In the two days that had passed since she walked out of Puck's room, Quinn had only left her closet when Santana got home. And that was only in an effort to look like she was behaving like a human being. She'd missed class, she hadn't spoken to anyone, and she'd only wanted to be alone. What changed her mind was the tan line on her wrist where her bracelet had been - it made her think of the brunette, and the fact that she felt safe around her, and it prompted her to get up and leave, to go and find her. She took a pillow with her, for no other reason than that she forgot she was holding it, and wandered to Rachel's room. She was wearing pajamas, her hair was disheveled, and she generally looked like the aftermath of a weeklong bender.

She reached Rachel's door and knocked slowly on it with her empty hand, waiting.

Rachel had only been going to class and training for the past few days. Even on the weekend, she'd avoided everyone else and just kept her nose in her books. It was easier to forget everything else that had happened when she shut away the world and focused on something stagnant. At training, she'd avoided broaching the subject of Quinn with Puck. After seeing his email and remembering how worried he had seemed for Quinn the day he'd come to her room, she didn't wish to push the subject. She let the guilt eat at her. She'd even let him get in a few shots during their hand-to-hand combat as retribution for her stupidity.

Running a hand through her hair as she studied a calculus problem, she looked to the strange bracelet on her wrist. The brunette hadn't even talked to Quinn since the other girl had been carried from her room in the arms of her mentor. What was she supposed to do? Call her and pretend like nothing had happened. No...Rachel wouldn't chance the blonde getting hurt again and she definitely didn't need Puck more cross with her. Besides, whatever she felt when Quinn was around needed to be ignored. There was obviously unresolved feelings between Quinn and Puck. She didn't need to become further entrenched in their issues.

Lifting her head at the knock at her door, Rachel stood with a sigh and went to answer it. She wasn't sure who would be coming to bother her considering she only really had three friends: Quinn, Puck, and Santana. Two of which she wasn't exactly having clear lines of communication with. Opening the door, she furrowed her brows at the sight of Quinn Fabray. "Quinn...what..." she shook her head as the hum along her skin made itself known. "Come in..." She gently guided the blonde into her room and closed the door, crossing her arms and waiting for an explanation.

Quinn barely felt Rachel take her into the room - she was almost completely out of herself now. "She," there was no attempt to stop dissociating now, it was easier to be outside looking in, "she told him. About her daughter. He...he hates her. Everyone hates her. Please," she finally looked Rachel in the eye, "please tell her you don't hate her. She just needs - someone, anyone that doesn't hate her."

Rachel didn't know what to say. This was all a bit strange to her, but she was able to piece things together using her own common sense. "I don't hate you, Quinn. I doubt Noah hates you either. He is probably upset, rightfully so, but he must have loved you at one point. He seems to care a great deal for you. I could tell by the way he rushed to your side when you needed healing and in the way he carried you from my room," she explained, scratching her head a little. "Feelings like that don't just disappear. He'll probably show his gruff exterior to you for a while, but I have no doubt he'd be at your side if you ever truly needed him."

"She doesn't think so," Quinn shook her head. "Not anymore. He's like everyone else. All the people that don't want her around. Maybe she shouldn't have come back this year."

She gestured to the bed. "Could she sit? Could you...could you sit with her?"

Rachel didn't know what to do. She was by no means a psychiatrist and she had no idea what she was getting herself into when it came to Quinn. "Well, I think you're wrong and you just assumed people don't want you around. You're a good person, Quinn. You've made mistakes, but nothing irreparable..." she looked at the blonde with sadness, thinking of her own past. "Of course you can sit down, but...I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to be too close." She hurt for her friend and wanted to comfort the other girl in some way, but the images of their last meeting played through her mind.

There was no way Rachel would take the chance of hurting Quinn again. Especially when the blonde was in such a fragile state of mind. She knew that Puck would talk to Quinn again. He'd talked to her again, after all. She figured he was probably hurt and his emotions were raw from learning the news, but he had an irreplaceable bond with Quinn now. For the rest of their lives they would be tied together, even if they didn't end up with each other. There was no way the both of them would stay out of touch for long.

It was so hard, in that moment. Being close to the brunette, whatever bond it was they shared, made her want to experience the meeting in her own mind, and not from the curious place she occupied when she was like this. But it was such a struggle to come back now. She didn't answer, not right away, just sat down and tried to bring herself back. "She - I, damn it - I'd like to hold your hand right now, if you'll let her - me. If you want to wear a glove or something so we don't really touch, that's okay, she just...a little bit of contact. Please?"

She hated begging, and she especially hated forcing herself on the telepath, but if she could anchor herself, maybe she could stay in her own head for a while.

Rachel set her jaw and stiffened for a moment. What the fuck was she supposed to do? The humming along her skin was urging her on and she could feel that same buzz in her head. Quinn sounded so lost though and she wanted to engulf the blonde in an embrace. "I..." she looked down, clenching her fists a few times before nodding. "Okay...I guess I can try..." She moved over to the bed and gingerly sat beside Quinn, leaving some space between them.

It took her a moment, but she reached out her hand and grasped the other girl's. The feeling to connect washed over her, but she managed to hold it back. She held on to her control and ignored the feeling, pushing it to the back of her mind. Her body was tense and her jaw was locked, but she would help her friend. Rachel knew she owed it to Quinn after what she had done the week before.

"Thank you," Quinn whispered, reveling in the way Rachel's hand felt in hers, like it was meant to be there. She squeezed, feeling the weight of it, the smoothness of her skin, trying to lose herself in the details. It was the only way she could think of to bring herself back. And slowly but surely she was coming back. She could tell by how much it hurt, as all of the emotions she'd set aside began to hit her.

She still didn't have the slightest idea how Rachel's power worked, or what it would do, but it didn't keep her from trying something. She pushed out with her mind, trying to feel her way down their connection to touch Rachel's mind. She didn't know what it would accomplish, if anything, but she tried to send something simple. It's okay. You can let me go if you need to.

Rachel nodded at Quinn, locking her gaze with the other girl and willing herself to relax slightly. It wouldn't be any good if she lost control again, especially inside the building and with Quinn so close to her. She allowed herself to feel the warmth the blonde's presence exuded, both in mind and body. She watched confused as Quinn looked like she was concentrating and staring straight inside of her. It wasn't until she heard the taller girl's thoughts that she realized what was going on.

Hearing Quinn speak to her made her release the connection and the hand in her own. She bounced up from her bed and moved to the other side of the room. How could she be so stupid? To accidentally enter someone's mind like that was wrong. It was a violation of privacy and she hadn't even been aware. What was wrong with her?

Rachel trembled at the thought of falling apart. Was she getting worse? She always used to be so controlled and knew exactly where she stood. Now she was constantly doing everything she promised not to when she had stepped into the school. It made her feel sick to her stomach. Keeping her back to Quinn, she knew an apology was in order...again. "I am so sorry, Quinn. I...I think something is wrong with me and...you need to go, okay? I will go talk to Dr. Schuester as soon as possible and perhaps he can place me somewhere. I'm sure there's a place where I won't be able to hurt anyone else," she swallowed heavily, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"Hey," Quinn protested. "No, please - don't go. Please. She needs you, she can't-" all of the progress she'd made in returning to herself had vanished. "It was her fault, she tried pushing her thoughts into you, she was wrong, she shouldn't have done that. Please - you're the only one, she needs - god, please. She can't do this alone. She can't be alone again. You said you wouldn't leave!"

Rachel tensed and balled her hands into fists, scared but unwilling to let it show. "Quinn, you don't get it! You can't push your thoughts into my head. It's the other way around. I can read your mind. I can make you do things and I can...I can violate you the way that I just did," she felt the bile rise in her throat as the words left her mouth. "I have no control anymore and I'm not willing to let you or anyone else get hurt!" She breathed heavily, leaning her palms against the wall to steady herself. Even now, under her skin she could feel the call, like a devil's whisper, to connect with Quinn again. She grunted in frustration and punched the wall.

"You need to go."

Quinn jumped. The use of a fist, even against the wall, was enough to make her feel like she was back home. It only made her feel worse. "But she did!" she protested. "She felt her way all the way to you, and then she pushed. You didn't..." she stood up slowly, looking toward the door. "It wasn't you. But she'll go if that's what you want. She should have figured." She took a step toward the door.

Rachel could feel her resolve crumbling. She wanted so badly to make the connection again, it was almost like being addicted to a narcotic. Quinn didn't get it. Her power allowed her to connect to the minds of others and no matter how hard the other girl tried, unless she specifically linked them or the blonde had another power she didn't know about, the one who was to blame was her. As much as she wished to take all of the pain from Quinn and wrap the girl in a gentle embrace, it was safer to let the blonde leave.

She could feel her body shaking at the strain of holding back. The brunette should never have taken Quinn's hand. Why was she so out of control? Why did she have to become this ticking time bomb now? She shut her eyes tightly and waited for the blonde to go so that the buzzing in her head would quiet.

Quinn hesitated. All she'd been hoping was that Rachel would call out to her, ask her to turn around and stay. She was at a loss to explain why she felt so at home here, why the other's girl touch centered her, calmed her, even broke the dissociative state she was falling into. She was an anchor, a lifeline, and (Quinn had thought) a friend, all rolled into one. She needed the brunette, more than she'd needed anyone since the day she walked out of her home alone.

She put her hand on the doorknob and tried desperately to focus, to break the haze in her mind and say what she needed to, without describing it in the third person way that made her feel safe. She needed the other girl to understand this was her talking, and that she needed this...connection, or whatever it was they shared.

"Please," she tried one more time, without turning around. "Rachel, please don't make m-me go. You...you're my only friend. The only one I've ever made here. She," she bit her lip. No, she told herself, don't do that. "I don't want to leave."

Rachel wanted to cry at the sound of Quinn's desperation. There was only one thing she could do at this point and though she loathed the idea of being defenseless for a while, it seemed to be her best option. "Quinn..." she couldn't explain it to the other girl. Taking a deep breath, she focused all of her energy on creating a shield around her mind. It was a defense that she had learned in case another telepath tried to read or control her. The only problem was that the shield worked two ways. It stop anything from getting in, but it also prevented her from using her power and it usually lasted a day.

She leaned her forehead against the wall in concentration as she began to weave the shield. "You can stay...just give me a minute..." she breathed out quickly.

Quinn very nearly wept with relief as she turned around. Since the first glimpse of her daughter, this was the closest she'd been to being happy. She turned and leaned back against the door, trying not to disrupt whatever it was Rachel was doing. She could almost feel the power flowing around her, and she didn't even speak - she didn't want to chance messing anything up.

She saw how much effort the brunette was making, and it killed her a little. She didn't want to be the reason she had to do so much. But she didn't want to have to leave, either. All she could do was wait, and hope that the other girl wasn't too angry with her for making her do...whatever she was doing now.

Rachel felt the shield snap into place and her body sagged as the energy was released. She felt slightly empty, but if it kept Quinn safe and if she could help her friend, then she would just deal with it for the day. Pushing herself from the wall, the brunette turned to Quinn and gave her a small smile. She wiped the sweat from her forehead after the exertion she'd just put her body through. The buzz was gone and now she could fully focus on helping the taller girl deal with whatever was bothering her.

"I'm sorry about that...It won't be a problem again," she explained and held out her hand for the blonde to take.

Quinn watched Rachel until she was done, nearly moving toward her when she seemed to flag at the end, but worried that she'd only make things worse. Her smile was like a ray of hope, though, and the hand she offered was such a powerful sight that Quinn could barely move toward her to take it. She did, though, in the end, and it felt amazing. She cradled it in both of hers, trying not to cry. "I don't know what you just did," she whispered, "but whatever it was - thank you. Thank you, so much." She nearly pulled her into a hug, but she wasn't sure if that would be too much contact or not.

Rachel was caught off guard when Quinn embraced her, but she allowed herself to relax and wrapped her own arms around the taller girl. She gently rubbed the blonde's back. "You don't need to thank me. It's what friends do, right?" she chuckled a little, closing her eyes as she smelled the scent that was uniquely Quinn again. "At least you're talking in first person again so that's progress," she joked.

"I wouldn't know," Quinn chuckled softly, "I haven't had many of them." She breathed Rachel in, memorizing her touch, her smell, the weight of her, the feel - this was the best she'd felt in so, so long, and she wanted to remember it forever, to keep it close so she would always have the memory accessible if she needed it.

"Yeah," she whispered. "I'm sorry about that. I have a really hard time controlling that when I'm stressed out. It started when I was a kid, and it's just...I hate it, but sometimes it just happens. You brought me back, though - so thank you, again. It seems like you've done a lot more for me than the other way around, I'll have to fix that somehow."

Rachel frowned at Quinn's statement. It looks like they were both entering this friendship blind. "Well, I've never had any so I'm not really sure what I'm doing," she said nervously. She simply let the blonde hold her and take whatever comfort was needed. She missed the light hum under her skin and the warmth she normally sensed around Quinn, but if she could help the other girl in this way it was worth it. Rachel owed it to her friend after all she'd done.

"Don't apologize. I understand. It's a defense mechanism," she shrugged. It's not like she could be a hypocrite considering what she'd just done to herself. "You don't owe me anything, okay? I've done nothing but put you in danger, so you don't need to fix anything. Really."

"I guess we'll figure it out together, then?" Quinn asked softly. "I'd like that." She wasn't willing to move yet. Other than Puck, this was the first real contact she'd had with another person since - she couldn't even think when. And the fact that they were both new at the idea of friendship made her feel like they were on even ground. She rested her head on Rachel's shoulder, hoping for just a few more minutes.

"Yeah - the doc says I have a lot of those. I think even you said that, the other day," she admitted. "But you have helped, and you haven't put me in danger," she disagreed. "I'm a big girl, Rachel - you haven't made me do anything, and I chose to put myself in positions where I could be hurt. That was my choice, and you don't have to feel responsible for it. That," she smiled even though Rachel couldn't see it, "is what friends are for. I think. I never got the manual, though, so I could be wrong."

Rachel simply nodded at Quinn's question and continued to rubbed the girl's back, bringing one hand up to comb through blonde hair. She'd never been someone's method of comfort before, but she really wanted to do the right thing for the blonde. When it came to Quinn, she felt even more protective than she normally did with the people she cared about. It was strange, but she didn't question it. She just allowed the feeling to wash over her.

"I suppose you are partially correct, but I have also made poor decisions. I will need to figure out what is wrong with me though. I can't keep doing this," she said with a sigh, figuring she'd have to go to Dr. Schuester at some point.

Quinn made a little noise of contentment when Rachel's hand found her hair. She didn't understand what had developed between them - how she could feel so at ease here, in her arms - but maybe that was just how friendship - real friendship - was, and she'd just never had it before. For the moment she didn't care.

"Is it something I do?" she asked nervously. "I can try not to do...whatever I do that makes it hard for you to control yourself. All you have to do is tell me."

Rachel smiled at Quinn's offer of kindness, but shook her head. "It's not you. I mean..." she sighed, wanting to be honest. "It's not your fault. I just get this weird feeling whenever you're around. Ever since the first time I accidentally connected to you. I'm sure Dr. Schuester will help me figure it out. I'll be right as rain in no time." She didn't want to worry the blonde. The head of the school should be able to help her out given his knowledge and expertise on the matter. Now that she was shielded, it kept her worries away for twenty-four hours. She could see the doctor in that time and find a way to prevent further mishaps.

Quinn pulled back, just enough to look Rachel in the eye. "I hope so," she murmured. "And tell him - anything he thinks I can do, I'll do it. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me."

She leaned close again, wrapping her arms around the brunette. "We should go out sometime - I mean, once I stop making you feel weird. Even for, like, an ice cream or something. My treat," she promised.

Rachel chuckled lightly, but stayed quiet just resting her head against Quinn's chest. I wouldn't call it uncomfortable, she thought to herself. She remembered the warmth she felt at sensing the blonde's presence and the comfort that had wrapped around her when they had linked with each other for that brief moment. For her to want that so badly was wrong. She couldn't just invade people's minds because she was lonely.

"I guess we could go out and do something like that. Friends are supposed to hang out and have movie nights and stuff, right?" she asked quizzically.

"I think that's the idea," Quinn smiled again. "But you can pick what you want to do, I don't think movie nights are a must or anything. It's more just the hanging out, I think."

She knew the hug had gone on for a long time, and Rachel was probably getting tired of standing there - but she stayed anyway, trying to squeeze a few more minutes out of it.

Rachel closed her eyes and relaxed into Quinn's warmth with a small smile. "I'm not picky. It's not like I have a bunch of things going on in my life," she laughed softly. "You know...for someone who manipulates ice, you're really quite warm. It's...comforting." She blushed a little bit, embarrassed at her admission.

"We'll find some fun stuff, I promise," Quinn assured her. "I'm sure we can come up with something." She blushed at Rachel's words, grateful the other girl couldn't see her. "It's something about my metabolism - the doc explained it once, but I didn't really follow the science. But I'm glad it is, because you feel really good in my arms, too." She didn't think of how the words sounded until they were out of her mouth, and she nearly took them back, but she decided that would just make it worse.

"I'm going to hold you to that statement, Fabray," she smirked and looked up at Quinn. She was happy to see that her friend was feeling better. The blonde seemed more relaxed and she'd seen the taller girl smile. Losing her power for a day was worth that smile. She liked helping other people. It made her feel like she was making up for all of the bad things she had done in her past. "Well, then it's win-win for the both of us, right?"

Rachel knew she should let go, but it was hard to get her body to obey. How often would she get to have Quinn like this and feel that warmth? When her power was back to normal, she'd no doubt have to watch out for the close contact. For now, she wanted to enjoy it as much as possible.

"You can definitely hold me to it," Quinn wasn't sure if she meant her promise, or something else, but she smiled down at Rachel all the same. "It definitely is," she agreed.

Quinn didn't even have anything else to offer right then, she just enjoyed every last second of their embrace. She knew she'd be replaying it in her dreams that night, and she wanted the memory to be perfect.