There were kisses being pressed to her face and she felt a wide smile creep up into her awakening, enticing giggles from the two culprits atop her. It was like being in heaven, or as close to heaven as she could imagine at the moment hearing those sounds come from her daughter and her girlfriend. She never thought she'd ever get to hear either of them again at a certain point in her past. This crazy Wonderland had somehow given her everything she'd ever dreamed about wrapped in a nightmare, complete with a giant bow.
Beth was sitting on her stomach, giggling at her reactions to the kisses she and Rachel were raining on Quinn's face. Quinn could feel her small weight against her abs and her tiny hands on her chest. Beth seemed content with this game, and Rachel's encouragement just spurred her on more. Quinn didn't mind the sloppy drool at all, savoring each kiss to her face more than she herself could even understand.
She cracked open one eye and peaked at Beth and Beth let out an excited squeal, delighted that her methods to wake Quinn were successful. Quinn giggled at her and tickled her little tummy, mentally surveying Beth's baby food supply. She'd have to find some peaches and banana pureés, they were Beth's favorites.
Rachel scooped Beth up so that Quinn could sit up and stretch, returning kisses to her favorite faces. "Where is everyone? What time is it?" Quinn asked. It was bright outside, and it was unusual for Quinn to sleep in. They had duties to attend to and she usually couldn't get comfortable enough on her back to sleep well anyways. She hoped the cabin had a bed with a soft mattress that she could share with Rachel and Beth.
Rachel smiled and reached up to smooth down Quinn's unruly mane. It was quite a bit longer than it had been over the summer, and her blond roots were beginning to surface. "It's a little after ten. Mike and Sam left a while ago to get in showers before we go, and if I'm not mistaken Jesse and Santana took a walk so they could burn through the pot stash they discovered in his glove compartment this morning." At Quinn's disapproving look she quickly explained "Jesse said it would help Santana... deal.. with yesterday and help her relax. She apparantly had a rough night. Jesse swore he'd be vigilant and refrain from indulging so that she could relax a little."
Quinn sighed. They were on camp grounds that were technically secure, but they still couldn't afford to let their guards down. They needed to be alert and careful at all times. But they were human, right? No one could survive in a state of perpetual fear. The anxiety alone would kill. Still, she couldn't shake her apprehension over staying here too long, with so many other survivors around, guards or no. It just didn't feel as safe as when they were under the radar surrounded by people they could trust. "Alright then," she said. "I take it no ones eaten yet.."
—AiZ—
They were actually packing their things to leave when Quinn's suspicions were proven.
There was yelling, loud yelling coming from a camp nearby. It sounded like an argument had broken out within a group very close to where they were located. At first, it was easy to ignore and focus on their own duties, but soon their human instinct made them curious and somehow anxious to help. Quinn and Mike shared a quick glance before deciding it might be okay to safely scope out the situation before determining if they could offer any assistance. The yelling had gotten progressively louder, and against their better judgement, they'd decided to see why.
After reassurances that they would stay out of sight and be extremely careful, Mike and Quinn had managed to get everyone else into the cars and ready to go. Sam, Rachel, and Beth were situated at the ready in the Rav-4, and Jesse and Santana were prepared in the Rover. All their supplies were packed and as soon as Quinn and Mike returned they could go.
They crept through the trees and behind a large boulder until they reached a downward slope which revealed the neighboring group. They stayed quiet and well hidden, and made sure that they had a proper exit path should they need to make haste. The group looked to be pretty small, and they could only see four people. There were two guys at each other's throats— the primary cause of the commotion— one girl trying to mediate— extremely ineffectively— there was a final guy, larger in build, tied loosely to a tree.
It didn't take long for them to realize he had turned.
At Quinn's gasp, Mike looked over and saw that she was aware of the situation as well. By the shouting, the conversation wasn't hard to follow at all.
The large guy tied to the tree had been bitten last night, and they'd attempted to avoid taking care of him by tying him down for the night so he couldn't harm them if he turned. It was eerie to observe him, his arms a sickly grey tint, but otherwise no visible distinction from a normal person. He was growling and trying to break free from his binds, reaching towards the group not ten feet away from him.
One of the guys was arguing that they should find a way to restrain him and take him with them to whereever they were headed. He argued that they could find a cure in DC still, that it wasn't too late yet because his brother's body had only just succumb to the virus, and his flesh hadn't started to rot yet. He was appalled that the female of the group wasn't siding with him, and he was furious that she wasn't willing to fight to save her fiancé's life. The third guy, who they'd referred to as "Jeff", wholeheartedly disagreed with the idea that they could save "Paul" because he argued that it would be a huge risk to bring him along, not only exposing them to the virus but physically endangering themselves. He adamantly believed they should leave Paul tied up so at least he couldn't hurt anyone, even if they couldn't be the ones to finally put him to rest.
What happened next ended the argument once and for all.
Quinn and Mike could only watch as the group completely ignored what Paul was doing behind them. Even if they wanted to warn them, they hadn't had time after the rope snapped. Paul lunged at them as soon as he was free to gain momentum, and sunk his teeth straight into the girl's neck.
Her blood curdling screams only lasted a few seconds as the two other guys tried to free her from Paul's grasp, but they hadn't succeeded in saving her life, only gaining Paul's attention. He quickly lost interest in her lifeless body and lunged next for his brother, pinning him to a nearby tree and lifting him like a rag doll. He then buried his jaw into his brothers stomach, and took a massive chuck of flesh with him when he pulled back, blood spilling everywhere from the wound into the soil and on their clothes. The last guy was horrified by the tragic turn of events and seemed to realize that the responsibility now fell to him to stop Paul. He pulled out a gun and fired two shots into Paul's back, and it became clear that this would have been his first kill, because he didn't seem to know that a shot to the back would only slow Paul down at best, and it didn't even manage to do that.
It only managed to piss him off.
Paul dropped the body he'd been feasting on and turned to lunge at Jeff, who was stunned that the shots hadn't worked. In his shock, he didn't reactly quickly enough and Paul managed to grab him by his shirt and slam him to the ground. He hit the dirt hard and tried his best to scramble away, but Paul grabbed his leg and bit into it, causing him to yell out in pain. He only just managed to twist around with the gun in his hand and fire two more shots into Paul's brain.
Quinn and Mike witnessed the entire thing. They could do nothing about it.
Quinn's breathing was erratic and she was shaking, and she knew her face was wet with tears but they needed to go, now. They shouldn't have even bared witness to the horror that had just unfolded upon three people's lives. Those were people. They were surviving like their own group was, they'd just made a few wrong moves and one bite caused the lives of four people.
Yes four, because the last guy had been bitten.
Quinn grabbed onto Mike's arm in an attempt to get him moving but he was stuck. His status was as wrecked as her own, but he was staring determinately down at the scene as if he didn't sense how urgent it was that they get the fuck out of there.
"Mike.. Mike come on, we have g-go!" Quinn cried in anguish, she was still pulling on his arm but he wasn't budging.
He turned his dark eyes to her, choking on his own tears. "Quinn we have to do something. All those bodies are going to reanimate. And when he dies.. he.. we have to kill him."
Quinn knew. She had been thinking the same thing. But neither of them had ever killed anyone before. They hadn't even killed their first undead yet. They'd just witnessed people be slaughtered.. and no matter how ethical.. that guy was still alive, and he had a gun. They couldn't risk it. They just couldn't.
"Mike we have to think about us. We have to protect ourselves. He could.. he could see us as a threat instead of a way out and shoot back. We can't hit him from here. We can't." Quinn choked. Mike nodded and glanced back at the scene one last time before grabbing Quinn's hand and hauling ass back to the group.
They wouldn't question the humanity of killing the undead any longer.
—AiZ—
"I want you to come with me."
Quinn and Santana were lounging on Santana's bed. They had a bowl resting between them that they intended on smoking, but Mack had cancelled on them and so Quinn thought it an appropriate opportunity to bring up the invitation. She was resting against the head board comfortably on pillows, watching as Santana paused between preparing the glass pipe.
"Fuck, Quinn. That's not.. how is that fair to ask me?" Santana glared and dropped the baggy back onto the mattress. "You can't— we haven't even talked about the obvious fact that certain events between us lead you straight to Fuckerman in the first place okay? And don't even try to fucking psycho bullshit me. I'm going to be mature enough to say right fucking now that I'm still a little bitter about the situation and I don't want to unfairly and unintentionally let that bitterness out on Beth." She huffed, Quinn stared at her and she stared back defiantly, before deciding that this situation really needed to be smoked away and picked back up her supplies.
Quinn for the most part watched her pack the pipe and light it. She knew that they never got any closure and they'd just swept everything under the rug when a pink plus sign stared back at them on stained plastic. She knew that the whole situation was entirely unfair to Santana. Their relationship hadn't even been officially over before she found out Quinn had slept with Puck. And she didn't even get the chance to be properly angry about it, because Quinn had immediately needed her support a few weeks later.
Quinn let her exhale before reaching out to grab her hand. She played with the fingers before deciding on the best way to approach the conversation that desperately needed to be had. "No matter what I say, I can't change what happened—"
Santana scoffed and tried to pull her hand away. "You know what Quinn—"
"No, please Tana. Listen." Quinn pleaded, gripping Santana's hand in her own. "I am so, so sorry that I hurt you. The way things happened... it was completely fucked up and it was mostly my fault. I know. And I honestly can't even believe you're still in my life as my best friend. But you're right, I was so angry after we fought and I just, I couldn't handle it. I needed someone to talk to and I called Puck. I swear to God I just needed someone to vent my frustrations to and maybe even help me figure out how to fix it, but he brought alcohol and took advantage of the situation and I fell for it. I'm so sorry. But I can't change that now. You deserved better than that. You still do. And I will forever be greatful that you were able to swallow your anger and be there for me because God knows I didn't deserve it." Santana had tears in her eyes and her chin was trembling. Quinn reached forward to pull her best friend into her lap and hold her closely, ignoring the pain in her healing legs. "I'll always love you, Santana. I know I fucked it up with you. But I love Beth. I love her with everything in me. I regret hurting you but I will never, ever regret having her. You'll both always be in my life and I know you'll love her. I know you already do, because you were there, Tana. I'll respect it if you don't want to, but I'd really like you to go with me to see her again."
Santana sniffled and Quinn wiped away her tears with her thumbs. "...she looks so much like you Quinn." She finally murmured with a sad smile.
"I know," Quinn whispered. "I can't believe Shelby's letting me see her."
Santana let out a long sigh. "I'll come. I do want to see her. You're my best friend Q. You don't deserve me, bitch, but you always will be. And I guess I should get over it since I'm dating Britt and you're pining over the munchkin now" she smirked.
Quinn groaned. "I'm not pining! And she's going to be there too so I need you. She's been having dinner with Shelby every week. I guess they're working on a relationship."
Santana hummed. "For what its worth I think she'll be good for you Quinn. We're so much alike that I used to think we'd take over the world together, but mostly it just made us fight over every little thing. I just want you to be happy, okay?"
"Thank you, Tana." Quinn squeezed her again tightly. "I want you to be happy too. You're one of the best things that have ever happened to me. I'll always be here for you."
"Yeah yeah. Now are we gonna smoke this, or what? It'll help with the stiffness and joint pain I know you're ignoring right now." She smirked. "I should probably get off your lap anyways.. don't want to make the hobbit jealous."
Quinn laughed and took a hit from the bowl. She choked a little on the first inhale because her lungs were still weak due to complications sustained from the accident, but it felt good to be here with her best friend, yet another on a pile of chances she didn't deserve, eager to decimate their stash of powdered mini donuts and Cheetos.
Sue Sylvester would have her pink head if she knew. The thought made her feel giddy. Or it may have been the weed.
—AiZ—
They'd heard the gun shots and were panicking slightly because— fuck, again?— but also Mike and Quinn were out there and they hadn't returned. Sam and Rachel both turned to each other so quickly with wide eyes, obviously hoping that the shots were not aimed at anyone they cared about— it was all they could do, protect their own.
Rachel was, again, cemented to her seat by a startled Beth who'd begun to whimper. The shots were not far, and neither were Quinn and Mike. Beth could sense the distress and uncertain tension and she absorbed it. Rachel could only hug her closer and give her her pacifier and panic a little more subtly.
Sam knew that he couldn't just abandon Rachel and Beth so he was relieved when he saw Jesse and Santana start to move, but before they could even act Mike and Quinn appeared through the trees, clearly upset about whatever happened but seemingly unharmed physically. He took his cue and started the engine as they both piled in the back seat sniffling, and when he saw Jesse and Santana were ready to go they made their way onto the exit path.
Rachel wanted desperately to ask Quinn what happened and check her for injuries and ask what she could do to help, but Quinn and Mike were quietly crying to themselves and seeing them made her feel like she was intruding. The feeling sent a pang of hurt through her chest, but there wasn't anything she could do at the moment with Beth to care for. It would have to wait until Canada.
Quinn had Sam stop at the front entrance and she hopped out and ran inside. Mike took the opportunity the wipe his face with the arm of his long sleeved shirt and Rachel realized that this entire time, she'd never seen him look so scared and small. She'd known him since they were in pre-school. He was always so quiet but cool, smart, and funny. She wished there was a way to comfort him.
When Quinn came back through the glass doors three Rangers were behind her. She pointed them in the direction which they came and they nodded and ran off. One put his hand on her shoulder and offered what Sam assumed were words of encouragement. He wondered what the hell had happened, but he was mostly just glad Quinn and Mike were okay. They could deal with details later. When Quinn climbed back into her seat and snapped her seatbelt in, he glanced back into her sad hazel eyes quickly before pulling onto the main road and once again, heading towards the border.
—AiZ—
The car was silent the few minutes it look to get to the Blue Water Bridge toll. Each of its occupants plus the occupants in the following car, were hoping that it would be fully functioning. That there would be Marines on guard or Mountees or whoever the fuck, anyone protecting the border from the insanity rising in the States. They'd have welcomed extensive screening ensuring the safe arrival into the country, ensuring that whatever the fuck this was couldn't follow them, hadn't reached this far, that they'd finally, finally, be safe.
No such luck. What they were met with was pretty dismal.
There was an overturned truck that had clearly caught fire, blocking two lanes. There were empty cars, like people just got out and grabbed a carry-on and just walked. The gates were closed, but there was already one smashed through where they could cross. There were belongings, trash, blood, and items strewn across the lanes. But the most depressing sight of all? That was the super imposing military tank, that was sitting off to the side. They left behind a Goddamn tank. Whatever happened here managed to overwhelm them to the point that they left behind a tank.
Rachel noticed Sam's grip on the wheel as he maneuvered the Rav-4 through the wreckege. His eyes were shifting side to side like he expected a hoard to sneak up out of nowhere and ambush them. Beth was looking out the window with interest so she prayed to God that wouldn't be the case, and reached over to cover Sam's hand on the wheel.
"Its okay." She spoke softly.
He nodded and offered her a small smile. "I know, we're almost there." He checked the mirror to make sure the Rover was following and then pushed forward.
—AiZ—
"This is a disaster.." Jesse commented. "Its like they just dropped the inessentials and ran."
"Seems like it," Santana replied. "But at least the tank is pointing towards the way we came. That has to mean the threat was on this side, right?"
Jesse sighed. He sure hoped so. He grabbed Santana's hand and gave it a squeeze. He'd been so lucky through this nightmare. There are many instances where his foolishness should have been his downfall, but they were so goddamn close. It would be a tasteless plot twist if they didn't make it now. When they made it across, there would only be about a six hour drive to Algonquin Woods. They were hitting the final act.
He tried not to think about the fact that a lot of the greatest shows end with a dramatic and unexpected bang. He just hoped that wasn't the case for them.
But it'd been a full month now since Rachel had interrupted his babysitting venture with Beth. Had they not come for her, Jesse would have been alone. He might have been trapped in Lima when the outbreak really hit, an epidemic which they'd narrowly managed to avoid by taking pre-emptive measures.
He would have been left behind for sure.
Before Shelby'd called him the week before to watch Beth while she went on a cruise, Jesse was certain he'd finish out his fall in his underwear, with sporadic couch naps, a ton of beer, and sushi take out. He didn't have any plans, Rachel and Santana were his only friends, and they'd both left for New York. Yes, he spent his days coaching Vocal Adrenaline when they had practice, but he wasn't an actual teacher at Carmel, so he only worked two days a week. He spent most of his time wondering how he ended up a part time instructor for other peoples dreams. He spent a lot of time in his apartment staring at his California rolls and lamenting his failures at UCLA.
He'd answered her call in that state of melancholy.
Jesse was a strong believer in fate. Everyone's destiny was in the stars, even though only a privileged few were ever born to be one. And the one person who's talent matched his own and was maybe even better, was gone. Off to New York, to live her dream. Their dream. But he wasn't jealous of Rachel, no. He was proud of her. She deserved it more than anyone else he knew, and he never doubted she'd make it. So when she got on that train to her future, he was there, waving his goodbyes and wishing her the best.
When he saw her on the other side of that door, banging like a mad woman... he knew something was terribly wrong. He'd just gotten Beth to sleep, and was ready to order his dinner and pensively stare into it until it revealed the answers he needed. Rachel Berry was exactly like him. She was strong, smart, attractive, ambitious, and talented. So what variable pushed her to succeed yet left him to fail? He had yet to figure it out. But she wasn't supposed to be here. She was meant for New York.
When they told him that New York was crumbling under some chaotic epidemic, Jesse felt his heart break for his dream and hers. But he wondered maybe, if he'd been there when all of it was happening, how would it have played out? Would he have been left behind? Would he have been infected? Surely Rachel was his friend, but maybe he would have found himself trapped somewhere and unable to escape with them. Maybe he would have been rehearsing for a show, and a stage kiss might have been the catalyst for his tragic end. Maybe.. he would have been on the subway, unable to reach salvation within the crowds. There are so many things that could have lead to his end. But he wasn't there on his own. He was here, watching Beth. That turn of events lead them to him, to his rescue. If he hadn't failed UCLA, if he hadn't failed his NYADA audition, if he hadn't spent the summer with the girls, if he hadn't accepted Shelby's request.. Jesse could be alone right now, or worse.
Maybe for Jesse, his foolishness is what kept him alive. Maybe its what got him here, holding Santanas hand, protected and surrounded by people who care about him. It got him these people who included him in their escape, when he should have been left behind...
Jesse St. James had always believed in fate. So maybe his mistakes lead him right where he was supposed to be. In fact, he was sure they had. He was extremely greatful.
—AiZ—
All of them had secretly hoped that life in Canada would be untouched, that the roads would be busy with people going about life as usual, but they weren't surprised to find that that was a mere fantasy. They were on highway 402, driving carefully and watching the trees pass by. Beth was nodding off again, and Rachel was amused at the fact that car trips seemed to hypnotize her. She held her close to her body and underneath the waist strap, even though she was aware that it would provide minimal safety for the baby. She watched as Beth chewed on her pacifier, tiny fingers playing with Rachel's. She couldn't help but think about her fathers and Shelby, hoping that they were somewhere safe.
Mike was sleeping against his window, but Quinn was awake and Rachel could see that she was holding his hand as she watched out her own window. She hoped that Quinn would be able to talk when she was ready, and not get trapped inside her own mind again. She also wished that Quinn too could get some sleep, but she was aware that Quinn had been having trouble relaxing enough to rest. Who could blame her really? On top of everything else, Quinn's physicality was burdening her as well. Her lung function was starting to decline if her erratic breaths last night were any indication, and she was sore every morning from not being able to rest her body in and actual bed. This cabin would be a Godsend for all of them, but for Quinn, it could mean survival. Rachel was sure the cold would only impact Quinn's health negatively. Even if Quinn would try her damnedest not to let it show.
"She asleep, Rachel?" Quinn's voice broke her out of her reverie. She let out a quiet sigh and placed a light kiss on Beth's head before responding.
"Almost. I suppose the passing trees act as a mobile of sorts." She chucked quietly.
Quinn smiled. "Yeah probably. She's gonna wake up hungry. What do you guys think, Sam? Rachel? Should we stop for lunch somewhere or just feed her and we suck it up and keep moving? We've probably got a five and a half trip ahead."
As if on cue, Sam's stomach growled. They'd eaten breakfast four hours ago, and it was light, as always. "I'm hungry. But I'm man enough to admit that I'm scared of stopping again. Maybe if it was quick but do we even have food that doesn't need to be prepared?"
Quinn shrugged. Rachel hummed. "I think we might have cans of tuna, spam, and sausages that you guys might use for crackers. We'd have to at least pull over so that I may retrieve them, and I'm sure Santana and Jesse would appreciate a meal as well. I myself would be okay with dry cheerios to snack on, and maybe some applesauce."
"Okay," Quinn replied, turning her attention to Mike and squeezing his hand. She shook his shoulder until his blinked his eyes open. "Hey Mike? You hungry?"
Mike groaned and rubbed his face. He took in his surroundings before answering. "Yeah I kinda am. Where are we?"
"Honestly still the middle of nowhere.." Sam replied. "So is that a yes to the quick stop? We should be fine in a field or something right?"
"I think so," Quinn said. "We could see if danger approaches, and we should be pretty quick about it. Rachel, you and I should also switch places. Sam are you still good to drive?"
"Sure, I mean, its been pretty easy going." Sam said.
"Excellent." She replied and shifted to whisper to Mike. "Mike, are you okay? If possible I'd like you to ride with Jesse and offer them a little support?"
Mike's eyes dropped at the idea of leaving Quinn. Quinn noticed. "S-sure. I mean, if.. if you want."
Quinn saw that he clearly was still a bit shaken and didn't really want to go. "No, nevermind, I can get Sam to switch because Rachel will want to stay with us and I kind of need to keep an eye on Beth." Quinn smiled.
"I'm sorry Quinn." Mike said sadly.
"No, you don't need to apologize. Honestly having you close makes me feel better too. Its okay. I just don't like there being such an imbalance in the cars but that doesn't mean you aren't welcome to stay." She squeezed his hand again to reassure him. "I'll drive after lunch, and you, Beth, and Rachel can ride with me. Is that okay?"
"Yes. Thank you." Mike smiled.
Sam found a large clearing off the road and slowly pulled in, making sure that there wasn't any mud that the cars would get stuck in. Jesse followed, and they all took a breath before getting out and observing their surroundings. When they felt it was safe, they unloaded the supplies so they could find what they needed for lunch. It was depressing, seeing how little food they actually had left. But at least they were going to a place where they could figure out a better system. In the Rover they had first a box with multiple bags of rice, beans, and self rising flour. A second box was filled with stacks of canned veggies, fruit, and meat, ravioli, and spaghetti o's, and had a can opener tossed inside. A third box held bags of generic cereal, boxes of oatmeal, granola bars, beef jerky, crackers, coffee, creamer, Gatorade powder, vitamins, and anything else they could think to grab that wouldn't need refrigeration. Beth's box had tons of baby food, powdered formula, and juiceboxes that Quinn would transfer to her bottle. In the fourth box was a first aid kit, pull-ups, blankets, tissue rolls, sanitizer, sandwich bags, plastic dishes and utensils, and solo cups. Beside the boxes sat a cooler of bottled water, a cooler they used for fish, the portable stove top, the hot water pot, two solar powered lamps, two small solar generators, a solar radio, the fishing rods, and a cross bow and quiver Mike used to hunt with.
They were extremely lucky to have use of the extra truck. Sam's truck most likely wouldn't have been very reliable, so they never entertained the idea that they would need it. In hindsight, they probably could have used the extra cargo space, but then again, their stuff would have been left in the open in his pickup.
The Rav-4 held all their more personal belongings, such as the duffle bags they packed with their clothes, phone chargers, travel kits, towels, wallets, Sam's guitar, purses, cards, a frisbee, and Beth's baby bag and a few of her toys. More often than not, its where they all congregated to chat or sleep or just be together. The need to survive together fostered a strong sense of team, family, and closeness between them. But they all hoped the cabin would bring promises of a bed, locked doors and windows, and shelter they could rely on and make a temporary home.
"Okay listen up" Quinn announced. "For a quick lunch I suggest everyone take a can of Vienna sauges, some crackers, a water, and a fruit cup. Rachel I've got your applesauce right here and a baggie of cheerios. I'd like it if you could also take a granola bar. We're going to have to figure out dinner when we get there, but we are okay on food for maybe another few days. Everybody good?"
They all murmered their agreement and accepted their items.
"Second on the itinerary, a quick switch up. Sam, I'm moving you to Jesse's car, and I'm gonna drive the Rav-4. Is that okay?" Quinn asked. Sam nodded. "Okay great, you guys can determine who'll drive, unless Jesse you're good?" Jesse nodded. "Awesome. We only have about five hours left till we get to Algonquin Woods guys, so barring the unforeseeable, we'll be there right during sunset. We are going to have to watch out tonight to see what the area is like and as soon as we settle in we can start planning our next run. Everything set?"
Quinn made eye contact with each person to make sure they were on-board with the plan and was pleased to see they all were ready. "Great. We're almost there guys."
As they dispersed and headed to their designated rides with the food, Quinn took the opportunity to grab Rachel and hold her close. She took a few minutes to hold her and just be with her. Rachel sighed and just allowed herself to relax in Quinn's arms, the only place she ever felt safe anymore. After about three minutes Quinn released her with a kiss so they could eat, change Beth, and get back on the road.
A/N: I want to thank you guys who've read and/or reviewed. Tell me what you think of this chapter? There's only one left and it leads sets up Alice Practice. Also, If you're interested I'm also starting a new Quinntana + Rachel fic titled Lucifer and Satan. I'd love it if you gave it a read :)