Author's Note: Wow guys! Thanks for the great feedback, the favorites and follows. I am glad that everyone seems to like where this is going. This story started as a way to work out some of my own personal demons, and will continue to be. I hope that everyone continues to like. And remember, reviews are great motivation. ;)
Chapter 2
Once Santana and Quinn were safe in the Latina's apartment, the brunette finally allowed herself to relax, even if only slightly. The first thing she did was lead Quinn to her bedroom, where she got the blonde out some black sweat pants and a large University of Louisville hoodie from her closet.
"I know you want to get out of those clothes. I have other stuff if you don't want these." Santana offered, as she rummaged through her clothes to find something to wear herself.
"These are fine. Thank you." Quinn told her quietly, as she watched the brunette.
The two of them were no strangers to changing in front of one another, thanks to their time on the Cheerios together, so Santana didn't think anything of it that Quinn was present as she started peeling off her dress. Not to mention that time at Mr. Schue's almost wedding.
The blonde however, wasn't so open. Her body battered and bruised, she was embarrassed for her best friend to see her that way. So she hesitated, and that didn't go unnoticed by Santana.
"Q, it's okay. It's just me. You know I'm not gonna say anything to anyone. Whatever you tell me or show me stays right here." The brunette encouraged.
"Okay." Quinn answered softly, and slowly began to remove her clothes, until she was in her underwear. She could see shock, and then sadness, and finally anger build up in Santana's eyes as she saw the blonde's beautiful creamy skin marked violently, with dark shades of purple, blue, and a hint of yellow underneath from fading bruises.
Santana couldn't help but to move over to the blonde, gently tracing the fresh bruises on her arms, probably from where Jared was grabbing her in the club. She walked around Quinn and saw the bruises along her back. She'd seen Quinn's surgery scar before, from her accident in high school. But now the surrounding skin was marred, discolored from fading bruises.
The worst though, in Santana's eyes, were the bruises on her thighs. They were the boldest and biggest. It was apparent what she had gone through. When she finally looked back up at Quinn's face, she saw that the blonde was crying, and embarrassed.
"Hey, you're safe now." Santana cooed as she gently pulled Quinn into her arms, being extra careful not to irritate her bruised flesh. "I won't let that sorry excuse for a human being near you again, okay?"
Quinn couldn't verbally answer, so she just nodded and clutches tightly to Santana as her tears soaked the Latina's shoulder. The brunette didn't say anything else, just held her best friend while she cried, rubbing her back and running her fingers through the blonde hair.
"I'd like to shower, if that's okay." Quinn finally requested from the embrace.
"Of course. You don't even have to ask. I'll get you a towel. You can use my loofah." Santana told her, pulling away from the hug. "After all, this is your place now, too. At least for a while. I am not letting you go back to your apartment. Sam said before he goes back to Lima, he'll help the guys move your stuff here. You can stay as long as you want."
"I wouldn't want to impose, San." Quinn started to say softly.
"You aren't. Trust me. It gets boring living alone. It'll be nice to have someone to give me hell from time to time." The Latina smirked as she led Quinn to the bathroom, showing her how to work her shower.
As soon as Santana left, Quinn removed her bra and underwear and stepped into the warm water. It was soothing, her achy body relishing the feeling. She stayed there for a while, just letting the water rush over her, before finally starting to wash herself.
The blonde washed her hair, and then her face, rinsing away the runny remnants of her makeup from the previous night, before starting to wash her arms, legs and torso. She scrubbed and scrubbed at her body, as if trying to scrub the bruises away. It was painful, but she didn't think about that. She only wanted them gone.
She had been in the shower for over half an hour, when Santana knocked on the door. "Q, everything okay in there?"
Quinn didn't exactly answer, just grunted as she scrubbed harder at her bruises, not even registering that San was checking on her.
After a couple of moments with no answer, Santana gently opened the door, and stuck her head in. "Quinn? You okay?"
"They won't come off." Was all the blonde replied, her voice tight and cracking.
"I'm gonna come in okay?" Santana warned before stepping into the foggy bathroom. "She looked over into the shower, through the glass door, and saw Quinn's figure through the steam. The Latina noticed how hard she seemed to be scrubbing and came over, opening the shower door to turn off the water.
"Shit, Fabray!" San hissed as she yanked her hand back. Quinn had apparently turned the water to a nearly scalding hot temperature. She quickly reached in, avoiding the stream and shut the water off. Noting how red Quinn's usually pale skin was…especially around the bruises. It hit the brunette what Quinn meant. "You were trying to wash them away, weren't you?"
"It didn't work." Quinn whimpered as she looked to Santana, her eyes full of emotions that Santana had rarely ever seen in them before. Fear, self disgust, and worst of all, pain. The blonde was breaking down, not in her right mind.
Santana wrapped a towel around Quinn and helped her out of the shower, her movements robotic, as if she weren't actually thinking about what was happening. San held her close for a while, to calm the woman down.
The Latina dried Quinn off, dressed her, and braided her hair to keep it out of the way. Then she led Quinn to the living room sofa, and sat her down, soon coming to sit next to her with some water and leftover pizza she had reheated. Quinn seemed to be lost in her thoughts.
"You need to eat, Q. And drink some water. Please?" San asked her, laying her hand on the blonde's knee to get her attention. Quinn flinched and tried to jerk her knee away, and then she seemed to come into her senses and realized where she was and who she was with.
"Sorry, San. I was kinda in a daze." The blonde looked down and saw herself fully dressed and a confused expression washed over her face. "I honestly have no idea how I got in here. I just remember being in the shower."
"That's because you got lost in that pretty head of yours. You were being self destructive. Scalding water, nearly scrubbing yourself until you bled. So I dried you off, dressed you, and brought you in here."
"Shit, San….I'm sorry you had to do that." Quinn sighed and looked down at her lap.
Santana guided Q's chin so that their gazes met. "Stop that shit. Don't apologize, Q. You went through hell. I am gonna help you get through it, and become that badass bitch that you used to be. I've got you. And as for that fucknut, Jared. Don't worry about him. I already went Lima Heights on him once. I'll do it again."
"Wait…what? I really don't remember…what did you do to him?" Quinn asked curiously.
"Well, he admitted he drugged you, and then was trying to get you to do shit. So, I pulled him off of you and protected you. I punched him in his fat jaw and told him if I saw him around my gi…my home girl again, I would end him. And I meant it."
"Wait, really? Who knew you were so butch?" Quinn teased.
"Geez, 'Thanks, Santana. You saved me Santana.' Just is too hard for you isn't it?" San replied, chuckling.
"What was it you told Britt once? Oh right. 'You're my lady knight in shining armor.'" Quinn teased, actually smiling softly for the first time since the craziness of last night.
"Oh my God…I wish she hadn't told you I said that." The Latina groaned as she scrunched her face up, before chuckling at herself. "You'll never let me live that one down."
"Not in this lifetime, Lopez." Quinn grinned, poking San in the side playfully, before taking a drink of the water her friend brought over to her.
Their banter was interrupted by Santana's phone buzzing. She looked at the number but didn't recognize it, so she answered with a tentative "Hello, Santana Lopez."
"Ms. Lopez, this is Officer Jason Miles with the NYPD. I'm sorry to bother you, but are you the woman who accompanied Miss Quinn Fabray to the emergency room last night?" said the voice over the phone.
"Yes, I am. What can I do for you?" she answered with a professional sounding voice that made the blonde next to her snicker.
"Are you and Miss Fabray available to come down to the Washington Street station for questioning tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m? And bring any evidence you have against Mr. Mitchell. Also, be careful ladies, he is out on bail. So until we have evidence against him, he is a free man."
"Sure, yes. I'll make sure we are both there. Thank you." Santana told the officer before hanging up, then glaring at Quinn for making fun of her professional voice. "We have to be at the Washington Street police station at 9 in the morning for questioning. They released Jared on bail."
Quinn's smile instantly faltered, and she began to unconsciously tremble. The Latina instantly pulled the frightened woman into her arms, and she was almost certain that Quinn stopped trembling as soon as she touched her.
"Hey, it's okay. I'll be right there, okay? But I need to take pictures of your bruises. All of them, so they can put his ass away for good." Santana told her.
Quinn shakes her head softly. "I already did…except the ones on my arms. They're new. But the others, they are on my digital camera at my apartment."
"You aren't going there to get it. At least not alone. Just let me take pictures with mine?" Santana asked.
"There are other things on the camera that will get him in more trouble. The aftermath of one of his fits. I had a black eye and busted lip. I couldn't go to work for two weeks." Quinn looks up at Santana, swallowing hard. "You have no idea what all he did to me."
"You can tell me, if you want to. I promise it won't go any further than here." Santana told her softly, brushing her golden hair back behind her ear.
"I think I'm going to tell the police. And I don't want to say it twice, if that's okay. You can be there when I tell them." Quinn told her, before leaning her head against Santana's chest.
"Sure. Tell me where the camera is, and give me your key. I'll grab it and pack you some things to have until we can get the rest of your stuff here."
"No, San, what if he's there? You're strong, but he'd be sober now and could…and WOULD hurt you." Quinn jerked her head up from Santana's chest, looking worried.
"How about if I have Puck go with me? Would that ease your mind?"
"Puck and me both. Then I can find it faster, and get the things I need that you might not know to get. You two can be there for moral support, and if need be, to keep him from me." Quinn told her, her face showing no sign of giving in.
"Okay. I can deal with that." Santana told her as she texted Puck, who almost immediately responded that he was on his way. "We'll just wear these sweats. It's not like they are ugly or anything. In fact, my UofL hoodie looks good on you."
"Thanks San." Quinn blushed slightly at the compliment, and then cleared her throat. "Do you have some shoes I can borrow? I don't really think the ones I wore to the club match my current glamorous outfit."
Santana smirked and got up, going to her bedroom and coming back with a pair of white cheer shoes, the ones she used to wear all the time with those exact clothes when she was having a lazy day and had to go to class.
Santana managed to talk Quinn into eating a slice of the pizza, and drinking some more water while they waited for Puck. After about twenty minutes, he texted them letting him know he was outside.
"Alright, Q. You ready?" San asked the blonde.
"As ready as I'll ever be. Let's go." Quinn answered as she got up, stretched and walked toward the door, with Santana on her heels, locking the apartment behind them.