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
Chapter Fifteen
Only Time Will Tell
Brooke smiled smugly as she held her girlfriend close to her on the couch in their new living room. She never felt so safe, so welcome, so loved in her own home, but in their home she felt all of those things and more. It was perfect. Haley delivered a kiss to her neck and Brooke let out a soft hum of contentment.
Suddenly, her cellphone started to ring.
'I aint no holla-back girl, I aint no holla-back girl!'
The cheerleader let out a squeak of excitement as she reached for her cellphone. Haley just stared at the phone with amused eyes and a smile, wondering whose ringtone it was. Brooke's devious dimpled grin told her that the caller was Caroline. She wasn't really surprised.
"Oh my god!" She exclaimed staring over at the tutor. "Guess who it is!?"
Haley laughed and shook her head at the other woman. She was adorable when she got all excited. "Well, judging by that evil look on your face, I am going to have to guess Caroline?"
Brooke nodded her head, her smile widening and her eyes glimmering maniacally. She loved having dirt on people; it was so much fun to tease them about it. "I am so gonna tease her about her little crush on Bekah!"
"Go easy on the poor girl, Brooke. This might be really difficult for her." She pointed out.
A pout formed on her lips and she let out a loud over-exaggerated sigh. "Can I at least tease her a little bit?"
Haley nodded her head and waved her hand, silently telling her to get on with it.
Brooke's smile returned full-force and she hastily opened her phone lifting it to her ear. Haley watched as her smile fell and worry filled her voice. It caused her to sit up and her heart to start racing. 'What is going on…?'
"Care, are you okay? Yeah, of course I can come over." She paused and stared over at Haley with worried hazel eyes. She did not know what was going on with her friend, but she sounded devastated. "Why are you crying? Okay… I'll see you soon." She closed her phone, hanging up on the other woman and staring over at Haley.
"What's going on, Brooke? Is everything okay with Caroline?"
"I-I dunno… She was crying and told me to meet her at Quinn's house so that she could talk to us…" Her voice cracked and her eyes filled with obvious worry and concern. Haley wanted to say something to make her feel better, but she did not know what to say. "She didn't sound good, Hales…"
Haley reached out and placed a gentle hand over Brooke's in an attempt to comfort her. Forcing a smile she told her, "I'm sure she's okay."
"Yeah…" She nodded. "I hope so."
"Do you want me to come along with you?" She offered, knowing that her presence may help the situation. She wanted to be supportive and helpful, but she knew that these women were not her friends. In a way she still felt like she did not belong to their group. She was just an outsider latching on to one of the members.
"No. I'm sure it'll be fine." Brooke said with a smile. "It shouldn't take too long." She paused and raised a brow at the other woman. "Will you be okay here, alone?"
"What could possibly happen to me?" Haley asked with a smile.
"You might miss me too much." Brooke said with a smirk as she crawled across the couch and stared directly into those large gorgeous brown eyes.
"Really now?" Her tone was sarcastic as she stared back into hazel.
"Yep, you will just be here all alone, and you will get so sad waiting for me to come home that you will just die of sadness."
Haley laughed and rolled her eyes at her girlfriend. "I think I'll be fine."
Brooke stuck out her bottom lip and feigned pain. "You are so mean to me, Haley Bob James."
"Oh, you know you love it." Her voice trailed off as she realized what she had just implied. In a way she had meant 'you love me', but she did not dare say something like that. It was not the right time yet. Brooke stared into Haley's eyes, searching them for the answers to the questions she so desperately needed answers too.
Swallowing hard, she nodded her head and smiled. "Yeah, I do." They continued to stare into each other's eyes for a second longer than normal and then Brooke leant in and captured Haley's lips in a gentle kiss. It was soft, but only lasted a few seconds. "I gotta go."
The cheerleader stood to her feet and rushed to gather her purse, her car keys, and everything else that she feared she would need. She could still hear the blonde's voice, the way that it cracked and sobs consumed her. She was devastated and she needed her friends. Brooke moved toward the door and offered one last smile at Haley over her shoulder. "See ya later babe, I lo—I'll be back soon." Her heart started racing as she realized what she had almost said, she prayed that Haley had not heard her slip of the tongue. But, deep down she knew that she had.
Haley stared after her as she shut the door. Her hand raised to her racing heart.
'Was she going to say that she loved me…?'
O
Brooke ran up the stairs and turned the corner, barging into Quinn's room and causing both of her closest friends to jump. "What's goin' on?" She asked.
Inside of the room, Quinn was sitting beside Caroline who had tears streaming down her cheeks and was letting out soft whimpers as she cried. Brooke moved to sit beside the blonde, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and rubbing her hand comfortingly along the top of her neck and shoulder.
"The police…Rebekah…I-I-I just…My mom…Oh god." Caroline was rambling incoherently through her sobs.
Brooke stared down at her with sad hazel eyes and squeezed her shoulders. "Okay, calm down, Care. Just breathe and start from the beginning. What happened?"
Caroline took in a few shaky breathes, before letting them out. Slowly she began to calm down enough to speak coherently. Her body was still shaking though, and she was still sniffling and sobbing as she explained what happened. "I-I—I don't know. I was over at Rebekah's place, working on the glee project, and everything was going great. I mean, I asked her about her mom and she got kind of mad and stuff, but things were going great, you know?"
Both of her friends nodded reassuringly.
"Then what happened?" Quinn asked.
"Well, her brother called us down for dinner—and she was like all dressed up, like she looked really freaking gorgeous, and I looked like this." She cried, raising her hands to show them what she had been wearing. "And I was intimidated, and then her brother started flirting with me and she got really mad at him, and then he called her a brat, and she got really really mad and told him to stop flirting with me…" Her voice caught in her throat and she closed her eyes, steadying her breathing. "Then he just turned around and started choking her."
Brooke took in a breath, her hazel eyes widening. "What!?"
"Yeah, and it wasn't just brother and sister messing around choking or something. Like he was really choking her, he told her he would shut her up for good—then I stopped him and Rebekah kicked me out of her house. So, I went and told my mom and I dunno what she did about it, I just know that Rebekah is gonna hate me for telling her. But, I had to do something. God, what if he hurt her!? Or worse…" Caroline started crying again. She just wished that her mom would contact her.
"Your mom went over there right?" Quinn asked, staring at her friend with concerned eyes.
Caroline nodded sadly. She knew that her mother had gone over to Rebekah's house, and that should have reassured her, but she couldn't stop wondering what happened after she left. What if her mother was too late? The thought of Rebekah dying caused her heart to stop beating and her body to go numb. She could not lose her. 'If he killed her… I would kill him.'
"She won't let anything happen to her, Care." Quinn insisted.
"What if…" She took in a breath and forced out the words. "What if it was too late?"
Quinn and Brooke exchanged looks of worry and concern. They knew that they could not guarantee that it was not too late.
The situation was really taking a toll on Brooke in particular. She wanted to do something to make Caroline feel better. Her mind kept playing the situation over, and she kept wondering what she would do if she had watched Haley get hurt in the same way. Caroline had feelings for Rebekah. She couldn't even imagine what she was going through.
"It wasn't too late." Brooke told her, despite not honestly knowing one way or another. She knew that she just needed hope.
Caroline's phone started ringing and she immediately recognized the tone as her mother's tone. Pulling the phone out of her pocket she stared down at it. "It's my mom." Her blue eyes were full of fear.
"Answer it." Quinn said.
"What if it's bad news?"
"I don't think that she would deliver it over the phone." The other blonde reminded her. Most people would not deliver bad news over the phone.
"Yeah, you're right." She forced a smile and opened the phone, pressing the send button and putting it to her ear. "Mom? Yeah, what happened? Okay, yeah, I'll be home soon!"
Brooke and Quinn waited for her to tell them what her mother had said.
"Rebekah is safe." Caroline said and they all let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Thank God."
"Yeah, but she didn't want to talk about whatever happened over the phone, so I gotta go you guys." They both nodded, understanding that Caroline needed to go home and find out what happened to Rebekah. "Thank you guys for always being here for me…" She smiled at them. They fought a lot growing up, and she often got jealous of them, but they were always there for her when she needed them most. She loved and appreciated them for that.
O
"But they can't just reposes her house, can they? I mean is that even legal?" Caroline asked her mother with wide eyes. She could not believe that after everything that Rebekah had gone through; the police would do something so cruel. They were just going to take her house and kick her out on the street?
"Yes. It would be illegal if they allowed her to keep it. It is stolen property. We are letting her off of her criminal charges, but we must return the house to its rightful heir." Liz insisted.
"Where will she stay?" Caroline asked, terrified for the other woman's safety.
"She will have until after the trial is over to relocate. After that the police will take matters into their own hands."
"And kick her out on the street!?" She exclaimed. She could not believe what she was hearing. How heartless could these people be? Rebekah got abused and she told them, and now they were kicking her out of her home? 'This is all my fault…'
"She has money, right?" Liz sounded just as worried as her daughter.
"Yeah. I mean, I guess. I just assumed so with all of the nice clothes and that huge house, but now I don't know."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We can worry about that when it happens. Right now, we need to worry about her testifying against Niklaus and getting him put away for life. She is safer living on the street than living in the same house as him."
"What did he do…?" She paused and reiterated her point. "I mean what else did he do? Besides choking her?"
"You know that I can't tell you anything else about the case, sweetie."
Caroline let out a sigh and buried her hands in her hair. She knew that it was against the law, but she didn't care. "Can you at least tell me how she's holding up? Is she okay? Is she somewhere safe?"
Liz smiled and nodded her head. "Yes. She is safe at home and Niklaus is in a holding cell. There is no way that he could reach her."
Staring into her mother's eyes, Caroline asked in a serious tone of voice. "Is she okay?"
"Honestly?"
She nodded, already knowing that nothing good could be coming. People did not ask if you wanted the honest truth if the honest truth was good.
"I don't think so, sweetie. When she left she was a complete mess. She was crying and screaming at me. She even threw this—" Liz paused and reached into her pocket, finding the necklace that Rebekah had thrown at her during the interrogation. She lifted it up so that Caroline could see it. "—She said that she didn't deserve to wear it anymore."
The younger woman recognized the necklace. She allowed her blue eyes to trace over the design. She recalled that Rebekah played with it every time that she asked her about her family, particularly her parents. Caroline wondered why it was special to her at the time, but now it was starting to make sense. It must be tied to whatever happened to her and Niklaus when they were kids, whatever turned them into these people.
"Do you think that I could take it back to her?" Caroline asked.
"Of course you can." Liz smiled, handing it over to her daughter. She watched as she took it into her hands with such delicate care. Like she was afraid that it would shatter into a million pieces. "I think that it would be good for her to have a friend close by right now."
"I doubt she'll still want to be friends with me." Her eyes filled with tears and her voice shook as she looked at her mother. "She probably hates me for telling you what happened."
"She doesn't hate you."
Caroline wore a look of disbelief.
"She may be upset at first, but she knows that you only did what was best for her in the long run. If she doesn't see it now, she will one day."
"I hope so." Caroline whispered out under her breath as she stared down at the necklace. It was such a small fragment of a larger story. It meant so much to Rebekah. She wondered why, she wondered what secrets it contained. Gently she traced her fingers over the metal and the little red jewel.
O
"I just wish I could do more for her, you know?" Brooke asked, glancing down at Haley with sad eyes. She hated seeing Caroline so broken up.
"I know, Brooke. But this is something that Rebekah is going to have to work through, and Caroline is going to help her do that." She paused and thought for a moment before asking, "He is locked away, right?"
"I think so…"
"Then she is safe now. It will just take some time for her to emotionally heal from the trauma."
Brooke tightened her embrace on Haley and rested her head against the other woman's, pressing a kiss to her hair. "I don't know if they will ever heal from something like that… her brother tried to kill her."
"They will." Haley smiled reassuringly, her voice soft. "It will get easier each day for them..."
Sighing, Brooke nodded her head. "Yeah, I guess." She could not explain the tears in her eyes nor could she stop them from falling. Death really did make life more meaningful. Just the thought of Rebekah possibly dying, Rachel getting shot, these things really made her think about what would happen if Haley died. "I just wanna do something for them. I keep imagining what it would be like if I had to watch someone hurt you like that." Her raspy voice broke. "I just—I can't… I think I would want someone to be there for me, for us."
"We will figure out a way to help them, Brooke. I promise. But right now I think that the only things that can help Rebekah heal are time and Caroline."
"Yeah, I know…"
Brooke pulled Haley's body even tighter against her own, to the point that she was nearly suffocating the other woman. She just didn't want to let go, not ever. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again." She announced.
The tutor laughed. "You never let me out of your sight as it is."
"Oh shush." Brooke pulled back and stared down into large brown eyes with a smile. "You know what I wanna do?"
Haley was thrown off by the random change of subject, but she was used to it. It was part of Brooke's personality that she had grown to love. "What's that?" She smiled.
"Forget all of this depressing stuff for tonight and take my amazing girlfriend out on a date." She smiled proudly.
"Brooke." Haley dismissed the idea immediately as she cast her eyes to the clock; it was nearly time for school. "It's not even night anymore. We stayed up all night and we have school in a few hours."
"Screw school!" She exclaimed excitedly. "You love it so much, you might as well."
Haley's eyes widened.
"Oh come on tutor-girl! How many days of school have you missed anyway?" Brooke whined, she knew that her girlfriend was opposed to skipping school, but she wanted to take her out on a date.
"I haven't missed any." Haley blushed softly as Brooke gave her a confused and disbelieving look.
"Really?" She raised a brow at Haley who nodded shyly. "My girlfriend is such a nerd."
"Hey!" She shouted. The cheerleader merely shrugged her shoulders and gave her a matter-of-fact look. "Well, it could be worse. At least she's not a jerk like mine."
"I've heard your girlfriend is one sexy bitch." Brooke announced and then leant toward Haley and whined again. "Come on Haley! With everything that happened at the school and with Rebekah, shouldn't we take the time to enjoy our lives?"
"I enjoy school." The tutor pointed out.
"Nerd." Brooke muttered under her breath.
Haley laughed and rolled her eyes at her. "I also pride myself on my perfect attendance."
"What was that?" She teased playfully. "I couldn't understand you. I don't speak nerd. Now come on, Haley! We have been dating forever and we haven't even gone out on a single date yet!"
"Fine. Why not? What is missing one day of school in my entire educational career? Though, I am positive that there are more suitable times for us to go out on a date."
"Exactly! What is missing one measly day of school?" Brooke asked with a bright dimpled grin and a glimmer in her eyes as she jumped off of the couch and headed toward the back of their apartment. She had some planning to do.
"Where are you going, Brooke?"
"I've got a date to plan!" She called from their bedroom.
"Can't we just get breakfast or something?"
"Not on my watch!" Brooke ran back out into the living room and smiled as she leant down and kissed Haley on the lips. "Mmm… god I love kissing you." She smirked. "Now get dressed babe, chop chop."
O
Quinn could recall every detail of Rachel's body in her mind. The slope of her back, the curve of her backside, her incredibly long toned legs, her exposed cleavage pressed against her own, and those perfect full lips brushing against her throat delicately. She took a moment to imagine what it would be like to have them pressed against her skin with force, with deliberation. What it would be like to feel that talented tongue trace along her skin, those lips suck gently.
Her body started to react. She could feel her skin warm up and arousal build between her thighs as her imagination ran wild. She thought about Rachel's thigh pressed tightly between her legs and her small hands tracing under her tank-top. Quinn was still wearing Rachel's tank-top, she had not changed. Her scent was surrounding her.
"Mmm…" Quinn groaned out in pleasure as she traced her fingers over her abdomen, under the top, teasing the skin. She pretended that it was Rachel.
She wanted more.
Quinn Fabray did not believe in touching herself. It was wrong and immoral. The only one who was supposed to touch her was the man that she married, but she couldn't help it. Her arousal was too intense.
"Quinn! You have company!" Her mother shouted, causing Quinn to jump and scream out, quickly removing her hand from under her shirt. Her heart felt like it would pound out of her chest.
'She sounds angry… Who could it be?' She wondered as she climbed out of her bed and started down the stairs. She did not bother changing her clothes.
Quinn's heart stopped and she froze in place at the bottom of the stairs as she witnessed Rachel Berry standing inside of her house. Judy looked extremely upset by this. She knew why. Her mother hated the Berry family. 'What is she doing here? I told her no one could know… She cannot be here… you are dreaming Quinn! This is some crazy guilt induced coma that God has put you into in order to punish you for your sins.'
But it wasn't a coma. It was reality.
Judy Fabray walked toward her daughter, glaring down into her eyes. She leant down and whispered against her ear. "Once she leaves I need to talk to you."
Quinn nodded her head and swallowed hard, watching her mother walk out of the room angrily. She knew that she was in trouble. 'For once… I really really hope that Rachel never leaves me alone…'
She approached the starlet who was quick to explain, "I apologize for randomly showing up at your house, but you disappeared—"
"—What are you doing here, Rachel!" She whispered loudly. "What part of no one else can know about us being friends did you not understand?"
Rachel knit her brows together and stared up at her with worried eyes. She almost stood down, but her pride wouldn't allow her to be walked all over again. She would not let Quinn continue to control everything. "Considering that you informed me that we could be friends as long as no one else knew, I simply assumed that offer was made void when you immaturely fled from my room."
"Rachel… You don't understand."
"Maybe not, but I do understand that friends do not do such things." She paused and lowered her voice so that Quinn's mother would not hear her. "Quinn, we need to talk about this." She waved her hand between the two of them and stared up into hazel with pleading brown. Rachel could not contain her feelings any more.
Quinn stared deep into those gorgeous eyes and sighed loudly, nodding her head. "Come on." She led the way to her bedroom.
Once inside, both women grew completely silent. It was one thing to say that they needed to talk; it was another to actually start the conversation. Rachel was, of course, the one to break the silence.
"What happened, Quinn?" She walked toward the blonde. "I finally started to believe that things were getting better between the two of us, that we were going to start acting like friends, and then you disappear? Why?"
"You don't—"
"—stop telling me what I do and do not understand!" She shouted out, throwing her hands in the air. "I may not understand the trials you must face with your parents, but I do understand your feelings. I share them with you. I love you too." She insisted, moving closer to Quinn and placing her hands on her arms.
Hazel eyes met brown and Quinn's voice cracked as she whispered. "You can't just say that, Rachel…"
"Why can't I?" She countered. "Because saying that I have feelings for you, saying that I love you, makes it real?"
She nodded sadly, tears filling her eyes and rolling down her pale cheeks. Her body was shaking. It was too much, too heavy a burden, she could not stop herself from crying any longer.
"Good." Rachel smiled. "Because I want them to be real, they are real. I have known for years now just how much I love you."
"Rachel…"
"I am not asking you to admit your feelings or to be my girlfriend, Quinn." She watched Quinn cringe at the word 'girlfriend.' Almost as if she had been burnt. It was a devastating sight and only reminded Rachel just how broken she was. Just how difficult it would be to fix her. "Just be my friend and be honest with me."
"You want the truth?" Her voice rose and took on an angry tone.
Rachel was not scared though and she simply nodded her head. The truth was all that she wanted.
"The truth is that I want you so bad! I love you! I think about you all the time and that is why I ran away from you again. Because staring down at you and watching you, feeling you lying on top of me… I liked it… a lot more than a friend should." She blushed brightly and cast her eyes away ashamed. Quinn knew that Rachel already knew all of this, but she also knew that she needed to hear it again. Without the influence of a gunshot wound.
Rachel could not contain her excitement as her smile spread across her face and her heart thudded loudly in her ears. Those were the words that she had always wanted to hear.
"I am not seeing the problem."
"You wouldn't because it isn't your problem, Rachel. It's mine. It's me!" She shouted, her eyes snapping back to brown. "It's the fact that my mother is about to scream at me about my distasteful company, JUST because you have gay parents! It's that I am pretty much guaranteed a spot in Hell! That's why we can only be friends… and we can't have those intimate moments either, because…" She paused and took in a breath. "Because I can't handle them."
Quinn's voice was even and empty. "Now do you understand?"
Rachel could barely find the will to nod. It wasn't fair. They both wanted it. They loved each other and they couldn't be together? It was the classic Romeo and Juliet story. 'Only I do not plan on killing myself in the end… we will be together.'
"Good, now go away."
O
Haley was beyond confused by Brooke's idea of a date. She had told her to stay at the house and give her an hour and then to meet her at the café. It was weird and untraditional, but it was Brooke. She was always spontaneous and exciting. 'Things with her will never get boring at least.' She smiled at the thought and wrapped her arms tightly around her body as she looked around outside of the café.
Brooke was nowhere to be found.
Suddenly, she caught sight of a little note taped to the front door of the café. It had her name scribbled across it with a ton of hearts around it. Haley laughed and rolled her eyes at the cheesiness, before reaching out and grabbing it.
She opened the note and read over the words.
"To start your date, go to 423 West Elm Street." Haley stared at the note with perplexed eyes and a furrowed brow. "What is this?" She sighed and stared down the street. That meant that she would have to walk a few more blocks.
Shrugging her shoulders, she followed the instructions and headed down the street.
When she reached the address her brown eyes widened in shock. It was a lingerie store. She screamed out as she felt someone press a kiss to her cheek from behind. Haley turned quickly and noticed that it was Brooke and she was standing in front of her holding up a bouquet of flowers. She smiled brightly and took them from her.
"They are lovely, Brooke." She sniffed them and smiled over at her.
"I hoped you would think so." Brooke said with a proud smile as she leant down and kissed Haley gently on the lips.
Haley pulled away from her girlfriend and looked over at the store. "Now, please do explain to me why we are at a lingerie store?"
The cheerleader nodded toward the card and smirked. "Read it and find out."
She reached for the note and opened it. 'I am so going to regret going on this date today…' "Pick out a set of lingerie for each other and do a personal fashion show—Brooke!" She blushed brightly and stared up at her. "I am so not doing that!"
"Oh, come on, Haley! I promise I won't touch… I'll just admire." She grinned deviously and bit down on her bottom lip allowing her hazel eyes to roam over Haley's body. She loved her body. 'God how I want to see more of it…' Haley's blush intensified and she looked away.
"No way! Besides, the store says that it is closed. Which isn't really a surprise. I can't imagine that a whole lot of people need to purchase lingerie before going to school." She added sarcastically. The entire situation was making her uncomfortable. Haley did not feel secure in her own skin and she did not wish to show it off.
"About that." Brooke grinned and lifted the key to the store. "The owners may or may not owe me a favor for being their most valued customer."
Haley laughed. "You would be."
"Mmm…" Brooke moved toward her girlfriend. "I bet you won't mind when you see my collection on me."
"Shut up." She said, her face was bright red now. "Let's just get this over with."
The cheerleader squeaked and ran inside the store, immediately finding the perfect lingerie for her to wear. She already knew which set she wanted prior to entering the store. It would show off enough skin, but still be conservative enough for Haley's nature. She turned and held it up, watching as Haley picked out a red one. Honestly, she did not care which set she herself wore. "Here ya go!"
It was a cute purple set of lingerie. Haley stared at it with a disgusted look on her face as she held up the red set she had been looking at for Brooke.
Brooke looked down at it with a confused expression. "What? You don't like it?" She pouted and stared back over at the tutor. "I think it's cute."
"I like it, I guess… I just can't wear something like that."
"Why not?" She was completely oblivious to the reason and genuinely confused. "It's your size."
Haley laughed at Brooke's ignorance and looked away bashfully. "Because, I will look ridiculous in that."
She finally understood and quickly moved toward the beautiful woman, placing her hands on her hips and pulling her body closer to her own. Staring down into her brown eyes with sincere hazel. "Haley, don't say that. You may look ridiculously hot—"
"—Brooke… I'm being serious…" Her voice was soft. She felt self-conscious. She would never have a body like Brooke, or her friends… She just did not feel beautiful.
"So am I, Haley." Brooke insisted in a serious tone of voice. "You need to stop worrying about that stuff; you have nothing to worry about."
"Brooke—"
"—Haley! I love your body!"
"Brooke…" She whispered shyly.
"I mean that. You are perfect to me."
Haley smiled gently and stared down at the lingerie. She knew that Brooke was not lying to her, and she also knew that they would have to eventually get past this. They were in a relationship now. She could not constantly feel intimidated and scared to be herself around the other woman. She had to believe that she thought she was beautiful. 'Why would she be with me if she thought I was hideous?'
"Fine, I will try it on."
O
Caroline clutched the necklace protectively in her hand, inside of her jacket pocket. She did not want to risk losing it. It was too important to Rebekah. She stared up at the Mikaelson estate with worried eyes. All of the lights were turned out. Reaching up, she rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer the door. When no one answered she tried again. Then when no one answered once more, she took it into her own hands.
She reached out for the handle and pulled on it, praying that it was unlocked. It was. The door swung open loudly and she peeked her head inside.
Everything was dark and creepy. The house was scary when lit up, this was almost too much. She did not even know if Rebekah was home. But, it was a risk worth taking. Forcing her chin up, she walked into the house and closed the door behind her. Heading up the stairs toward Rebekah's bedroom.
The door was shut.
Caroline stared at it for a minute. Should she open it?
She was almost scared to face the other woman after what she had done. She was the reason that her brother got taken away, and she was the reason that her house was being taken away as well. She would be shocked if Rebekah did not blame her too.
She turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, staring inside.
Rebekah was lying on her bed, gripping the sheets tightly with one of her hands and holding a small book to her chest with the other. Her blonde hair was a mess, her eyes were puffy and tears stained her cheeks. She was shaking and letting out soft whimpering noises.
Hearing the door open she snapped her head up and glared across the room at the intruder. "What are you doing here, Caroline?" She asked, her voice raspy and strained.
"I uh—" She did not know what to say.
Rebekah pushed herself out of the bed, opening the drawer beside it and placing the book inside, before walking toward the other woman. She was now in control of her emotions. She refused to show her vulnerability. "Have you not already done enough?"
Caroline sighed and moved toward her. She was wearing a look of hurt and concern. "Rebekah, I'm so so sorry. I didn't know this would happen!" She insisted with tears in her beautiful blue eyes. It made it difficult to deny that she truly meant it. "I was just scared and worried about you… I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you."
Rebekah moved closer to her and furrowed her brow as she asked, "Why should you care? We were never truly friends."
"We are more than just friends…" Caroline whispered out softly. Her heart racing. She knew what she was admitting to, they both knew. Neither knew what to say as they stared into each other's eyes, searching them in the silence.
"Why did you return? I assumed that my brother and I would have scared you off for good."
"It's gonna take a bit more than that to scare me off." She said with a smile. "I resisted you at first, but you were just so persistent that you got through. Now you're stuck with me. Sucks to be you."
"Sure does." Rebekah laughed a little. She had not expected to laugh again for a very long time after the news that she received. Caroline always made her smile though.
"Hey!" She laughed as well, reaching out and playfully slapping Rebekah's arm.
Caroline suddenly grew serious again as she stared into those puffy blue eyes. "I uh—I actually came by to give you this back." She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out the necklace, lifting it up to show her. "I knew how important it was to you…"
Rebekah glared at the necklace, tears filling her eyes. She attempted to blink them back but a few managed to escape and roll down her cheeks. "I do not deserve to look upon that necklace, let alone wear it."
"Why not?"
She continued to stare at the necklace as she took a step away from it and Caroline. "I cannot tell you that."
Caroline took another step forward in order to close the distance between the two of them. She was not going to allow her to push her away. "You can trust me, Bekah."
"I hardly even know you." She stated pointedly through a clenched jaw.
"In that case you can't possibly know if you can or can't trust me until you let me in." She countered, returning the necklace to her pocket for the time being. She did not wish to further upset her. "Come on." Caroline reached out and grabbed ahold of Rebekah's hand, pulling her toward the bed and taking a seat beside her.
Neither of them said anything for a minute.
Caroline stared down at Rebekah's hand and smiled as she traced her fingers along her fingertips. She lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to each of her fingers before kissing the top of her hand.
Rebekah watched Caroline delicately cradle her hand and she could not help but recall what those hands were capable of. Those hands had aided in her mother's death. Tears started to fall down her face and over her long neck, her body shaking as she broke down again. She felt safe enough to do so in front of the other woman.
Caroline reached out and pulled her body close to her own, running her hand gently over her back in an attempt to comfort the crying woman. She just wanted to help Rebekah; she just wanted her to feel better.
"It's okay, I got you…" She whispered against her ear.
When Rebekah could breathe normally again, she spoke. "I do wish to tell you, Caroline. But, I cannot. I promised my brother that it would be our secret. Always and forever."
Caroline nodded and offered her an understanding smile. "You don't have to tell me. But, I do want you to know that you can trust me and I will always be here for you."
Rebekah pursed her lips and thought it over. She knew that she could trust Caroline and that she would not tell anyone else. Not to mention, she was not feeling particularly loyal to her brother at the moment. "He murdered my father in cold blood. He told me that he was the only one—that he had to end the abuse." Her voice broke as she forced her tears back.
"Abuse?" She whispered.
"When I was a child, back in England, my father used to often hit me. One time he got extremely violent and he left me and mummy bleeding on the kitchen floor… So, Nik told me he was going to take things into his own hands, that he would not hurt us anymore."
Caroline tried to mask the horror that she felt. She did not want Rebekah to think that she was making any judgments. It was just such a tragic and terrifying history.
"I—" She paused, her stomach twisting with disgust. She felt like she would vomit any minute now. Ever since she had received the news about her brother she had felt nauseous and been crying non-stop. "I—I helped him dispose of the body… I had only just turned seven, but I knew what I was doing. I wanted to help him."
Caroline felt the sadness consuming her as she stared into Rebekah's eyes; she was a broken shell of a human being. It was devastating. "You were only seven and he abused you, there is no way that you truly understood what you were doing."
"Perhaps not entirely. Still, I was aware."
"So that's what my mom found out about?" She asked.
"No, that case has long since run cold… Your mum found new evidence." She choked on her words and tears poured from her eyes as she chewed on her pouty bottom lip. "Linking him to another murder."
"Another murder?"
Rebekah nodded and her chest suddenly felt heavy, it was difficult to breathe. "Yes. The murder of a wonderful woman named Esther. She was a kind woman, my idol, my inspiration… and also my mother."
"He killed your mom!?" She gasped. Caroline was trying not to sound judgmental, but this was too much. She was angry and she wanted to find Niklaus and hurt him for what he did to the poor woman sitting in front of her. She hated him. Being condemned for life was not a good enough punishment for condemning his sister to a life of misery and self-hatred. It wasn't fair.
"Yes, and I aided in her burial. I do not know how, there was only one bag I swear. But, somehow I did."
Caroline did not know what to say. She just stared at her.
"Hence my reasoning for not deserving to wear that necklace. My mum gave it to me at age five; she told me that it was special for me, because I was her precious little girl. If she were alive…" She sucked in a breath and let it out. "She would hate me."
"No!" Caroline shouted, causing Rebekah to jump. "I'm sorry… it's just—I refuse to believe that. You didn't even know he had… hurt her." She did not feel comfortable saying what he had really done. "This is not your fault and your mom would be proud of you for standing up for yourself, for telling the cops the information and testifying, for avenging her death."
"Even if she did not blame me…" She stared directly into Caroline's eyes. "How am I not to blame myself?" Tears started to pour and her body shook as she wheezed out, never taking her eyes away from teary blue. "She could have still been breathing! She could have been saved, I could have saved her!"
"You didn't know!"
"Even so—"
Rebekah's sentence was cut short as Caroline leant forward and crashed their lips together. The kiss was not heated and lustful, but it was passionate and needy. Rebekah lifted her hands and tangled them in blonde curls pulling her closer to her. She needed to know that she was not alone. She needed to know that she had Caroline.
Caroline pulled back and reached up, wiping the tears from Rebekah's cheeks and whispering against her lips. "You didn't know… And she loves you." She backed away and smiled softly, earning a small smile in return. It was more than enough for now. "And she would want you to have this and remember the good times with her. You will always be her precious girl." She stated, lifting the necklace.
Rebekah eyed it warily. The guilt was still overwhelming.
"Could you put it on me?"
Caroline nodded and smiled brightly as Rebekah turned around so that her back was to her. She reached out and gently moved her blonde hair away from her neck, pushing it over her shoulder. She extended her arms in front of Rebekah and brought the necklace around, clasping it in the back. Caroline leant down and planted a soft kiss to the skin above the necklace.
"Please do not leave me alone tonight?" Her voice shook with vulnerability.
"I wouldn't… not even if you told me to."
They both smiled.
O
Quinn cautiously walked down the stairs toward the living room. She did not want to talk to her mother, but she knew that if she never went downstairs than Judy would just come up to her room. She could not avoid her forever. Walking into the living room she saw her mother standing in front of the couch with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes were hard and hateful.
"Take a seat." She stated harshly.
Quinn did as she was told, moving to take a seat in front of her mother. She could feel her eyes on her, staring her down.
"You weren't at Brooke's house last night. Where were you?" It sounded as though she already knew the answer to the question and that terrified the young woman. Should she tell her? Should she lie? She did not know.
"I was at Brooke's—"
"No you weren't. Do not test my patience, Quinn. Tell me the truth this time. Where were you?"
"I—"
"—Before you even think about lying to me again, you may want to know that I have been tracing your cellphone. I know who you've called and texted, and the GPS that I installed allows me to find out where you are. I know who you've been talking to and I know where you were last night."
Quinn stood up, throwing her hands around angrily. "That is an invasion of my privacy!" She screamed.
"Considering I pay your cellphone bill, it isn't. You are not yet an adult. I deserve to know where my daughter really is. Especially when she is with that sick little disgrace of a human being. What were you doing at the Berry residence last night!?"
"She is my friend and she is not a sick little disgrace!" Quinn defended.
Judy moved toward her and stared her down. "Her family is a disgrace to everything that is good and holy. You are not to see that girl again. If you do the consequences will be dire."
Quinn clenched her jaw and nodded.
She had no intentions of listening to her mother. If she was tracking her cellphone than she could get around that, she could hide her interactions with Rachel.
O
Haley smiled as she walked toward the table that the last card had told her to go to. Placed on the table was a plate of macaroni and cheese. It was such a simple gesture, but it was her favorite food and that meant the world to her that Brooke had remembered.
"The food of the gods!" She teased playfully, sitting down across from Brooke and taking a bite of the delicious meal. It was obviously store bought, but considering Brooke's cooking abilities she was fine with that.
Brooke smirked and nodded toward the card that was sitting on the table. Honestly, after seeing Haley in lingerie she wanted to take her home and have her wicked way with her. She bit down on her bottom lip as she recalled her exposed cleavage, flat stomach, perfect legs. 'God… this girl is insane for thinking she has no sex appeal… if she wasn't against it I would so take her on top of this table…'
Haley smiled and reached for the card, opening it and reading it.
"Reveal a secret that no one else knows…" She took another bite of her food as she thought about it. "Is this just some clever way to get me to admit stuff to you?"
Brooke pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders. "I have to admit something to you too."
"True."
Haley smiled as she finally figured out her secret. "When I was in eighth grade I cheated on my geometry test."
"Haley-tutor-girl-James cheated?" Brooke asked amusedly with a smirk and a raised brow. "For such a nerd like yourself I can imagine that was a big deal."
"It was a big deal… I still feel so bad about it…" She insisted with a smile. "But my mother was sick and my father was away, and I had to take care of her so I didn't get enough time to study…"
"Aw… that is actually really sweet."
"Thanks." Haley blushed softly. "What about you, what's your secret?"
"I've slept with a lot of people… but I've never been in love with anyone." Brooke caught large brown eyes with hazel and smiled gently. "But, I think that I am falling in love now."
Haley's eyes widened and her heart leapt as she let out a breath and smiled brightly. She could not contain her happiness. She too had never been in love, but hearing Brooke admit her feelings just made her realize that she was falling in love with her as well. "My Macaroni is cold, Brooke… Do you wanna just go home?"
"Cold?" She asked confused. "I swear to god if that guy didn't heat it up—" She paused when she realized the way that her girlfriend was looking at her. "Oh, it's not cold. You just wanna get me home for the after date fun. Mm… planning on showing off that lingerie again for me?" She waggled her brows.
Haley blushed brightly. "No, Brooke! I thought we could just cuddle or something, maybe kiss… not… no, I am never wearing that again."
Brooke pouted and whined. "But you have to! You can't just buy it and never wear it!"
"Good thing that you bought it for me then."
"Haley!"
O
Caroline walked into the school with a bright smile on her face. She had a plan. She was going to help everyone move past all of the tragedy.
Brooke and Quinn turned to look at her already knowing that she had some plan.
"What's up with you?"
"We are going on a road trip this weekend. To get away from the school shootings and crazy brothers and all of that horrible stuff and just have some fun! My dads are leaving their house and they told me that I can stay at their cabin in the woods and invite my friends." She smiled brightly and Quinn's stomach lurched back and forth, a weekend away with Rachel? She did not know if she could handle it.
"Won't this be fun you guys!?"
O
Authors Note:
Thank you guys so much for all of your reviews! And as promised I added a speedy and long update! Because y'all just made me so happy! I love hearing from you guys. No matter what you guys say! It encourages me to keep on writing! I wrote this chapter while I was babysitting all morning, and I am back at work now sadly because the break is over so it took me longer than I expected and there may be a few typing errors. If so I apologize.
The next few chapters will be some comic relief! And Rebekah will finally get through to Quinn about her feelings for Rachel.
Please tell me what y'all thought of this chapter and I promise to update quickly!
Thank you all for reading! I love you guys!
-Tracy Cook