Protective

Lena's heart had never raced as fast, her stomach had never been as upset, and her face had never been as pale as it was on that dark June night. All it had taken was one phone call.

She had been sat in their new condo, sipping her tea and grading essays when the phone had rang. Seeing Stef's name, her smile grew. The last week had been incredibly hectic and difficult but incredibly beautiful for the both of them. They'd been looking at places together for nearly 2 months when the perfect place came up; they'd fallen in love with the cozy home in mere minutes. They'd gotten possession of the place sooner than expected which wasn't a problem for Lena, but for Stef it was a different story. It was far more difficult to move one person than it was to move two. Especially when one of those people was a young boy, an energy ball with more toys to pack than one could ever imagine. So now Lena was here alone, while Stef was still in her old place, spending one last night with her baby boy in the first and only apartment they'd ever share alone.

She picked up the phone, her smile practically leaking into her words as she greeted her lover. But her stomach dropped and all of her thoughts were pushed aside as she heard Stef on the other end. The blonde's rapid panicked breathing and the small cries of Brandon in the background.

"Stef?" she asked quietly.

She could hear the sounds of her girlfriends muffled cry and then the sound of her clearing her throat, trying to regain some composure, "Lena," She tried but her voice cracked.

"I'll be right there."

She made it to her car in record time, forgetting to grab her purse or anything, and completely unsure if she remembered to lock the door behind her. The usual 22 minute drive was cut down to 14 as adrenaline pumped through Lena, her own breathing almost coming to match the sound of her lovers. Stef's car parked in her usual spot and the calm front of the tall building was a small comfort as Lena ran from the car to the front door. It was barely 20 seconds of Lena pounding on the door before it creaked open. Her heart sunk at the sight. There was her lover, tears silently streaming down her face, clothes hanging loosely from her shaking body, a child becoming too big to be carried settled on her hip sleeping soundly. She wanted nothing more than to hold the blonde but the desperate whisper, "he finally fell asleep," stopped her in her tracks.

She followed Stef as she turned and walked further into the apartment. She started for Brandon's room but her pace slowed and Lena could see her shoulders beginning to shake harder. She moved in front of the blonde to see sobs begin to rack her body so she quickly moved forward, scooping up the sleeping boy in her own arms. She didn't want to leave her love but she went through the apartment anyway, settling the small boy, that she'd fallen head over heels in love with, in his bed and tucking him in. As his breathing settled, she ran a hand over his little forehead, a small bit of relief washing over her. She shut the door behind her, her pace quickening until she made her way into the living room where Stef had sat herself on the couch. She had calmed herself slightly, running a hand under her nose as she sniffled. Lena had never seen her so broken and although she wanted nothing more than the reassuring feeling of her lovers skin, she hesitated to go to her.

"I told him today at work that we found a place." The blonde's voice was even as she stared forward and Lena finally noticed the state of the room.

Things were strewn everywhere and a vase had smashed on the floor, flowers scattered over the wood.

"What?"

"Mike. I finally told him," She paused and took a breath, "I thought he was fine but then all of a sudden he was here and he wanted Brandon but I told him he couldn't have him. He was drunk Lena, so drunk. He was loud and he was scaring Brandon, I-I tried to tell him to stop but he kept getting louder and then he grabbed me," Stef's voice was rising and her words were coming out as a fast blur, "And then the vase and everything. It had happened really fast, I-"

"Baby, baby," Lena moved quickly toward the couch, kneeling in front of her lover and grabbing her hands, "That stuff doesn't matter, the vase, the broken stuff, it doesn't matter. You matter, Brandon matters. He didn't hurt you, did he? Because I will kill him Stef- I swear." Lena's eyes widened at her own words. She'd never said that, not about anyone. But this woman, she did that to her, she made her feel things she'd never felt before.

"No, no. I mean he grabbed me but that doesn't matter-"

"That matters Stef, it matters!" She almost yelled as she gently grabbed her lovers arm, inspecting the small fingertip bruises forming on the pale skin she loved.

She couldn't stop it as her own eyes welled up, she should've been there. She could've stopped him. He'd already hurt her enough.

"I'm so sorry, baby, I' am so sorry." Lena choked out, her eyes meeting Stef's.

They held each other's gaze, drawing strength from one another. Lena finally reached up, stroking a hand down the side of her lovers face; she couldn't stand to see her like this. She vowed that she would never again see her like this. On her knees she leaned forward, lightly claiming her girlfriend's lips, soothing her through a kiss. Their lips remained together as Lena scootched up to sit next to her lover. When they finally broke apart, Lena rested her head against Stef's, running a hand down her leg and bringing it up to rest over her thighs.

"If anything had happened," Lena began, "I don't know what I would've done Stef."

"You don't have to worry about that Love," Stef reassured her, finally starting to feel better.

"When you called, I was so afraid."

"I know you were because you made it here much faster than you should've. You shouldn't speed like that love, especially when you're feeling worried, you could've got in an accident." Stef chastised lightly as she ran a hand over her tired eyes.

"I needed to get to you."

The blonde smiled, her eyes drifting close as she murmured, "I'm so tired."

Lena brought her knees up, lying on her side and settling behind Stef. Her arm wrapped around the small waist of the blonde, her nose nestling into the soft hair. She felt Stef wiggle back, forcing herself as close as she could get and Lena had to grin. They both became lost in the feeling and the comfort of one another before finally drifting off to sleep. And that night when Stef woke up both herself and Lena with sobs from a nightmare involving Mike, her lover was there to rub her back and kiss her eyes, wiping her tears away. And the next morning when they'd both had time to sleep of the adrenaline and Stefs cheeks were tinged with pink embarrassment, Lena insisted they didn't have to talk about it.

Months would go by and neither would bring up the night. Stef didn't want to talk about it for the simple fact that she couldn't stand to see the father of her child in that light. And Lena didn't want to bring it up because she hated the look in Stefs eyes. Even more than that, she hated to think of all the possibilities of what could've been. It was a night that for a moment seemed as if it could've broken Stef, but it hadn't, and really that night had changed everything. Because it had shown just how deeply they needed each other. Just how madly they loved each other. It was the night that had proved everything that they would continue to prove every day for the rest of their lives.

[A/N] I was sort of inspired by the Quinceanara episode. It seemed like Stef was rather unimpressed with Mikes drinking so I wanted to explore just a small piece of that history with this chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I want all of your honesty, good and bad, so let me know what you think. & thanks so so much for the reviews; you guys have no idea how much that means to me because I really do work hard so that you guys can read something you enjoy. You are all beautiful.