Not without you
Rachel dug her nails on Quinn's upper arm as she held on for dear life as Brittany cried and yelled her aunt's name among the several screams of panicked people.
A rocket exploded on the sky above and Quinn saw the shooting colors through Sugar's owed eyes. Her head snapped to the opposite side of the ship. Someone was throwing the rockets from that side which meant that members of the crew were still there and probably with available boats.
"Come quick" she said and pulled Rachel with her again.
"What about my aunt?" Brittany desperately called from the back, she didn't want to leave without Holly and it was completely understandable but Quinn knew that time was not on their side.
She looked for Santana's eyes and pleaded with her. Her best friend had tears in her eyes and was visibly shaking, she knew but it broke her heart to know that Holly had gone missing.
"Brittany we don't have time" Santana pleaded. The taller blonde was about to contradict her but two new gunshots stopped her.
Quinn started to move again and sure enough the girls followed her close behind. She pushed people around, stepped on foots and kicked a guy aside when he refused to move.
Truth was, she was completely terrified of not making it on time. She needed a boat and she needed it now. There was no longer consideration for anything when all the people around were fighting to stay alive as hard as she was.
Worse part was that she needed to stay focused while it all happened even if she wanted to panic and run without a care in the world which was pretty much what everybody was doing around her.
She didn't really know where exactly the boats were or if there were any boats left but she needed to get to the other side and see for herself.
"We're never gonna make it" Santana said. The crowd in front of them was extreme. There was no way that they could even attempt to step foot in there.
"You're right" she scanned the area quickly. There was a small balcony that had previously been part of the first class deck that was a good three food up in the air and it was much less crowded.
"Come with me" she gave Sugar to Santana as she pushed aside a group of young men standing right down the balcony.
The cuffs were grazing her skin roughly, the blood was still running out down her arms from her injured wrists but she still grabbed a hold of the rail of the balcony and lifted herself up with ease. She didn't know if she was actually strong enough for it or if it was just an adrenaline rush running through her arms at the moment but she was up and over the rail and a minute.
"Ok, come here baby. Take my hand" Rachel looked so small down there in the crowd and as soon as Quinn took her hand she pulled her up quickly and over the rail.
"Give her to me" Santana handed Sugar who stretched her arms until Quinn had a hold and then was lifted up over the rail.
"Take her" Sugar passed directly to Rachel's arms as the brunette looked everywhere. She rocked Sugar in her arms as the little brunette held on tighter to her neck. Both were terrified to the scene in front of them.
As Quinn helped Santana up she noticed with a wince that the crowd behind Brittany was quickly growing, probably because all the third class passengers were out of the E-deck by then.
When Santana was on the other side Brittany practically jumped to grab Quinn's hand and was lifted pretty quickly due to a new set of fear inserted in Quinn when several other women lifted their hands asking to be lifted as well.
"Quinn!" Sugar screamed when a new gunshot went out. Her arms were stretched towards the blonde as were the dozen or so down the rail.
Santana shook her head ever so slightly indicating her that no. It wasn't a matter of how many people they wanted to save because it was a matter of survival and Quinn wanted to help everyone but they didn't have the time.
"Come here" she took Sugar in her arms and Rachel's hand in the other. Santana was right but that didn't make it hurt any less.
Quinn was pretty sure that that particular image, of all those women lifting their hands for her to help them, will hunt her for the rest of her life if she made it out of there alive.
Officers were shouting warnings for people to stay back but it was impossible to get through without having the guns being pointed at them which was exactly the case.
"Get back. Keep order!" an officer shouted as he pointed his gun towards every single guy that stood in front of him.
There were no more boats around and Quinn knew that that was their last shot and she pushed harder than before to pass through.
They could hear the water cascading inside the ship, the sound of windows exploding and doors breaking. Everyone knew that they were not far from the end but unfortunately not everyone knew where to run.
"Are there any more children? Step back!" the officer pointed his gun to another guy that tried to cross "Women and children only!"
"Over here!" Quinn shouted catching the officer's attention.
"Let him through!" he pointed his gun and the men parted to let the four women through.
Only nobody knew that Quinn was actually a girl beside Rachel and Santana.
Her entire body went cold at that realization.
"Women only mate" a man put his hand on Quinn's upper stomach preventing her from going any further even though she had Sugar on her hip.
"Om my God, Quinn!" Rachel's eyes went wide as did Santana's. The last officer that had discovered that Quinn wore men clothes had tried to shot her back in London a couple of weeks ago and the man that was standing before them was wearing the same uniform and had a gun in his hand.
"It's ok, it's ok. Keep moving" Quinn said but fear was quickly overtaking her as well.
"No. I'm not going without you" Rachel firmly said but Quinn only pressed her lips against hers as Brittany went on the boat and then helped Santana get in as well.
"Get in the boat, Rachel" she pleaded, tears already pooling in her eyes.
"No, I came back for you and I'm not leaving without you!"
"Then none of this was worth it!" Quinn shouted scaring Sugar in the process "Shh, I'm sorry baby. I'm not mad at you" she shushed the little girl.
"For Christ sake!" Rachel and Quinn turned around at once when they heard the voice. Finn stood there, eyes wide in shock as he took in the sight of his fiancée. "Look at you" he frowned.
Quinn shot him an incredulous look and he quickly composed himself.
"You have to get in the boat, Rachel" he agreed as Rachel gaped at him. Her chin started to shiver as the cold air winded her hair and Finn stepped closer to her.
"God" he gasped and took off the blanket of her shoulders and threw it on the ground before slipping off his coat and wrapping it around her shoulders instead. "This should keep you warm enough."
Rachel didn't have another choice but to slip her arms on the coat.
"Rachel baby, you need to get on the boat, now" Quinn said getting in between Finn and her lover.
"Come with me" the insinuation of what Rachel was saying was too much and Quinn refused to give it a thought. She was more afraid of getting a bullet in her skull for her sexual orientation than what could happen if she stayed in the ship for a little longer.
She was a survivor after all and by herself she knew that she'd do whatever it takes to make it out of there alive.
"I'll take the next one" she lied but Rachel didn't look convinced at all.
"Anyone else?" the officer's question was obviously directed at them.
"Quinn, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Santana glared at her best friend. She hadn't forgotten of the officers back in London but this was a different situation.
"Rachel, get in the boat" Quinn repeated.
"Please, Quinn" Rachel cried. She was squeezing the neck of Quinn's shirt begging her.
"I'll make it out, I promise" Quinn softly said. Finn's heart broke into a million different pieces at the display in front of him.
He always treaded Rachel like a business, like something that he needed to have in order to look the right part in their society but as he stood there he realized that his feelings towards the girl went beyond everything he's been told to feel.
He really loved her and all he wanted was for her to be safe even if her eyes were set on another man. His body tensed when he saw the love and devotion in her eyes directed at someone that wasn't him.
He swallowed down the pain and forced himself to look unaffected by the way that Quinn's hand graced Rachel's cheek as he asked her to get on the boat.
"I have a deal with an officer" he softly said effectively pulling their attention towards him, "he'll let me get on a boat and I'll make sure that Quinn comes too."
He didn't know how honest he was at that moment, there was a deal with someone but Finn didn't know if he was actually capable of bringing Quinn along with him.
Rachel looked uncertain so he offered her a small smile. "We'll be alright. Hurry up so Quinn and I can catch our boat."
Rachel's eyes locked with Quinn's one more time but the blonde was staring at Finn's face. She wasn't a genius but she knew what he was doing so she got along with it because it seemed like Finn and she actually agreed on something for once.
"See?" she nodded and pushed Rachel slightly forward "We'll be alright, I'll see you in a little bit."
Rachel stared confused as Quinn passed Sugar to an equally confused Santana. Quinn hugged her and closing her eyes she kissed the top of Rachel's head. She inhaled deeply in the scent that was Rachel and then the brunette was stepping on the boat; they were still holding hands as Rachel got in the boat and they didn't let go until they couldn't anymore.
It was all a blur for Rachel. Brittany was still crying and murmuring her aunt's name under her breath, Santana was trying to calm Sugar because the girl was sobbing and asking why Quinn wasn't there with them.
She looked around at unfamiliar faces of women and children, all of them were crying because they've left someone behind.
"You're a good liar" Finn said as he and Quinn looked down at the descending boat and Rachel's confused face.
"Almost as good as you" Quinn's voice quivered. It wasn't a sign of weakness Finn noticed, but of feeling. His throat was also closing at the sight of the girl he obviously loved. The only difference was that he refused to let it show while Quinn's eyes watered without a care in the world.
He envied him for that.
He looked down and found Rachel's face contorting in pain as she stared at Quinn and what she was leaving behind.
There was no doubt that she loved Quinn and that hurt his ego on a whole new level and he turned to look at the blonde.
"I always win, Quinn. One way or another I always end up on top."
Quinn saw his smirk and felt sorry for him but at the same time she questioned everything she'd done. She was happy that Rachel was safe but now that she was actually leaving she wondered if they'll ever see each other again.
Finn took Quinn's silence as a sign of defeat ignoring the worry and uncertainty in the blonde's eyes.
"Pity I didn't keep that drawing. It's going to be worth a lot more by morning" he smiled mockingly.
She looked down again and met Rachel's eyes. She'd done so much for Rachel in the past four days and received more than she had ever expected in return. She had fallen in love; she'd been happy, honest and completely devoted to Rachel for the last four days.
So maybe if Finn found the way to end with her life that night, it'll be ok because she'd fallen in love and that person had loved her back just as much. She had lived and experience love and as Rachel's boat kept going down she stared at her not wanting to lose a single second of her until the last moment.
A small and sweet smile appeared on Quinn's lips and suddenly Rachel couldn't see or hear anything going on around her. Her eyes locked with Quinn's hazel ones. The girl looked like an angel standing there as another rocket exploded up in the sky behind her.
Her heart was breaking at the sight of a tearful Quinn, the pain almost consumed her as she realized that there was no life out there waiting for her if Quinn was staying in that ship.
She stood up at once and before Santana or Brittany could react she jumped to the A deck promenade.
"Rachel! No, Rachel! NO!" Quinn screamed when she saw Rachel jumping out of the lifeboat. Her heart stopped as the girl was clinging on the edge. Her tears fell down her cheeks at full speed out of fear of the girl falling.
Finn stood completely shocked as Quinn ran down the deck and Rachel was pulled inside the Titanic again by some men. He shook his head and after a moment he followed Quinn.
Quinn pushed the doors to the foyer open and ran down the stairs. She was frantically looking for Rachel through the crowd.
She let out a sigh of relieve when she spotted the brunette running towards her with the same speed, tears running down her beautiful smiling face.
Their bodies crashed together as Quinn picked Rachel up in her arms and peppered her face with small kisses.
"Rachel, you're so stupid, so so so stupid" each word was accentuated with a kiss as Quinn cupped her face to look into her eyes.
Rachel was shaking, probably because of the rush of adrenaline that had make her take such a decision but Quinn still hugged her tight and rubbed her clothed arms with her hands.
"Why would you do that?" she asked as Rachel's hands squeezed her shirt to keep Quinn as close as she could.
Rachel's chin shook as a smile formed in her lips, her eyes never leaving Quinn's.
"You jump, I jump, right?" she retorted as Quinn fell in love all over again. She had practically already accepted her faith by putting Rachel on that boat, she had giving up her life for her without any regrets but here was Rachel doing the very same thing for her.
Words avoided her at that moment, her eyes watered and her chest tightened. The love she felt for Rachel was too big that her heart seemed to be breaking at the very feel of it.
She picked the girl up again in her arms and kissed her eagerly.
She kissed her fervently.
She kissed her forcefully.
She kissed her because the words 'I love you' didn't feel like enough.
"Right" she whispered against the brunette's lips, their lips tickled when she spoke and she pecked Rachel's lips again.
Finn stood motionless by the railing. He had felt his heart breaking twice already that night but as he stood there, eyes locked with the scene of Rachel kissing Quinn like that, his heart wasn't the only thing that hurt.
It was like someone had kicked him in the gut, he couldn't breathe easily, he was gasping for air. His lungs burnt and his legs were seconds away from giving up.
For the first time the need to fall on the ground and cry enveloped him like never before.
He felt weak.
But he couldn't and he wouldn't do that. Not that day, not ever.
He felt someone pulling him back, the hands that grabbed his shoulders were strong but his eyes couldn't leave the sight of Rachel being so intimate with someone else.
He hated Quinn, he hated him with a fervent passion. If he weren't in the picture then Rachel would have been his and his only.
"Come on" he heard William said and pull harder on his shoulders. He looked up at the man that had been with him for years and without thinking about it he reached out to grab the gun from inside his coat and ran down the stairs.
Quinn kissed Rachel one more time before she opened her eyes and heard a woman screaming up the stairs and Finn holding a gun in his hand as he sprinted down the stairs towards them.
"Oh shit" Quinn gasped as her eyes met his and he raised the gun towards her. Rachel followed her line of sight just as Quinn pulled her down to a new flight of stairs.
"You bastard!" screamed Finn in rage as he fired, Quinn barely missing the shot as she scrunched down in her hurry to run down the stairs and protect Rachel.
They got to another deck but Finn was still chasing them. He fired again and Rachel screamed as Quinn pulled her down another flight of stairs.
"Come on!" Quinn called when Rachel tripped and a new bullet flew right in front of her eyes, barely missing her for the second time.
Insanity had finally claim Finn's mind it seemed. Rachel couldn't believe what was happening. She was certain that Finn didn't love her but she never thought that he'd try to kill her before someone else claimed her heart the way Quinn had.
They ran down another flight of stairs and Rachel watched in horror at the flooded floor but Finn fired the gun again and they were forced to keep running right into the water.
The ship was slightly tilted and as they ran forward it got easier to run without all the water around their legs.
Another bullet ripped through a window as Finn jumped in the water and fired the gun accidentally without aim.
Quinn and Rachel got to dry footing as they ran up the dinning salon faster and without looking back.
Finn pulled the trigger twice more but the gun was out of bullets. A single tear ran down his cheek as he looked forward but Quinn and Rachel were gone and he had no bullets left.
"Enjoy your time together!" he screamed but it was fair obvious that no one could hear him by then.
He felt cold and looked down to find out that he was immersed in the water. He splashed to the stairs again, scared out of his mind. He hadn't even realized that he was in the water in his chaise for revenge.
Then a thought hit him and he touched the pocket of his coat. He started to laugh without any real humor.
"What could possibly be so funny?" William asked as he joined him in the stairs. Finn looked up at him with rage flushing in his dark eyes.
"I put the diamond in my coat pocket" he spoke through greeted teeth "And I put my coat on her!"
Before William could voice his opinion Finn jumped back. The water splashed around him widely as he tried to catch up with the couple.
Finn wasn't going to let Rachel run away with a piece of his fortune to be with another man, that was for sure.
Quinn came to a stop in the center of the dining salon; her back pressed against two wide columns and with Rachel pressed against her chest tightly. They were shaking and Rachel's chin had gone back to shiver in full force. That fact wasn't changing any time soon, Quinn noticed.
"I can't hear anything anymore" Rachel whispered but Quinn was pretty sure that she heard the water splashed.
"Shh" she shushed the girl and tried to listen more intently. There was another splash in the water and she eyed the place quickly, looking for something that could help them defend themselves since Finn had stopped shooting, she assumed that he was out of bullets.
She spotted lots of champagne glasses behind the bar and figured that a knife must be behind as well.
She put her finger on her lips, silently telling Rachel to keep quiet. The shorter girl gave a scared nod and Quinn peeked from around the column before she pulled Rachel behind her as she made a spring towards the bar.
She pushed Rachel to sit on the ground as she searched for a knife or anything that could help really.
Heavy footsteps were heard and Rachel pulled Quinn hard to the floor beside her and there, just underneath a few broken glasses was a set of knifes spread around the floor.
Quinn grabbed two and gave one to Rachel as the footsteps grew louder.
Rachel looked more than terrified; the knife in her hand shook with violence while Quinn hopped that they wouldn't need to use them.
Finn realized with shame that he didn't have any bullets left in the gun but he also knew that Quinn was a rather small boy to fight so he was confident that he could take him down. His fists clenched on his sides at the picture of hitting the boy square in the face repeatedly.
He moved behind some tables, his eyes wide open in search and even though he couldn't hear or see anything he knew that they were in the room and he was going to find them.
Quinn lifted the large knife towards her eyes and then moved it slowly to the right using it as a mirror. She saw Finn looking for them underneath the tables before he started to move to the left. He wasn't holding a gun.
The blonde turned to Rachel and kissed her lips softly, if only to try to calm her a little bit. It worked. The brunette stared at her and Quinn caressed her cheek before motioning with her head to the right.
There was a door on the corner and with luck they'd get there before Finn found them. Quinn pointed to the door and Rachel quickly catch on and nodded her head.
Quinn started to crawl towards the exit with Rachel behind her and soon enough they made it out of the salon in silence.
Finn realized that the water was following him fast and the salon was going to be flooded in the next few minutes. The staircase was starting to submerge and the entire reception area was flooded as well.
Was a diamond really worth his life? No, it wasn't. But hitting Quinn and show Rachel that he was a better man in every way was.
"What are we going to do?" Rachel's voice was slightly calmer but Quinn didn't have an answer for her question.
They were hiding in a small space between the door and an entrance to a lower deck main for service. Quinn could hear the water running in that corridor and she didn't want to take Rachel through that route but if Finn didn't leave that was their only way to get out, if they made it out.
"Stay here" she kissed Rachel's temple before untangling herself from her hold and step back inside the salon.
"No, wait!" Rachel tried to call her back but Quinn had already walked inside the salon.
Quinn saw Finn scrunched down next to a few tables and by the corner of her eyes she saw William splashing his way towards the salon. The ship was sinking fast and she quietly made her way back to where Rachel was when she saw the gun in William hand.
"Shit" Rachel was already by her side "William is coming."
Rachel's eyes widen and she nodded slowly at first and then with a little bit more confidence.
"Come on" she grabbed Rachel's hand and lead her downstairs to where she could still hear the water run.
As soon as Finn looked up William signaled him to keep quiet as he pointed to the back door behind the bar. Finn nodded and quietly followed William.
Quinn hissed when the cold water touched her skin and held Rachel's hand as the girl walked by her side. The deck was about a foot deep so it was still manageable to walk out but she couldn't see a single way out.
"Oh my God, Quinn" Rachel gasped as she saw a little boy standing against the wall, crying and completely alone. The kid looked terrified as he looked at the water swirling around his little legs, he was visibly shaking.
Quinn looked up the stairs and when she saw a shadow coming down she pulled at Rachel's hand knowing well that William and Finn weren't coming down for a chat but Rachel pulled her right back with force.
"We can't leave him" she said and as soon as Quinn followed her line of sight she thought the same.
She nodded at Rachel and let go of her hand to go and pick up the boy who cried harder when she saw the blonde getting closer to him. He shook his head and didn't want to go but he was barely three years old so Quinn picked him up and hugged him against her chest.
About then feet away from where she just picked up the boy was a door holding back water and Quinn turned around as fast as she could but she stopped abruptly when she saw William holding Rachel and Finn walking towards her with a gun in his hand.
Her eyes searched frantically for Rachel's as anger boiled inside of her.
"Oh look!" Finn exclaimed in fake excitement as he pointed his gun towards the blonde.
Quinn turned to the right, trying to protect the child in her arms from the aiming gun.
"The thief is also a hero" Finn laughed just as Quinn saw a single tear roll down Rachel's cheek.
"Finn, please" the brunette begged but Finn waved the gun in the air, "it's me who you're mad at" she cried and Quinn's heart broke as the door behind her roared. Quinn knew that the wood wouldn't hold back the water for long.
"No" she said and put the crying boy on the floor. The kid just ran to stand against the wall again "It's gonna be ok, Rachel" her voice cracked as she took a step closer to Finn, accepting her faith.
"No!" Rachel yelled when Finn raised his gun a little more determine to point right at Quinn and William squeezed her arms roughly when she tried to move forward.
Rachel started at the blonde as tears ran down her face, she couldn't see it. She wouldn't be able to live without her.
"I love you" Quinn said just as Finn fired the gun.
…