Here is the next chapter.
Also the disclaimer can be found in earlier chapters.
I hope this chapter is entertaining for you and gives more answers.
CHAPTER 16
Quinn found Aya at lunch before they headed to glee in the auditorium to try and finalize any form of a set list for Nationals.
"Can we talk?" Quinn asked falling in step beside Aya who nodded. "Why were you talking to Sebastian about me and Rachel?" Quinn asked.
"Brittany told you?" Aya asked and Quinn nodded.
"Yes she did. You have no right telling that boy about my relationship with Rachel or lack thereof! It is none of your business or his!"
Before Quinn could continue Aya cut in. "I'm scared." Aya admits, cringing at her admission.
"About what?" Quinn asked.
"He has Beth and I'm leaving for college in the fall. Is he going to college? How far will we be from each other? There are a lot of things Quinn. But you and Rachel…" Aya smiles fondly. She likes the relationship between the two girls. It seems easy now after all that she has heard of their past relationship. "You and Rachel have it figured out. You aren't that far from each other and you'll visit regularly. You two aren't even a couple yet and you have it figure out."
"I'm scared to." Quinn says. "What if we fall out of touch?" Quinn asks. "I have had feelings for Rachel for so long." Quinn says shutting her eyes as she relived the moment she set eyes on Rachel Berry. "I have her. But how much of her?" Quinn asks and Aya smiles softly.
"You have more than you know Quinn. She cares for you. You just have to tell her how you feel." Aya says and Quinn sighs.
"If only it were that easy." Quinn says as they reach the auditorium doors and stop.
"Then sing it to her." Aya said. "You don't have to say who it is for. But just sing to her. Look at her, look her in the eyes and get her to understand and know your feelings." Aya said.
"Today?" Quinn asked and Aya nodded.
"If you wait too long fear will build and you will miss every chance you get." Aya advises and Quinn nods.
"Do you think you can help me?" Quinn asks and Aya nods.
"Of course."
They get Santana in to help and fifteen minutes later they have a small performance thrown together.
The three were sat on stools in the center of the stage. Brad was sat at the piano and Aya had an acoustic guitar in her lap.
The beginning of 'Musical Soulmate' began and Quinn began singing with Aya and Santana backing her.
As she sung Quinn begged for Rachel to look at her. Puck and Brittany were practically looking at Aya and Santana with love in their eyes as they held eye contact.
I remember when I realized
The depth of your beauty for the first time
A million ears had heard you
But none had listened quite like mine
Every phrase that leaves your lips
Makes me feel as if I'm paralyzed
Rachel looks up at Quinn and is captivated by the love and compassion she sees in hazel eyes. She smiles happily as she realizes what Quinn is trying to say.
Talking is trivial, sing another crazy note
And I will be a third below
The troubles that we knew before
Disappear and all I know is that
It makes no difference where you come from
I don't care if you need my love
You know I'll be there
I swear I want to sing to the world
No need to keep it a secret
You are the one, the only
My musical soulmate
Rachel wiped a tear from her eye as Quinn smiled at her and continued.
Darling listen
The audience is calling you
(They're calling you)
There's no way in hell that
They will ever feel you like I do
It makes no difference where you come from
I don't care if you need my love
You know I'll be there
I swear I want to sing to the world
No need to keep it a secret
You are the one, the only
My musical soulmate
It makes no difference where you come from
I don't care if you need my love
You know I'll be there
I swear I want to sing to the world
No need to keep it a secret
You are the one, the only
My musical soulmate
As the last note rang out so did Santana's voice and an echoing gunshot,
"QUINN!"
The Latina dove off her stool knocking it and Quinn to the floor.
When both girls opened their eyes a shadow loomed over them.
(I was going to leave it here. But I kinda wanted to get this part over with.)
"AYA!"
Puck and Rory scrambled onto the stage as the shocked girl looked down and saw the hole in her chest an inch under her clavicle.
"Aya!" Puck dove forward catching the girl as she fainted.
Santana and Quinn were still lying on the floor. Santana covering Quinn's body with her own and both craned their necks to look over at Puck cradling Aya.
Above them in the balconies covered by curtains an older Sebastian watches in shock as his cousin collapses. He turns to his counterpart and punches him as hard as he can.
"What the fuck?"
"You shot my cousin!" Future Sebastian hisses as he begins wailing on Finn till blood covers his face and he is knocked unconscious. Future Sebastian wants nothing more than to run to Aya and make sure she is ok. This has gone too far. He had just arrived to try and talk Future Finn out of this crazy plan. But as he walked up Finn had taken the shot.
Sebastian flung the unconscious Finn over his shoulder and rushed away.
The glee club is around Aya and Shelby is cupping the girl's face as she fades in and out of consciousness.
"Aya, wake up. Please, stay with us!" Shelby is sobbing. "Come on Aya, I didn't help you just for you to give up because of something like this. Stay with us!" Shelby pleaded.
Harmony and Sugar watched in shock. Aya jumped in front of the bullet that was meant for Quinn. The bullet that Santana would have saved Quinn from and resulted in her death. But Aya saved her. Both of them.
Rory was holding tight to one of Aya's hands.
Kurt, Mercedes, Tina and Mike were all on the phone with 911.
Brittany and Rachel were with Quinn and Santana helping them to sit up. Both Quinn and Santana were too shocked to take their eyes off of the bleeding Aya.
"Aya, stay awake please. For me." Puck pleaded as tears flooded his eyes.
"Aya, think of TK, think of Jack and Garret, live for them if not us." Shelby said as Aya's eyes fluttered open and she cringed at the bright stage lights.
"TK…" she muttered and Shelby nodded.
"Yes, sweetie, TK, she needs her big sister. Live for her."
"I'm tired Shelby." Aya slurred.
Puck looked at Shelby pleadingly. Aya seemed to respond to her.
"Aya, you told me that you would repay me for all the times I was there for you and your siblings. Repay me now. Repay me by holding on." Shelby said and Aya nodded.
"Ok."
"The ambulance will be here in five minutes." Kurt says and Shelby looks down at Aya.
"You hear that. Five minutes Aya. Stay with us."
"Cold." Aya mutters as he eyes flutter shut.
"Aya, when I first met you, you were abrasive and didn't let anyone get close. You were alone. We both were and you were the daughter I never got to know. You helped me realize how much I missed my own. Aya please don't you dare give up on us. If you give up I will be so disappointed in you!" Shelby said and Aya's eyes snapped open and she groaned.
"That's not fair." She whines.
"I don't care. You need to stay awake."
"But I'm so tired."
"You can sleep when you're dead. But you are not dying today." Shelby said as the auditorium doors opened and two men ran down with a backboard.
They placed her on the board and made everyone back away so they could work. They asked questions and cursed when he recognized Aya.
"Shit!" He looked to his partner. "Call ahead and tell Dr. Lopez Dr. Joelson's daughter is coming in." he said and his partner nodded.
They ran out to the ambulance.
"Only one can ride along." The medic said and everyone looked at Puck and Shelby when they shouted.
"I'm her boyfriend!"
"I'm her foster mother!"
He pointed at Shelby. "Get in." He helped Shelby in and shut the door.
"What the hell?" Rachel asked. She didn't know that.
"Damn it Lopez I should be in there with her!" Max shouted as Dr. Lopez held him back.
"Max! You can't operate on your own daughter!" He shouted keeping him away from the emergency room doors.
"The hell I can't!" Max shouted.
"Max, I'm going to be doing the surgery, she's in good hands my friend." Dr. Lopez said and Max backed off running a hand over his face.
"I just got her Greg." He says his voice cracking. "I didn't even know I had a daughter and then one day I get four kids. I can't lose her." He sobs and Gregorio pats his back.
"I'll take good care of her." Gregorio promises as the emergency room doors open and Aya is wheeled in with Shelby running beside her.
Max felt relief seeing Shelby. He could get answers.
"OR one is ready for her!" Gregorio directed as he followed the nurses pushing the gurney.
Max turned to Shelby. "What happened?" he asked.
"She was performing with Quinn and Santana, then Santana tackled Quinn to the floor and a gun shot rang out. Aya stepped in the bullet's path. It happened so quickly Max!" Shelby sobbed as Max pulled her into his arms rubbing circles on her back.
"Shh! She'll be fine. Gregorio is an amazing surgeon." Max said as the glee club filed in.
"How is she?" Puck asked out of breath.
"Dr. Lopez just rushed her to the OR. We won't know till he comes back." Max says sniffling and wiping his eyes. "I'll show you to the waiting room."
Once they found the waiting room Rachel approached Shelby.
"You never told me you were her foster mom." Rachel said and Shelby looked at her softly.
"Max is a single father who didn't know he had a kid till three years ago when Aya's mother died. He thought he was going to take in one kid. He got four. He saw that I got along with them and asked me to stay on as their foster mother. I agreed." Shelby said.
"You said she made you miss me."
"She did. I met her when she was a freshman. She was a tough case to crack. She ignored everyone, insulted people and talked back to her teachers and even got into so many fights. I saw her in the auditorium one day and made her a part of Vocal Adrenaline. She started getting better." Shelby took a deep breath. "While helping her I realized that I was acting like her mother and it made me happy. But it made me sad knowing I was missing out on your life."
Rachel hugged Shelby. "At least you were no longer alone." She whispered and Shelby returned the hug.
"I have you now to." Shelby said and Rachel tightened her grip. She looks over and sees Quinn staring off into space with a blank look on her face. "You should check on Quinn."
Rachel pulls away and nods before walking over to the blonde. "Hey." Rachel says snapping Quinn out of her daze.
"Hey."
"Are you ok?"
"I don't know." Quinn said as Rachel laced their fingers together.
"I didn't get a chance to respond to your song back there." Rachel began and Quinn snapped her head up to look at her.
"Rach…"
"No." She held up her hand. "I have to say it. I care about you. I mean." She shakes her head. "I feel the same Quinn. I have feelings for you and I want to be with you." Rachel says and tears well up in Quinn's eyes. "If you'll have me."
Quinn cupped Rachel's face and crashed their lips together. Rachel responded to the kiss quickly and smiled into it. Quinn pulled away. "Did you not listen to the song?"
"Every word." Rachel said kissing Quinn once more. But this kiss was different. She was putting all of her emotions into this kiss and Quinn was doing the same. It was getting heated. But they had years of waiting so there was a lot of repressed feelings in this kiss.
But the perfect moment was ruined.
"What the hell?"
Everyone turned to look at an enraged Finn.
"I would like to take this moment to say I told you so." Kurt said. His gaydar was excellent after all.
"Quinn?" He spat. "You moved on to Quinn?"
Rachel glared and stood her ground taking a step in front of Quinn blocking the giant teen from her. "Yes Finn! Quinn! I realized that I have had feelings for her for a while. I realized that she care for me more than you did. I also realized that you were a horrible boyfriend."
"But Rach!"
"You got me a pig for Christmas and you fed me meat!"
There were collective gasps and glares.
"But!" Finn sputtered.
"You couldn't even give Quinn the prom she wanted!" Rachel shouts and Quinn is taken back.
"I don't know why girls like those damn flower things!" Finn shouts.
"It's a corsage!" the glee girls and Kurt shouted making Finn jump back.
"Finn how did you know what to get for Quinn's corsage?" Santana asks remembering the corsage was to pretty and accurate for Finn to have gotten.
"Rachel told me what to get." Finn answered and Quinn kissed Rachel softly making the tiny diva blush.
"Thank you." Quinn said making the blush deepen.
"But Quinn?" Finn shouted. "She hates you!"
"No she doesn't." Rachel says wrapping and arm around Quinn's waist.
"I care about her more than you say you do! I wouldn't make her choose between her dreams and me like you did." Quinn said. "I would support her and be by her side through it all and when we both achieved our dreams then I would ask her to marry me. But never before that!" Quinn shouted and Harmony felt pride and love well up in her and she beamed. That was her mama.
Sugar snuggled into Harmony. Unbeknownst to the others the second the bullet hit Aya the flash Sugar was going through stopped. Even Sugar didn't notice it. She was transparent and close to disappearing. But her mami wasn't shot so she was to exist. Sugar hopes Aya will be okay.
Rory was possibly the closest to Aya other than Puck. He got attached to her and he didn't want to have a future without her.
An hour went before Dr. Lopez made his appearance in the waiting room.
"How is she?" Puck asked jumping to his feet.
"The bullet missed any vital organs. But her shoulder will be sore and immobile for a while." Dr. Lopez said.
"How bad was it?" Max asked.
"It wasn't a through and through." Dr. Lopez said and Max's face fell.
"Where was the bullet?" Max asked.
"It was buried in her scapula." Dr. Lopez said. "We extracted it but her movement should be very limited to her right arm."
"She's right handed." Shelby says and Dr. Lopez nods with a frown.
"She'll be released in two days so we can monitor the wound." Dr. Lopez said. "But she should make a great recovery."
"She's stubborn Greg." Max said.
"That is why during her stay here her right arm will be restrained against her body." Gregorio said and Max nodded.
"She won't like that."
"She's already fighting nurses." Gregorio said and Max gasped.
"She's awake!"
"And demanding that she be released from this hell hole." Gregorio smiles. He gives them the room number and they hurry to it.
Santana stops and hugs her father. Brittany sticks by her side.
"Are you ok mija?"
"I'm fine." She says but Gregorio knows his daughter better than that.
"What happened mija?" he asks taking a seat. Brittany and Santana sit beside him.
"When I saw the gun I noticed it was pointed at Quinn. I dove to her and knocked her to the ground. But that bullet…it should have been me. It would have been me." Santana said and Gregorio holds his daughter close kissing her head.
"But it wasn't and I am unbelievably happy. Your friend is okay mija. Go see her." He says.
They stand and Brittany kisses Santana.
"I'm happy Aya is ok. But if it had been you I wouldn't have survived." Brittany said. "You're my world Santana." Brittany kisses her again.
Santana smiles and they lace their hands together. "Let's go check on Aya."
When the three walk in Puck is holding Aya's left hand tight as she tries to reach over and pull at the Velcro strap keeping her right arm against her body.
"This is hell!" Aya shouts.
"If you want to recovery faster you'll have to deal with it." Max tells his daughter who frowns. "That isn't going to work. You're not TK." Max says and Aya scoffs.
"Favoritism." Aya declares.
"Speaking of your siblings, I better go get them." Max says walking away with a kiss to his daughter's forehead.
"You seem to be feeling better already. How are you?" Santana asks standing at the foot of the bed.
"Irritated and itchy." Aya says reaching for the strap again but Puck pulls her hand back.
Brittany quirks up and jumps to Aya's right side and begins scratching right under the strap.
"Britt careful."
"No!" Aya shouts. "That feels amazing. Let her be." Aya says sighing in contentment.
"Do you remember much?" Santana asked and Aya nodded.
"Yes. I distinctively remember being coerced into staying awake though." Aya said throwing a glance at Shelby.
"There is a great risk of comas if…" Aya waved her off.
"I do have a headache so no nagging." Aya said.
Shelby looked at her watch. "I should get going and relieve the baby sitter of Beth." Shelby says dropping a kiss to Aya's head. "You behave and let these nurses do their jobs. No fighting with them." Shelby says with the mother look and Aya huffs.
"Fine."
"I'll see you later." Shelby tells Rachel kissing her temple.
"I do remember what she said Rachel, I'm not going to take her from you." Aya said and Rachel nods.
"I know you won't." Rachel said.
"It's just my mom wasn't really a mom. More like a woman who I lived with." Aya said and Rachel smiled softly.
"You don't have to explain." Rachel said.
"You didn't have to take that bullet for me." Quinn said speaking for the first time since she came into the room.
Aya looked over at Harmony and then smiled at Quinn. "I was glad to do it. I wouldn't change the past if I could." Aya said looking over at Sugar and then Santana.
"It would have been me." Santana said. "If it wasn't for you. It would have been me." Santana said and Aya smiled softly at her.
"Santana, it happened and it's the past. Leave it there." Aya said and Santana nodded.
"You saved me and my best friend Aya. That makes you a hero in my book." Santana says.
"She's my hero because she saved you and Q." Brittany beams kissing Aya's cheek.
After Aya was released from the hospital Max dropped the bomb on them and told them he was going to take Aya and the kids out of town for a month to visit family and so she could recover. He wasn't going to voice that he also felt that Aya never got into as much as she did until she moved to McKinley.
Shelby felt guilty for bringing Aya in in the first place and saw them off the morning they left with Puck.
Harmony, Sugar and Rory were relieved that in the few days that have passed Sugar didn't flash out at all. Blaine and Kurt were going strong. Brittany and Santana practically dedicated themselves to each other.
No one had really seen much of Quinn and Rachel. They saw Faberry. The two were practically attached at the hip. Nothing could take them from each other. Except when they had to go to their separate homes.
"There isn't really anything left for us to do." Rory said. He, Sugar and Harmony were gathered in Harmony's room.
"So we go back?" Sugar asked and Rory nods.
Harmony bolts upright and gasps. "There is something else we have to do. But it requires telling one more person about us being from the future." Harmony said.
"Who?" Sugar asks.
Review please. =)