It would appear as though I have my own personal troll that's followed me over from The First 24 to this story. I kind of find it amusing, at the same time infuriating. If you hate what I write so much, why do you continue to read it? It really has me close to the point where I'm going to turn off anonymous reviews. But, at the same time, that's not fair to the other legitimate people who simply choose to not sign up for an account.

With that said, I wish to address another review I received about Quinn living in an apartment at the age of 18. It happens. People can get emancipated from their parents when they're 16 or so. I'll address it further on in the story. But think about Quinn's personality. It fits. Her living on her own is kind of a slap to everybody who thought she couldn't do it.

Alright, so I'm already into chapter 6 of this story. I close tonight at work and open tomorrow. So more than likely the next chapter update will be tomorrow or Sunday. Glad to see such an amazing outpouring of support and likes for this story :) Keep it up people. I love when people (for the most part) like what I write. It keeps me motivated to continue what I'm doing.

One more thing. Anybody who also reads The First 24, that story is NOT going to be forgotten. I'm still working on it, slowly though, but I am working on it, I swear. With that said now, enjoy chapter 2 :D

Help Me Help You
Chapter 2

Quinn had all but lost herself in the closing paperwork. It was mundane and Quinn felt like she could do it in her sleep. So, as always, she just pushed her way through it, all the while, her mind wandered. True, she'd noticed the change in the way Rachel and Finn interacted. There was something different about them over the past two weeks or so. She'd yet to be able to put her finger on it though. Quinn cared deeply for Rachel – not so much for Finn – so Rachel being so upset was upsetting her. She knew, in time, the brunette would eventually confide in her. But, until then, she simply had to wait and offer her comfort and support whenever Rachel truly needed it.

She was just finishing up filing the last of the order forms when her phone started to vibrate across the wooden desk. Without even looking at the screen, she swiped her finger across it and lifted it to her ear, "hello?"

"I'm here. And I must say, I feel really strange just standing outside of this place when it's closed. These people across the street keep watching me."

Quinn started laughing, "alright, I'm coming up to let you in." She ended the call as she pushed herself away from the desk to stand up. She smiled when the front windows came into view and Rachel started waving at her. She pulled the keys out from under her shirt and unlocked the door. "Come on in." Once Rachel was through the doorway, Quinn locked it behind her. "Are you gonna tell me what's going on with Finn?"

"It's complicated." Rachel watched Quinn's facial expression. She could tell the blonde wasn't done with her questions yet and she sighed. "It's just a long story Quinn."

"Hm, I've got time. I still have to pull the orders for tomorrow morning." Quinn smiled smugly at her friend before leading her back into the office. Rachel immediately sat down on one of the chairs along the wall. "Obviously there's something wrong Rach. You haven't really been yourself for about two weeks."

"He wants to have sex with me…" Rachel bit her lower lip before looking down at the tile floor. She heard Quinn huff some, amusement it seemed. She could also feel the blush creeping to her cheeks. Rachel never once dreamed that she would be having that conversation with anybody, let alone with a girl who once hated every fiber of her being.

Quinn arched an eyebrow at Rachel before shaking her head. "Don't do it Rachel, it's not worth it."

"But I love him."

"What ever happened to Rachel Berry's 'no sex until 25' rule. And I certainly haven't seen any Tony awards on your shelf at home yet."

"That's what I've told him… wait, how do you remember that? I told you that over two years ago. While you and Santana were yelling at me about being a prude."

Quinn cringed. "Apparently I'm not the only one with an impeccable memory. Listen Rachel, you have to be 100 percent certain before you do anything like that… just look at Beth." She looked up from her paperwork and right at Rachel. It was obvious to the blonde, that the gears in Rachel's head were now working. She was thinking about what Quinn had just told her. "I know how much you love Beth, but do you really want a Beth of your own right now? Look at how much my life has changed simply from a one night stand with Puck."

"He keeps telling me that it's alright, and that he'll wait for me. And then a few days pass, and we're together alone, and he starts on it again. I don't know what to do Quinn."

"Rachel, if he can't respect your wishes, then you need to leave him. You're honestly too good for him. Just like I was always too good for him. But, I was blinded at the time and didn't listen to Santana."

"What does Santana have to do with anything?"

Quinn smirked yet again. "All of her nicknames for him? Started while I was dating him. She saw how much of a 'brainless meat sack' he truly was. I didn't actually see it until after we broke up. The same goes for you, you won't see him for what he really is until you're not with him anymore."

"Are you telling me to break up with him?" Rachel's brows furrowed in confusion as she looked right into Quinn's eyes.

The blonde shook her head before standing up – having just pulled the last order for the next day. "What I'm telling you, is that you really have to think about it. I don't know every little detail about your relationship with him – nor do I want to, to be perfectly honest," Rachel laughed softly, "But you really need to think about it. Is he the one you want to lose your virginity to? Do you feel like you have that much of a connection with him that you can do that with him, wake up the next morning, and not regret everything?"

Rachel just looked down at the floor again. She'd become so lost in her own thoughts about Finn that she didn't realize Quinn was stepping closer to her. When a hand came in contact with her shoulder, she nearly jumped out of her skin. "I do love him… but I'm not ready."

"Then you need to tell him that." Come on, I need to shower before we head over to Santana's party.

Rachel had followed Quinn from the café back to her apartment building. She parked behind the blonde on the street before following her into the building. "He texted me asking where I was at."

Quinn huffed in annoyance, "honestly Rach, if he really cared, he would have picked you up to take you himself."

The brunette sighed as she followed her friend up the staircase and then into her apartment. "I know." It was all she could say. What Quinn had said to her was still playing heavily on her mind. She was starting to wonder how much Finn actually did love her. Quinn was right. If Finn really did love her, he would respect her wishes. But, on the flip side of that, Rachel understood that everybody had needs. Hell, even she had needs. But she was scared. Looking at Quinn, she slept with Puck one time, and had Beth. Rachel didn't want to risk it.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Quinn's voice broke Rachel out of her thoughts. When she got Rachel's attention, she continued into her bedroom, unbuttoning her shirt as she went. She gathered a pair of jeans and underwear from her dresser before going into her closet for a shirt before going into her bathroom. She knew Rachel would sit on the counter while she took her shower. She normally did whenever they were to go somewhere.

"Just thinking about what you said." Rachel slid up onto the counter beside the sink in the bathroom. Out of respect – as she always had – she looked down at the floor while Quinn got the water ready and undressed. She wasn't embarrassed to be around her best friend, but she still didn't want to make things uncomfortable

"You should try talking to him." Quinn pushed the curtain aside to step into the shower. "Just to see what he actually has to say about the whole thing."

Rachel looked down at her phone before sliding it open to type a response to Finn.

Rachel: I'm at Quinn's we'll be leaving soon

Rachel waited for several moments for a response. Any kind of response. She sighed when nothing came. "I just sent him a text."

"Okay." Quinn let out a sigh. She hoped that Rachel would decide to wait and not sleep with Finn. She knew she couldn't sway her friend's decision either way, but she hoped Rachel would heed her warnings. "I'll be done here in a minute. Wanna go wait in my room?"

The brunette laughed softly. "Take your time Quinn." And with that, she left the bathroom and went back into Quinn's bedroom to make herself comfortable on the bed. She found herself staring at her phone. Why wasn't Finn responding? She knew she shouldn't think the worst. He was, after all, at a party. And knowing Santana's parties, the music was blaring and Finn wouldn't be able to hear his phone.

She let out a heavy sigh as she sank into Quinn's memory foam mattress. Her eyes fell shut as she allowed the stress from her body to relax away. There was some reason that Rachel couldn't quite put her finger one, that made her feel so at home – so relaxed, so calm.

"What's on your mind?" Quinn walked into her bedroom, smiling when she spotted her friend stretched out on her bed. Rachel looked so at peace as she lie across her bed, eyes shut, not a care in the world. Quinn, in a way, felt bad for interrupting her friend.

Rachel spoke without even opening her eyes. "I kind of don't want to go to the party. I just know he'll try something Quinn."

The blonde finished drying as much of her hair as she could with her towel before tossing it into her hamper. She then sat down on the bed next to her friend's legs with a sigh, "stay near me, or Santana tonight then. I know you and her don't have the best relationship, but if she happens to hear you say no to him, she'll step in to protect you. It's in her nature to protect people."

"Can't we just stay here and watch movies?" Rachel shifted in her place to stretch her legs out over Quinn's lap.

"You're determined to skip the party aren't you?" If Quinn were to be honest with herself, she didn't want to go either. Ever since she had Beth, she'd lost a lot of interest in going out, especially if she didn't have her daughter with her. She allowed her hand to rest on Rachel's jean covered calf before massaging gently.

"Yes, I am determined to not go to this party. Finn probably won't even notice I'm not there." Rachel rolled onto her back, her eyes finally opening to look at Quinn. She tilted her head some to the side and just examined the girl who had become her best friend. There was something about Quinn that she suddenly felt herself trying to figure out. She felt so welcomed by the blonde girl. A feeling she'd never felt before, not with Puck, not with Jesse, and certainly not with Finn.

Finn made her feel like she wasn't his equal. That just because she was a girl – unpopular girl – that she wasn't even human. If they were to skip the party, she was nearly 100 percent certain that her so-called boyfriend wouldn't even notice. There were times in their relationship that he tried to make her think that if he wasn't dating her, she'd still be getting slushie facials every day. That if it wasn't for him, she never would have become friends with Quinn because she wouldn't have the popularity status to even be noticed by the blonde.

But, the longer she looked at Quinn, the more she realized that Finn had nothing to do with it. What changed their friendship was Quinn's pregnancy. The blonde falling pregnant to a common mistake, changed her entire outlook on life. "I'm glad you accepted my friendship." Rachel spit the words out before she could even stop herself. The way Quinn's head snapped around to look at her, caused the brunette to blush heavily and look away.

"I'm glad I did too." Quinn smiled softly before a blush overtook her own cheeks.

She suddenly looked down at her hand and realized the intimacy of the contact she had with Rachel's calf. Granted, it wasn't the first time they'd sat like that on her bed, but with the way Rachel had just been watching her, partnered with what the brunette just said, the contact seemed more loving than friendly. After a moment of her eyes just watching her own hand, she decided against pulling it away. Why change her actions based on a simple statement her friend made? Or because of how her friend was just watching her?

"So, what movie do you want to watch?" Quinn threw her another smile before pushing her legs off of her lap and going to turn on her Xbox. After grabbing her TV remote and her controller, she crawled onto the bed beside Rachel. She waited for her account to sign in before scrolling over to the Netflix application.

"I don't care Quinn, just no horror please."

The blonde pouted, "fine." She knew Rachel wouldn't allow her to watch a movie from her favorite genre. She remembered back to the first time she tried to watch Valentine with her. Rachel had thought it was some romantic movie. Oh how she was wrong. Now, ever since that incident, Rachel never allowed Quinn to select their movie.

"Something funny." Rachel reached over to grab the controller from the blonde, effectively closing whatever gap was left between them. After successfully grabbing the controller, though, Rachel made no attempt to move back to her original spot.

Quinn's eyes darted between the TV and the girl beside her several times before she drew her lip in between her teeth to nervously nibble on it. She couldn't quite understand why she suddenly felt this new feeling washing over her just by having Rachel so close to her. It was nice. Whatever it was, she didn't want it to end. So, along with Rachel making no attempt to move away, neither did Quinn. Her eyes finally stayed focused on the screen as she heard the music for opening movie credits begin to play.

"What are we watching?"

"Were you not paying attention Quinn Fabray?"

Too busy looking at you. "Not really… you know I'll give anything a try."

Rachel rolled her eyes before laughing softly. "Pitch Perfect."

"Oh, that's good, I watched it about a week ago."

"I'll find something else then…" Rachel sounded a little disheartened as she reached for the controller again. Her hand was stopped though, when Quinn grabbed it. "But you've already seen it…"

"You obviously haven't, so it's fine." Quinn wasn't sure why, but her voice was barely at a whisper's level as she spoke. Her eyes moved away from their hands to look at Rachel. "Leave it on. It's a good movie, I have no problem watching it again."

"Okay!" Rachel's happy reply caused Quinn's heart to flutter some.

The pair remained close together on Quinn's bed throughout the movie. Neither making any action to move away from the other. It was the sound of Rachel's phone ringing that drew Quinn out of her impending sleep. "Rach…" She lifted her head up to look at the sleeping girl beside her. Rachel's head was resting on her shoulder, and sometime during their short slumber, her arm had ended up around Quinn's midsection. "Rachel, your phone…"

"Ignore it." The brunette whispered before snuggling closer to her friend. She'd heard the device ringing, but she didn't want to move. Her body had finally relaxed. Rachel didn't know how long she'd been asleep, but she did know that that's all she wanted.

Quinn shook her head before coming to rest her own head on top of Rachel's. It wasn't the first time they'd curled up like that either. They'd become close to one another over their short friendship. Closer than most other friends they knew. "Alright, go back to sleep Rach." The brunette nodded slightly. Quinn took the next few moments to watch Rachel now.

What was she feeling? Sure, everything had changed over the past two years. She started looking at everything differently. Her entire outlook on life had shifted out of the closed mindedness she was raised to believe. After her pregnancy, new things had come to light. New experiences, new groups of people. When she fell pregnant, that was when Quinn learned who her real friends were. Those people who 'looked up' to her when she was younger, simply kicked her to the curb when she made a mistake. Heaven forbid, the perfect Quinn Fabray made a mistake. It was still a mistake that they didn't let her live down.

But now, Quinn was a single mother who was acing her way through her senior year in high school, on top of having a full time job. Quinn had found herself to be more relaxed about everything that happened around her. Seeing Brittany and Santana dating, no longer bothered her as it would have two years ago. She can actually see how happy her friends are together. Love should show no boundaries, gender or otherwise.

Sadly, Quinn felt she didn't have time for love. She was lucky she had time to sleep, let alone to spend time outside of school with her friends. Her friends and her mother were all she had. There was no way she'd be able to add any chance at a relationship into her schedule. She savored the moments she did get with her friends, because with school and work, they were few and far between. But, as Quinn thought about it, she enjoyed her time with Rachel the most.

Rachel was the only person she could tell everything to. There were some secrets that Rachel knew, that not even Santana knew. She wasn't sure what it was about the brunette, but she felt as though she could trust her with her life. But she wasn't sure what it really meant. Brittany and Santana were as close as her and Rachel before they took the next step. But just because she's really close to Rachel doesn't mean she would want a relationship with her. Right?

Too much thinking. She's just a friend. Quinn told herself before placing her head back onto her pillow and closing her eyes to sleep. Hopefully in the morning, things would be more clear to her.

There's chapter 2 for you. I'll have everybody know that I'm really enjoying working on this story.

Let me know what you think :D