Not Like I Think About You Constantly
By: Tracy Cook
Disclaimer: I do not own anything; these characters belong to the creators of Glee, One Tree Hill, and The Vampire Diaries.
Authors Note: This is an AU fic that focuses around Glee/OTH/Vampire Diaries. There will be NO VAMPIRES and characters may be slightly OOC, but I will try and keep them in character.
Pairing: Quinn/Rachel, Brooke/Haley, and Caroline/Rebekah.
Rating: M
Warning: This chapter will contain a very similar storyline to an episode of One Tree Hill. So, please do not be surprised by that, and there may be some spoilers…
Chapter Nine
I Want To Save You
"You are never going to amount to anything, you pathetic waste of space!" Puck's father shouted out, throwing his empty bottle of liquor at his son and watching as it smashed on the wall behind him. It only narrowly missed his face. "The only reason I keep you around is in hopes that you're gonna make something of yourself, but you're not. You're failing, and now you go and get yourself suspended for fighting. What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"They started it!" He insisted, throwing up his hands. His knuckles bruised from the fight, his lip busted, and his eyes circled with bruises. He was in pain, but he would never show that in front of his father.
His father laughed. "Yeah, and what happened to being the bigger man?"
"Like you can talk! Look at you! If anyone is a pathetic waste of space, it's you!" Puck shouted.
His father stood to his feet and walked toward him. Staring down into his son's eyes, causing him to flinch. Puck was afraid that he would hit him. Instead, he just glared at him and spat in his face, "I should have just told your mother to kill you when you were inside of her! Woulda saved us all some trouble."
Puck's hazel eyes threatened to fill with tears, but he didn't allow them to fall.
O
Brooke smiled amusedly as she stared over at Haley from the driver's seat. She had allowed her to choose the music and she was currently rocking out to it. She had her hair in her face, her legs crossed, and she was doing the air-drums as she sang along with the music. It was beyond adorable. Brooke was so entranced by the other woman that she was finding it difficult to concentrate on the road.
'It's official. I have the cutest girlfriend ever! Wait… she is my girlfriend right? That's what she meant when she said that she wanted to see where this goes… right?'
The cheerleader was fairly certain that was what Haley had meant when she said it, but they were still just acting like friends. They had not really talked too much in depth about what their relationship would entail; they hadn't even called each other girlfriends. So, she didn't really know what it meant. She just knew that she was happy to be around her.
Honestly, Brooke was intimidated by the thought of dating Haley.
Haley wasn't like any of the men or women that she had hooked up with in the past, mainly because she wasn't a hook up. She was a sweet innocent girl that had never been in a relationship before, she was a virgin, and this wasn't about sex with her. This was about so much more. Love, compassion, friendship, sharing a connection, and Brooke was scared to death of all of those things.
Worst of all, she had no clue how to act.
What pace should she go? Is kissing too much? Should it be special, does it matter? Brooke was pretty sure that her normal naked in the backseat of your car routine wouldn't work on Haley. 'She doesn't even have a car for me to sit naked in the backseat of…'
She knew that these were things that she needed to talk to Haley about. She just wasn't ready yet.
When the song ended and a slower song came on, Haley ceased her drumming and placed her hands on her knees as she stared out the window. She was happy. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time that she felt so happy. The tutor was a bit worried that they were not moving fast enough for Brooke, but other than that she was content.
Suddenly, she felt something brush against her hand and stared down at it to see that Brooke had linked their fingers together and was now holding her hand. She smiled shyly and cast her eyes to Brooke, a blush painting her cheeks. She had never really held anyone's hand, at least not in a romantic way.
It was nice.
Brooke looked over at her and returned her smile with a dimpled grin.
"Is this okay?" She wondered. She sounded shy and that was strange to Haley. Brooke was usually so confident in herself. It was a relief knowing that she wasn't the only one who was nervous about their budding relationship.
"Yes, Brooke. This is more than okay." Haley reassured, squeezing her hand gently.
Brooke let out a happy squeak and smiled brightly as she refocused on the road. The tutor laughed at this and shook her head. She was so cute.
Haley hummed along with the music as they drove toward the school; her heart was pounding in her chest as she contemplated kissing the other woman's hand. She had never done something like that and she wasn't one for bold moves, but she really wanted to. Willing her body to move, she lifted Brooke's hand to her lips and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it before returning it to rest on top of her knee.
Brooke's smile widened as she felt the kiss, her skin tingling from where those soft lips touched her. 'God, I could so get used to this…'
O
Caroline had been having sex with Tyler and making out with him as much as possible since Rebekah infiltrated the shower and got into her head again. She needed to convince herself that he was enough for her, that she had that connection with him that she craved. It just wasn't working. She still found herself thinking about a certain British woman all the time. She hated it.
All that she wanted was to enjoy being intimate with her boyfriend.
Currently, she was making out with Tyler in the hallway of the school before their classes started. He had her pressed up against the locker and she was trying to ignore all of her thoughts in order to simply indulge in the passion. Only, there wasn't any passion. When his lips landed against hers she felt nothing, no spark. When his hands caressed her body, her stomach flipped uncomfortably.
As Rebekah walked into the school building her eyes immediately landed on the couple making out in the hallway, she recognized them. It was Caroline and Tyler and they were leaving little to the imagination. The sight disgusted her and caused her stomach to twist in knots as jealousy threatened to consume her body.
Taking in a breath, she calmed herself down before approaching them.
"Thinking about me, sweets?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest and staring them down.
Caroline pulled away from Tyler and stared over at Rebekah with a worried expression on her face. Since she started dating the young man, she realized that he had quite the temper and got jealous easily. If he thought that she was thinking about Rebekah while they were kissing, she did not know what he would be capable of.
"What's she talkin' about, babe?" Tyler asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would you be thinkin' about her while we were kissing?" He looked between the two blondes.
"I—I don't know."
Rebekah pursed her full lips at Caroline, squinting her blue eyes at her. "Oh, don't lie to the poor boy, Caroline. Go on and tell him the truth."
Tyler turned to look at his girlfriend, his body already shaking with anger. "What the fuck is she talkin' about?" He asked her. When she shrugged her shoulders sheepishly, he turned to look at Rebekah, taking a few steps toward her. "What the fuck are you talkin' about?"
She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and took a step toward him, showing him that she was not afraid of him. "Nothing in particular." She paused. "I just thought that I would inform you that every single time that she is shagging you, she is thinking about me. Wishing that it was me." Rebekah spoke the final words of her sentence slowly, deliberately forcing him to hear them.
She glanced over his shoulder at Caroline. "Isn't that right, love?"
Tyler turned around to glare down at his girlfriend.
"Tyler, don't listen to her. It isn't true." Caroline told him, moving toward him and placing a hand on his arm. "She just has some weird obsession with me. I promise that I don't like her like that."
"You certainly acted like you liked me, like that, the other day." Rebekah stated, moving toward the other blonde. Tyler hastily moved in front of his girlfriend protectively, and almost possessively. She cast her eyes over his shoulder toward Caroline. "Remember? When we were in the shower together, lover?"
"What the fuck!?" Tyler shouted. "What does she mean when you guys were in the shower together?"
"Oh, come on! It wasn't like that Rebekah, and you know it! It was after practice, everyone had to shower, and it didn't mean anything. She's just been flirting with me a lot and seems to think that I like her back for some reason!"
"You don't right?" Her boyfriend asked.
"Yeah. You don't, right?" Rebekah mimicked with a teasing smirk and a raise of her brow.
Caroline was blushing brightly and obviously flustered as she looked between the two of them. She hesitated for just a moment, knowing that deep down she was lying. "God, no! I don't! Like I told you, I'm dating Tyler and he is the one that I want. Not you."
Tyler wrapped his arm around Caroline's shoulders, holding her close to his body as he glared over at the other woman. "You heard her. She wants me. So how about you just leave her alone and never speak to her, or flirt with her again?"
Rebekah waited for a moment to see if Caroline would stop her from leaving. Her eyes expressing how hurt she was as she stared over at her. She wanted her to tell Tyler that she wanted to have her in her life, but Caroline didn't say anything.
She nodded. "As you wish." Turning, she stormed down the hallway angrily, her fists clenched at her sides. Truthfully, she did not know what she had expected, but she had hoped that Caroline would stand up for her.
'Wishful thinking, I suppose…'
Caroline's stomach twisted and she felt sick all of a sudden as she watched Rebekah move quickly down the hallway. She felt guilty.
O
Rachel smiled to herself as she sifted through her locker. Her mind was consumed with the day ahead of her. She had such a busy day.
She had a test in her first period, then she had glee club after school in which she was going to show Mr. Schue one of the songs that she had been practicing, after which she would go to her vocal training, and then finally her dance recitals. Once she got home, she would upload her newest song to her Myspace page and then she would shower and get some sleep.
All the while she would be thinking up the next step of Operation: Get Quinn Fabray, because as of yet she was not having much luck. She had gotten Quinn to join the glee club, but she still hated her just as much as always. Every time that she felt as though she was getting closer to her, she was pushed away again.
It was frustrating.
But, Rachel Berry was persistent and she always got what she wanted.
Rachel witnessed her best friend walking down the hallway with Brooke and she could not help but stare. It was such a strange sight to her. They had their arms linked together and they were talking and laughing. She could feel herself getting jealous, but she quickly pushed that feeling away. Haley deserved to find happiness just as much as she did.
She watched as Brooke said goodbye to Haley and wrapped her up in a tight embrace, holding her body closer than Rachel would think comfortable for friends. The hug also lasted for an exceptionally long amount of time.
It was odd, and she committed it to memory to ask Haley about at a later time that day.
Her eyes widened as Brooke's hand traced its way down Haley's arm before reaching her hand and giving it a little squeeze. 'What in the world is going on between the two of them? Are they romantically involved? No, they couldn't be... Why wouldn't Haley tell me something as important as that?''
Haley headed into the tutor center and Brooke smiled brightly as she turned to walk down the hallway. She couldn't have been more happy with her life in that very moment.
'Bang!'
The sound of a gunshot echoed through the hallway, followed by screams from many of the students, including Rachel. She turned to look around and find the source of the gunshot, only to see Puck standing at the door of the school with a sad look on his face and a gun shaking in his hand. He did not seem to be aiming at anyone in particular. It did not look like an act of vengeance, but an act of desperation.
Like he just wanted everything to stop.
Another shot rang out and Rachel screamed moving to duck for cover behind some people, but they quickly jumped out of the way and one of the bullets pierced through the side of her stomach.
The pain was intense, and she could no longer think rationally as she reached for her side and held onto it. Blood covered her hand and she fell to her knees. She watched as the other students frantically ran around her, no one stopped to help her, they did not care about her. She was not worth it.
They all just left her there to die in the midst of their panic.
She watched as Tyler and Caroline fled into the tutor center and Puck followed after them. 'Oh no, Haley!'
O
Quinn had been in the bathroom reapplying her makeup when the shots rang out.
Now she was hiding in one of the bathroom stalls, sitting on the toilet with her knees held up to her chest tightly. She did not want to risk the shooter coming inside and seeing her feet. Her breathing was ragged and she was staring at the door with such intensity, she could hardly even blink.
After approximately thirty minutes, the screaming had died down and there were no more noises outside of the bathroom.
She wondered if the police had shown up.
Standing to her feet she forced her legs to work despite being shaky, she needed to get out of the school if she could. Now seemed to be the opportune moment. Quinn carefully opened the stall door and walked into the main area of the bathroom, making sure to be as quiet as possible as she walked toward the bathroom door. Her senses were heightened with adrenalin and she jumped every time that she heard the slightest of sounds.
With shaky hands, she hesitantly opened the bathroom door and glanced out into the hallway. It looked to be completely empty.
Her hazel eyes widened though, as they ran over a body lying in the hallway.
The woman had dark hair, she was wearing an argyle sweater, a skirt, knee-high socks, and there was a headband lying on the ground a few feet away from her. She was letting out soft whimpers of pain as she held onto her side that was bleeding.
Quinn's heart nearly stopped. She knew who it was.
"Oh my god! Rachel!" She screamed out loudly as she ran out of the bathroom, no longer caring about her own safety. She would not allow Rachel to die, she couldn't die. She had such an amazing life ahead of her. She was supposed to be a star and she meant everything to Quinn.
Kneeling down beside her, she looked over the wound. It appeared to be bleeding a lot and that worried her. Quinn's eyes filled with tears as she started to panic. She needed to get Rachel to a hospital.
"Quinn?" Rachel asked in a pained voice.
"It's going to be okay, Rach. You're going to be okay." She felt like she was reassuring herself more than anything.
"How bad is it?"
Quinn bit down on her bottom lip and looked to the wound once more. Taking in a shaky breath she lied, "Not bad."
Suddenly another shot rang out down the hallway, echoing off of the walls and terrifying both women. She was scared to death that the shooter would shoot Rachel again, and in that fear she acted irrationally. Grabbing ahold of Rachel, she helped her to her feet and rushed them into the bathroom to hide out until help could come.
O
"You need to take off your shirt." Quinn stated adamantly. When she realized what she had said and whom she had said it to her eyes widened and a blush covered her cheeks. She knew that now was not the time to worry about her feelings, but she couldn't help it. She had just told Rachel to take her clothes off.
Rachel did not hesitate in the slightest. Pulling the shirt over her head, she exposed herself and her wound to the blonde.
"Thank God." Quinn let out a breath as she rushed to get some paper towels and wet them down.
"Excuse me if I am not feeling very thankful at the moment." Rachel tried to make light of the very dark situation.
Quinn actually smiled at the comment, before explaining. "I just meant that it looks like the bullet missed any vital organs. You should be alright long enough to wait this out, we just need to clean up the wound and apply pressure to it."
"Oh, well, in that case. Thank god." She said with a smile. The pain was evident on her face though and it broke the cheerleader's heart.
Once she had gathered a few wet and dry paper towels, she moved toward the other woman and started to run one of the wet pieces over her stomach. She tried her hardest to ignore the way that her body was reacting to being so close to a topless Rachel Berry. It was wrong on so many levels. This wasn't just because she was thinking lesbian thoughts; this was her thinking lesbian thoughts about a woman who was in pain.
O
Brooke was standing outside of the school watching the cops talking. All of the other kids that had escaped were standing around watching as well. Rebekah was there, but Haley, Quinn, and Caroline were missing. She was terrified. Her best friends for her entire lifetime and her new girlfriend were all trapped inside of the school with a killer.
She didn't know what she would do if she lost any of them.
Approaching one of the cops she asked, "What's going on, officer?"
"We are not at liberty to say, but please stay calm. We have everything under control."
Brooke clenched her jaw tightly as she glared up at him. She found it difficult to believe that standing around and watching the building was accomplishing much of anything. "It doesn't look like you have everything under control."
"Miss, I'm going to have to insist that you remain calm."
"You want me to remain calm?" She practically screamed. "Everything that I love is trapped inside that building with a killer and you won't even tell me what is going on! How the hell am I supposed to remain calm?!"
"I assure you that we will do our best to get them out safely."
Brooke was about to scream at him some more when a bus pulled up behind her and the cops started to push the kids toward the bus. "All of the kids that escaped need to get onto the bus in order to evacuate."
"What!? No fucking way am I getting on that bus!" Brooke shouted angrily as the police started to push her onto the bus. "Let me go! I am not leaving without them!" She didn't have much of a choice though as they held onto her arms and forced her into the bus.
Moving to the window she lifted her hands to the glass and stared out at the school as the bus started to drive away. Her heart was pounding and sadness covered her face as she watched the school disappear. She felt sick to her stomach. If any of them died, it would be her fault.
She should have done more.
O
Rebekah chewed on her cheeks as she watched for any sign of Caroline or Tyler, assuming that if she found one that she would find the other, but there was no sign of either. When the police had started to push the kids onto the bus, she had hidden. She was not about to leave Caroline in that school to die.
Now that the majority of the other teenagers had been cleared out, she walked toward the school building with her chin held up high.
They were not going to stop her from saving Caroline.
"Miss!" One of the cops shouted after her as she walked past him. "You can't go in there! This is a crime scene!"
Rebekah turned to look at him. "I don't give a damn. My friend is trapped inside."
"We will get your friend out. We care about everyone's safety."
"Bloody hell you do! Do not try to stop me." She growled out angrily as she walked through the front doors of the school. Rebekah felt guilty for storming out of the building and leaving Caroline on such bad terms, she needed to find her and make sure that she was safe, and then she needed to fix things between the two of them. She couldn't handle the thought of losing her and that being the last thing that had happened between the two of them.
"Miss! I must insist—"
"—Bugger off!" She shouted out at him as she disappeared into the school building.
O
Rachel and Quinn were sitting side by side, leaning their backs against one of the bathroom stalls. Quinn continued to look down at the wound with worried eyes, despite the starlet complaining that it made her feel more anxious. She couldn't help it. She was scared to death.
A world without Rachel Berry would be like a world without a sun.
Cold, dark, and meaningless.
Rachel had her head resting against Quinn's shoulder. She found herself oddly content, regardless of being in a life-threatening situation. Because, she had found a way to get closer to the other woman. It was probably insane of her to find the positive in such a horrible situation, but it was who she was.
"Why did you save me, Quinn?" Rachel wondered. She truly was curious.
Quinn was shocked by the question. What kind of person did she think that she was? Any decent human being would have done the same. 'Apparently, she doesn't think of me as a decent human being… it's not really that surprising…' "Why wouldn't I save you?"
Rachel gave her an insecure look that answered the question.
"Oh god!" Her hazel eyes widened. "You can't possibly think that I would leave you to die?"
"You hate me Quinn. It would make your life easier if I were to—"
"—don't you dare finish that sentence." Quinn stated in an angry tone of voice, her body was tense and shaking. Rachel dying would not make her life easier. She would feel incomplete without the diva in her life. "I don't hate you, Rachel! How many times do I have to tell you that?"
"It simply does not make any sense, Quinn. If you do not hate me, then why is it that you treat me the way that you treat me? Why do you make it your duty to constantly hurt and humiliate me?"
Quinn was unable to comprehend how Rachel could think that she hated her enough to want her to die. 'I must be such a monster… God…' Realization hit her. 'Oh my god, she could die… She could really die.' She glanced over the brunette and realized that she looked sickly. Her skin was pale, she was sweating and shaking. 'She could die… I could lose her forever and never have explained why I treated her this way. She will always think that I just hated her... I can't live with that…'
Taking in a breath she forced herself to speak. "I treat you that way in order to push you away." She paused and bit down on her lip as she tried to find the words to continue. "And I pushed you away in order to protect myself."
"In order to protect yourself from what? You must know that I would never hurt you, Quinn."
"Not to protect myself from you." Quinn paused as she glanced down at Rachel. A tear rolled down her pale cheek as she watched the other woman suffer from her gunshot wound. "I did it in order to protect myself from me."
Rachel knit her brows together in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Her muscles tensed. She did not want to answer the question, but she felt that Rachel deserved the answer. It was the least that she could do all things considering, and if Rachel died she wanted to admit her feelings before that happened. She wanted to be honest with her. She wanted her to know the reasons behind her actions.
"I put up my walls to protect myself from getting too close to you… to protect myself from my feelings for you." She breathed out.
O
Brooke paced around the gym of the school that they had been evacuated to. She had attempted to leave, but they had told her that she could not leave without her parents' permission. When she told them that she did not have parents, they told her that she would have to stay there until they were sure everything was clear.
Her mind was consumed with thoughts of her best friends and her girlfriend. She never felt so worried before in her life. This was literally everything that she loved, and everyone that loved her.
They were in danger and she was stuck in some stupid gym, alone.
Rebekah hadn't even shown up.
'When I see Haley again I am going to make this official… I am going to make her my girlfriend… fuck wasting time when shit like this happens. God! She better be okay or I will strangle that cop to death!'
"Hello, can I speak with you for a moment?" A woman's voice asked from behind her.
Brooke turned around to see a woman with a microphone and a camera crew staring at her. Now was so not the time to be asked questions.
The woman turned to her camera and spoke. "I'm here with student council president, Brooke Davis. Brooke, can you put into words how you might be feeling about this tragedy?"
Brooke clenched her jaw, her heart racing as she glared at the woman. "You should be ashamed of yourself." She took a few steps closer to the reporter, staring into her eyes. "There are kids inside of our school fearing for their lives right now, terrified that someone's gonna put a gun in their face and pull the trigger, and you want to know how I'm feeling?" Her voice was deep and raspy.
She took another step closer to the reporter as she continued to rant angrily. "Our pain is not a commodity for you. It's not a news bite to boost your ratings, because tomorrow, or the next day, or the next week when we go back to school, changed forever by a day that will never leave us, where are you gonna be?" She paused. "At the next tragedy, thrusting your microphone in the face of the next fractured person asking them how they feel? That is not journalism. You are not contributing to society. You are buzzards circling the carnage, but you prey on the living."
Brooke laughed humorlessly at the reporter, shaking her head. "That is how I'm feeling. But, something tells me you're not gonna air that."
O
Rebekah glanced around the hallway as she walked around the school. Her heart was pounding in her ears, but she was not going to allow her fear to stand in the way of her mission. She needed to find Caroline. She needed to know that she was alive, and she needed the chance to make amends with the woman she cared for.
Her head snapped up as she heard voices coming from inside of the tutor center.
She turned to stare at the door to the tutor center, before cautiously approaching it and placing her hand on the doorknob. Turning it, she pushed it open. It did not matter if the shooter was behind the door, if Caroline was with him then she needed to go inside. She needed to protect her.
As Rebekah entered, Puck immediately turned and pointed his gun in her direction, waving it around. Her blue eyes widened as fear struck her.
"Sit with the others!" He commanded.
Rebekah looked over to the other side of the tutor center where a group of kids were sitting in a line against the wall. Amongst the kids were Caroline, Tyler, and Haley. 'Thank god… At least she is alive…' She let out a sigh of relief as she walked over to the other side of the room and took a seat beside Caroline on the ground.
Her body tensed as she realized that the other blonde was holding hands with Tyler. She was well aware that now was not the time to be jealous, but she didn't care. She was.
Rebekah caught Caroline's eyes with her own and smiled a little. It was nice to see her again. She had been so worried. "Are you alright? You are not hurt, are you?"
"No, I'm okay." She whispered back. "Why did you come here?" Strangely enough, she was worried for the British woman's safety. 'I wish that she would have just stayed out there where it was safe... I don't want her to die.'
"To save you. Although, it does not seem that I am doing a very good job of it."
Caroline smiled sadly at this. She was upset with Rebekah for being so stupid and risking her life just to save her. But, on the other hand she was also touched by the moment. It meant a lot to her that the other woman was willing to do that. That she cared that much. It also forced her to reevaluate her relationship with Rebekah.
She did not understand her.
But, this gesture sure made her want to start understanding her better.
'If we get out of here... I'm going to make an effort to get to know her better.'
O
"Quinn… I can't see…" Rachel whispered out. Her vision had gone blurry due to the loss of blood. She felt so weak and she did not know how much longer she could stay awake.
"Just stay awake, Rach. Help will be here any second." Quinn reassured as she stroked her fingers through Rachel's long dark hair. "You're going to be okay."
"I cannot die. I will never get the chance to sing on Broadway." Her voice was sad and cracked as tears rolled down her naturally tan cheeks. She looked miserable and terrified, yet serene. Like she could fall asleep any minute and never wake up again. The thought of that happening terrified Quinn.
"Rachel, don't talk like that. You are living through this, and you will sing on Broadway. I promise you that." She had to force a smile onto her lips as she traced the tips of her fingers along the other woman's neck and down across her collarbone. She too was scared to death that Rachel would die, but she wanted to give her hope.
"I don't think so, Quinn." She muttered. "I can't see anything and I am getting so sleepy." Brown eyes fluttered and then closed.
"Rach, you've got to stay with me." She insisted sternly, and Rachel reopened her eyes.
Rachel snuggled against Quinn's shoulder and smiled. She could think of worse ways to die. Honestly, this could be the only time that she would ever be this close to Quinn. "Do you remember when we were in grade school and I brought that microphone to my classes, and used to sing on the bleachers at recess?"
Of course she remembered. She used to make fun of Rachel for doing that. "Yeah…"
"I used to pretend that I was singing in front of millions. That I was a star, an idol, that people looked up to me, wanted to be me, and loved me. That is all that I ever wanted, you know?. People to love and admire me."
Quinn took in a breath and let it out slowly.
Her heart was racing faster and her hands were suddenly shaking. 'All that she has ever wanted was to be loved... Maybe you should tell her about your feelings? No, you can't do that... But she could die...'
"Rachel. I need to confess something…"
O
"You don't have to do this, Puck. It's not too late to stop. You haven't shot anyone yet, right?" Haley asked him. She could tell that he didn't want to kill any of them. That he was just a young man that got caught up in something that he hadn't meant to. His hazel eyes didn't hold anger or hate behind them, they held desperation and a cry for help.
"No!" Puck shouted. "I mean, I dunno, maybe. I was just shooting, I dunno if I hit anyone Haley! I don't think I did, but I dunno!" He was freaking out. "But, it doesn't matter, even if I didn't they are gonna lock me up for this."
"Maybe not." Haley attempted. Even if she knew that they would.
"More than likely they—" Rebekah started, only to be interrupted by Haley who glared at her.
"—Okay! Yeah, they probably will lock you up. But, only for a little while." The tutor insisted, standing to her feet and taking a step toward Puck. She did not believe that he would kill her. "The longer that you hold us hostage, and if you kill anyone, they will put you away for life."
"It won't matter anyway! I don't have a life, Haley. My parents, my teachers, everyone thinks I've got nothing goin' for me. So what's the point?"
"It's never too late to turn it all around. I could tutor you, you could start—"
"—there's no point! It's too late for me!" He screamed and pointed the gun directly at Haley.
She could feel the cold metal against her forehead and her heart stopped beating. She couldn't breathe any longer and her brown eyes were wide and filled with fear. She hadn't expected him to actually point the gun at her head. It hadn't hit her that she could actually die if she attempted to talk to him.
Rebekah quickly stood to her feet and stepped in front of Haley, standing in front of the gun. She was not afraid to die.
"Stay back!" Puck shouted.
"Now, now, no need to wave your gun in my face. I simply wanted to have a little chat."
"Rebekah, what are you doing!?" Caroline asked in a worried tone of voice. She did not like that the blonde Brit was standing in front of the gun, practically taunting the shooter.
"Saving you, sweetheart."
Rebekah refocused her attention on Puck, staring deep into his eyes. Her own eyes holding sincerity and sadness as she spoke. "Take it from someone who knows. It is never too late to start over, to start fresh, to change your life."
"You don't even know me!"
"No. But, I do know your situation, a little too well. And, you have not killed anyone yet. If you leave now and you deal with the consequences of your actions then you can start new."
"I can't. I can't get locked up. My parents will just hate me more."
"For the time being." She took a step toward him, staring deep into his eyes. "But, what are your other options? You kill us all and run?"
Rebekah paused and allowed him to think over that idea. To really process how ridiculous it was. How impossible it was.
"Odds are that the police will catch you and then you will go to prison for life, but that won't even be the worst part. The worst part is that you will become a prisoner of your own guilt. You will constantly recall the lives that you have taken, the people that you have hurt, the families that you have singlehandedly destroyed. That feeling, that guilt is suffocating and I would not wish it upon anyone."
Everyone grew silent as they stared at the two of them. Caroline was staring directly at Rebekah, wondering what she could be talking about. What guilt she was carrying around on her shoulders.
"Give me the gun." Rebekah said, holding out her hand to him.
All of the students in the tutor center stared at the gun and waited to see what he would do. No one expected him to actually hand it over, but he did. He handed over the gun and then he allowed Haley to escort him out of the building to turn himself over to the police.
Caroline approached Rebekah on their way out of the tutor center, reaching out and touching her arm gently, causing her to turn around and look at her. She offered the other woman a sad smile. "Thank you for saving me."
"It was nothing."
"Yeah, it kinda was." Caroline stated pointedly. "It meant a lot to me."
A smile formed on Rebekah's full lips as she nodded in the direction behind Caroline, glancing over her shoulder at Tyler. "Your boyfriend is getting jealous, love."
"You know what? Screw Tyler. This isn't about some petty competition. You saved my life and I'm gonna thank you for it." Caroline stated, smiling brightly and wrapping her arms tightly around Rebekah's waist, holding her body close to her own. Rebekah gasped out as Caroline's body came into contact with hers, and she blushed a little as she wrapped her arms around her, returning the hug.
After a minute longer than necessary, Caroline pulled back and stared up into the other woman's eyes, whispering. "Thanks."
"Every time."
O
"I have always admired you, Rachel." Quinn admitted, staring down into her brown eyes. She watched as they widened in shock. It was to be expected. No one would have ever thought that Quinn Fabray would say anything of the sort to Rachel Berry. It was unheard of, but it was true. "You are the strongest, most talented woman that I know. But, most importantly you are proud of who you are. No matter what anyone says to you. I envy that in you."
Rachel furrowed her brow. "But, how can you possibly not be proud of yourself? You are not only the most beautiful girl that I have ever met, but you are so much more than that. You are intelligent and talented, and deep down I believe that you truly do have a big loving heart."
"That is what I am not proud of."
"Your ability to love?"
Quinn swallowed hard, before whispering out. "My ability to love you."
Rachel gasped and stared at her with confused eyes, her full lips hanging open as she tried to comprehend what she had just said. 'Maybe I am delirious… starting to hear and see things because of my wound… That has to be it.' "What do you mean?"
Her hazel eyes shimmered with tears as she took in another shaky breath. She had to tell her. No matter how hard it was for her. Rachel could die. "I've never hated you, Rachel. I've just been so ashamed of my feelings that I continue to hurt you over and over again. And you deserve to know that. You deserve to know that you are not hated. You are loved."
The brunette didn't comprehend what she was hearing. Was Quinn confessing that she was in love with her?
"You are always loved and you always have someone there cheering you on." She smiled brightly. "Because, I love you. I've always loved you."
Rachel could not contain her emotions as she lent in and captured Quinn's lips in a short and bittersweet kiss. She could taste the salty tears on the cheerleader's soft lips and that made her kiss her harder. She didn't want to give her a chance to second-guess what she had confessed. As she pulled away, brown eyes caught shimmering hazel and she smiled. "I've always loved you too, Quinn."
Suddenly, they were both interrupted as the police barged into the bathroom. They looked around before noticing Rachel and rushing to help her. The paramedics brought in the gurney and they put Rachel on it, asking her questions about the injury as they pushed her out of the room. Quinn attempted to stand up and follow after the woman she loved, but they were now focused on asking her questions about what happened and if she was injured and they told her she couldn't go with her.
O
Haley walked into the gym where the students had evacuated. People who were missing their friends or family were supposed to go there in order to find them. She was missing her best friend and her girlfriend. She was terrified that the worst had happened. Despite Puck saying that he didn't shoot anyone, she was still scared that he had accidentally hit one of them.
'Oh god, please let them be okay... I don't know what I'd do if I lost one of them.'
Glancing around the room, she spotted Brooke and let out a sigh of relief, she was still terrified about Rachel but at least Brooke was safe.
Making her way across the room, she walked up behind the other woman. She watched as Brooke stared down at her cellphone and groaned out in frustration. "Okay, why the fuck is there no reception in this goddamn gym?! Someone better tell me what is going on at that school, or I swear to god I will strangle each and every one of you!"
Haley laughed as she walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist.
Brooke screamed when she felt someone hold onto her from behind. Turning around she started to yell at them, "What the fuck do you think that you are—HALEY!" She was so excited that she wrapped her arms tightly around the petite tutor and lifted her up off the ground, spinning her around in a circle.
Haley laughed loudly as she was spun around. Then when she was set back down she smiled brightly and stared up into Brooke's eyes. She was so happy that she was safe.
Brooke ran her fingers through Haley's hair and pulled her closer to her. She was not going to waste any more time. Leaning down she captured her lips in a passionate kiss.
O
Authors Note:
I apologize in advance for this chapter being a bit shorter than I anticipated. Also, I apologize for any spelling errors…. I misspelled Author in Author's note and had to correct it because I am that tired. And I still have to tutor people all day. Sigh. Regardless, I stayed up all night and spent hours typing this up for y'all so I hope that you guys enjoy reading it! Please leave me some reviews telling me what y'all thought! If I get enough reviews I promise to post really soon as always!
Also, I know that this plays off the idea of one of the One Tree Hill episodes… but I sort of want to incorporate parts of each show. :)
Thank you all for reading. You are all so wonderful!
-Tracy Cook