her hood before shutting the door, words tumbling out of her mouth the moment she was inside.
"Mrs. Stonehouse, you do realize that it's almost midnight, you should really be getting home to your husband—shit!" Rachel flinched the moment she fully turned around, seeing one Quinn Fabray giving her a disturbed stare, pink lips parted in shock.
Now it was the brunette's turn to scoot herself away, both girls now with their backs against the doors as they gazed at each other, the air thickening with every moment.
Rachel cleared her throat, her small fists grasping at the seat beneath her as she sat rigidly in a most definitely unwelcomed seat. "Y-You're not my choir director," she stated lamely, finding herself stammering yet again in the blonde's presence.
"No shit," Quinn murmured feebly, feeling that she'd be just as rigid if she wasn't so exhausted from crying. The brunette across from her began to fidget with the hem of her jacket and there was a moment of unsettling silence. Sniffing slightly, the frail blonde tore her eyes away from Rachel before parting her lips again, "You can leave now," she instructed quietly, wanting desperately to be alone.
Rachel blanched and nodded quickly, squeaking out the words, "Right, sorry."
Just before the brunette was about to turn away, however, a bright flash of lightning lit up the interior of the car, shining a new, startling light on Quinn.
"Quinn! What happened to your cheek?" Rachel demanded immediately, but her voice was soft, brown eyes flashing with worry.
The blonde recoiled in shame, feeling a lump form in the back of her throat. Her chin quivered as she turned away from Rachel, feeling faint. Bowing her head in fatigue, a breath escaped her lips.
"It's nothing, Berry. Please leave me alone."
Rachel found herself sinking a little bit at the vulnerability she heard in Quinn's voice; her plea was nothing but a whisper and was hardly audible in the already silent car. She took a moment to really look at the blonde and after a few moments she felt her shoulders droop sadly, full attention now on Quinn.
"Quinn?" she spoke, her voice small, gentle eyes studying the trembling girl. After a beat, she whispered the words the blonde had said to her earlier that day, "Look at me."
Tears threatening to spill from her eyes, Quinn lifted her head and met Rachel's dismal gaze, her fragile body already shaking in distress again.
The brunette inhaled shortly, the crestfallen expression on the blonde's face startling her. "I'm not going to hurt you," Rachel promised softly, and there was only a moment before Quinn was sobbing, reaching out for the diva desperately.
Without a second thought Rachel scooped the crying angel into her arms and held her close, feeling her heart break at the shuttering cries that came from blonde. Quinn's arms looped around Rachel's neck and the diva's arms were wrapped securely around the blonde's back.
"I hate him," Quinn sobbed wretchedly, the only words spoken as she clung urgently to the smaller girl.
Rachel frowned into the girl's golden locks, one of her hands shooting up and cupping the back of Quinn's neck affectionately as she pulled close, "You're safe now," she murmured, her lips pressed gently against the blonde's ear.
She held the angel for a long time as the storm boomed and crashed overhead , lightning flashing and lighting up the two every few minutes. After a certain period of time Quinn's cries faded into hiccupping whimpers and she felt herself nuzzling her face into Rachel's neck, wave after wave of exhaustion running through her body.
The brunette noticed that Quinn's grip on her was slackening and she gently sat the both of them up. Silently, Rachel moved the half asleep blonde into the passenger seat before plopping down quietly in the driver's seat.
Confused, the weary blonde looked up at Rachel, trying to keep her eyes open.
Rachel started the car and pulled slowly out of the parking lot, but not before making sure Quinn was buckled in.
"My house," she told the blonde with a shy, reassuring smile, and Quinn nodded wordlessly, falling into an exhausted slumber as she leant against the window.
The next thing Quinn felt was the softest hand brushing hair out her eyes and a warm palm resting on her cheek. Hazel eyes fluttering open, she looked up to see Rachel giving her a small smile. The brunette pulled back timidly and nodded her head in the direction of a quaint brick house. The moment Rachel's hand was gone, she missed it but she took this as her cue to wake up a little bit.
"Wait, Rachel, are you sure?" Quinn asked in a gentle, sleepy voice, sitting up in the passenger's seat of her own car.
Rachel let out an easy chuckle, looking a bit fatigued herself. "I'm not letting you sleep in your car, Quinn," she told her, watching the tired blonde with careful eyes.
Quinn smiled weakly and gazed down, grasping her purse that had fallen onto the floor of the car. A little wobbly and dehydrated, she climbed out and closed the door quietly behind her.
The brunette took Quinn's hand gently and led her up the path to her house. As they made their way inside and up the stairs, the blonde blinked sleepily, mumbling, "Your hands aren't manly."
Taking this as a form of gratitude, Rachel nodded and laughed under her breath at the drowsy blonde,
"I know."
xxx
Quinn found herself sitting on the edge of Rachel's bed as the brunette scurried around the small room to find a change of pajamas for her to wear. The brunette soon emerged from around the corner with a pair of grey sweatpants and a white oversized t-shirt that had 'Lima Theater Camp' splashed across the front in boxy letters.
Taking the clothes, Quinn looked up at Rachel guiltily, nose pink and eyes red from crying. "You really don't have to do this," she insisted, quiet and nervous.
Rachel patted her shoulder gently, having changed out of her raincoat, revealing the black pants and top she was wearing underneath it. She was strictly professional when it came to dressing for rehearsals, especially in church.
"Nonsense. Bathroom's over there, I'll change in here," she informed her lightly, motioning to the left to her own personal bathroom.
Quinn nodded and slipped inside the bathroom. Halfway through pulling the t-shirt on, which was extremely comfortable compared to the tight knit baby doll dress she was wearing earlier, a question popped into her head.
"Aren't you Jewish?" the blonde asked sleepily from behind the doorway, and Rachel chuckled as she slipped on a pair of soft black shorts.
"Half Jewish. My daddy's Catholic," Rachel told her, thoroughly thanking God that both of her dads had been asleep when they snuck inside. She'd have to make sure to wake up early the next morning so she'd have time to explain to them why a bruised bombshell of a blonde had spent the night in her room.
At the thought, Rachel flushed, pulling on a simple pink t-shirt. She ran her hands through her chocolate hair, looking at her bed nervously before turning on her heel, opening her closet.
A drowsy Quinn padded out of the bathroom in her new clothes, looking a bit more relaxed. She turned to see Rachel bent over, rummaging through her closet, and the sleepy blonde couldn't help but stare at the girl's petite but lovely figure. A few moments later, the brunette pulled out a pink sleeping bag, looking quite satisfied, and Quinn hastily looked away.
"Haven't used this in a while, but I should still fit inside," she said happily, turning to see Quinn looking at her with an eyebrow raised. Rachel gave her a timid smile. "You're taking the bed, of course. I'll have my sleeping bag."
Quinn's mind clicked at the words, realizing the predicament they were in. She shook her head at the bundle of pink in Rachel's arms before gesturing to the queen sized bed that lay a few feet away.
"We can probably both fit on your bed, Thumbelina."
Rachel bit her lip nervously but Quinn was already climbing onto the mattress. "I suppose so, I just didn't want to…force myself on you," she told her truthfully, setting the sleeping bag down. Her head shot up when she heard a hiss of pain come from the blonde.
Having to stretch a little to climb under the sheets, the sharp twinge of pain from earlier resurfaced and shot up Quinn's back, making her arch a little in pain.
"What's wrong?" the brunette squeaked slightly, at Quinn's side in an instant, her eyes wide with concern. Noticing that the blonde was grabbing onto her side, Rachel frowned, letting out a dejected breath. Her face suddenly grew very dark, having guessed the reasons of Quinn's grief from the beginning.
"I swear, if I had the power, I'd see that your father rots in hell," Rachel muttered to herself, reaching out to help the blonde get under the covers, "You of all people don't deserve this."
A little surprised that the diva had figured correctly what had happened, Quinn gazed up at the brunette with pained but thankful eyes. The expression on her face spoke volumes and Rachel climbed into bed next to her.
The blonde let out a long breath once her head sunk into one of Rachel's pillows, her honey locks splaying out around her. Quinn looked over, feeling her eyes grow heavy as she studied the girl beside her. Rachel had absentmindedly reached out and brushed her fingertips tenderly along Quinn's bruised cheekbone. A pleasant shiver ran down the blonde's back.
Trying to memorize the softness of Rachel's touch, Quinn closed her eyes and whispered, "Thank you."
Rachel looked down at the angel who was drifting asleep and smiled sadly, retracting her hand slowly from the girl's cheek.
"Sleep well, Quinn," she whispered back, and she found herself pressing a gentle kiss to the blonde's temple before falling asleep.
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