Title: Heaven
Pairings: Faberrittana.
Summary: When they were still children, it used to be Q, R, S and B. But now that they are in high school, they are known as The Unholy Trinity and Rachel Berry. Rachel, feeling abandoned by her best friends, tried to move on with a positive outlook. The Unholy Trinity, fed up with the guilt and the ache of missing Rachel, finally decided to mend their broken friendship with the girl. Separated by their differences, will they be able to get back how they used to be? What if the Unholy Trinity wanted more than just friendship from Rachel?
Disclaimer: Glee is not mine.
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
Chapter 11
"Rachel Barbara Berry!" a loud voice boomed at the Berry household.
Rachel winced as she stepped in their home, followed by a grinning Jesse and a worried Alex.
"That doesn't sound good," Rachel mumbled.
"No, it doesn't, young lady. Get in here," a stern voice said from the kitchen.
Rachel took a sharp breath. This was way too early even for her, but she followed the voice and went to the kitchen where she found her dads.
"Dad, Daddy, I can explain."
"Goodness! What happened to you?" Hiram exclaimed, clutching at his chest.
Rachel tried not to roll her eyes at the dramatic-ness of her Daddy, "I'm fine, Daddy."
"I'm sure you are aware of what 'fine' is, sweetheart," Leroy stated calmly, but his eyes were stern.
Rachel scrunched her face. Did her Dad just used air quote?
"Well, I've been through worse. And this is my body. I am aware of my limits, Dad, Daddy. Trust me.
Please, can we not talk about this right now? Besides, in case you were wondering, this face wasn't from fight club."
"Oh?"
Rachel nodded and proceeded to tell the story of what happened last night, just like what she did with Jesse and Alex on their way home. She wasn't surprised at how dramatic her Daddy was being while Leroy held a solemn look on his face.
"That's something serious, Rachel. You should go to the police station to make sure those hoodlums get locked up," Leroy said, looking straight at her daughter.
"It's fine, Dad. I don't really need the added stress. Those men are obviously on drugs, very drunk and have possession of a deadly weapon. I'm sure those are enough reasons for the police to keep them behind bars," Rachel explained tiredly. She really needed her bed right now.
"And how are you holding up? And Quinn?" Hiram asked.
"I'm good. Nothing like that can scare me, Daddy. You know that," Rachel answered, her voice gentle as she placed a hand on Hiram's in attempt to ease his worries. She noticed he's been doing that a lot lately, "And Quinn is fine. She wasn't hurt and from what I saw this morning, she didn't seem to be too affected with what happened."
"That's good to know," Leroy said, nodding his head in approval.
"So...you spent the night with the girls..." Hiram started.
Rachel tightened her lips. She knew where this was going. Her dads had always been adamant with knowing what happened with the four of them. They would jump with every opportunity to open the subject of their sudden 'fall out'. Apparently, it was hard for them to believe that their quartet would fall apart just like that. If only they knew how hard it was for her to accept that—yes, they did fall apart just like that.
The starlet wondered if how long she could continue to evade this certain subject.
"I was at Santana's, yes."
"Are you girls..." Hiram hesitated a little before continuing, "okay now?"
Rachel nodded slowly, pondering on how to interpret her Daddy's question, "We're...civil, I guess. I mean, we talked. A little. And they helped me with my injuries..."
"And...?"
"And that's it," Rachel shrugged. What else was there to say?
Oh and I had this sexual fantasy about them ganging up on me.
Rachel winced at the thought. She could feel her cheeks getting hotter and she was just thankful that her bruises covered most of her face.
"Oh. So you haven't made up?" Leroy asked, his voice held disappointment and sadness that Rachel didn't want right now.
"Dad...things aren't that easy anymore. We're grownups now. Spending one night at Santana's won't make things go back to the way they used to. We have...more complicated issues than just some petty quarrels or fighting over on who can jump higher or who has the best toys."
"You fight over that?" Jesse piped up.
"We were in kindergarten," Rachel said dryly.
"Right—Wait. You're friends with those cheerleaders?" Jesse asked, his eyes big with excitement.
"Were."
"Oh."
Rachel rolled her eyes when Jesse visibly deflated and slumped on his seat.
"That's okay, buddy. I'm sure you can still charm them with your dazzling smile and suave looks," Alex said, patting Jesse on the shoulder, a grin threatening to appear on her lips.
Jesse was nodding his head as if to say 'Yes, yes. You're right.'
Rachel rolled her eyes at this, especially when Alex sent her a wink. She couldn't help but smile a little despite the whirlwind of emotions that she was going through at the moment. She watched in amusement as Alex and Jesse interact with each other as if they hadn't just met this morning. She looked at these two people who had somehow popped out of nowhere and freakishly entered her life without her realizing it. And there's Puck who stood with her through thick and thin. These were her friends. Her real friends—friends who she knew would accept her and never leave her side no matter what. They were unlike...some people she knew.
Rachel shook her head, ending her thoughts before she opened another box of memories that she had tried so hard to keep close, chained and locked away—never to be opened again. And she had succeeded until last night.
"Look, sweetheart," Leroy started, interrupting Rachel's thoughts, "This thing with the girls had clearly made you upset—"
Upset? Oh no, Dad. It killed me.
"—And we know you don't want to talk about it but I just hope you could, maybe, try to at least tell us what happened. You've changed a lot since you stopped being friends with them and—"
"Lee, I don't think now is the right time for that," Hiram interrupted his husband and sent him a look. They took notice on how their daughter had stiffened at the current subject.
Leroy sighed, "You're right. I'm sorry, Rachel."
"It's okay," Rachel said quietly, her head down as she played with the hem of her shirt. She had always known something had changed within her the moment her ties with the girls had been broken. She had been more cautious with meeting new people and a little aloof at making new friends. She had learned to shut down whenever someone attempted to enter her life. She had kept a decent distance from anyone and only trusted those she knew that truly cared.
And she had always thought she was doing a pretty good job at acting normal, but it seemed like she had underestimated her dads.
"Well then, let me treat those bruises so you can take a proper rest," Hiram stated as he stood up to get his medical supplies, "Why don't you go up to your room. I'll be there in a sec."
Rachel only managed a nod before making her way towards her room. She paused and looked back over her shoulders, "You coming, Al?"
Alex smiled and nodded, "Sure short stuff."
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
Their morning started out fine. It was amazing even. They shared a bath, played a little, had sweet lady kisses and shared a quiet, peaceful breakfast with Rachel. She even had a short moment with the starlet that almost made her cry. Then how did it come to the part where Santana and Quinn were now marching down the hallways towards the Cheerios locker with scowl on their faces? Brittany wondered that as she calmly followed her girlfriends.
Oh right. Alex happened. Again. That girl definitely knew how to push their buttons.
And as much as Brittany wanted to slam doors and kick lockers (because she's pissed too, you know, her morning was just ruined), she had to keep her composure and stay cool. The three of them pissed off all at the same time was never a good sight and quite frankly, not good for the student body. It was a good thing nobody was there yet. She just hoped that the pent up anger and jealousy her girlfriends were feeling right now would fade off after practice.
She feared for the rest of the Cheerios though. This was going to be one heck of a practice.
And Brittany was right. Heck was an understatement. She watched as Quinn barked out orders, pointed out faults at the routine, ordered fifty pushups and fifty suicides just because she could while Santana yelled insult at every girl with every opportunity she had—which was a lot—demanded to repeat the routine over and over again even if it was already perfect in Brittany's eyes and then proceeded to spit out insults to the squad again.
Don't get her started with Coach Sylvester.
All in all, practice was hell. Brittany could swear her girlfriends were imagining Alex's face on every girl in the squad. And while the rest of the squad were bawling their eyes out while crawling back towards the locker room, Brittany noticed that Santana and Quinn were just as pissed as they were this morning. Apparently, torturing their Cheerios wasn't enough.
Oh boy. Good luck McKinley.
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
Hiram had called Rachel's school to inform them that the singer would not be going to school for three days because she was 'sick' in which Rachel had argued about.
"Three days? Daddy! I would miss a lot in school!"
"I'm sure you'll do fine, Rachel. You're a smart girl."
"B-But...What about Glee? And...And..."
"Rachel, honey, please don't force yourself. You're in pain and the meds can only help you so much. Look at you. You don't look so good right now. You've lost a lot of weight through the years. And—"
"I'm perfectly healthy, Daddy!"
"Rachel!" Hiram called out, his voice rising, "We both know you're abusing your body. You have been for years. Your Dad and I are worried about you. We have no idea why you are pushing yourself beyond your limits. I think it's about time that you stop going to fight clubs. It's killing you."
"It's keeping me alive, Daddy!" Rachel argued, "I won't stop going there. Please. Don't take it away from me. I need it."
Hiram sighed, "I don't understand Rachel..."
"And I'm sorry you don't and I can't tell you right now but please, trust me on this. Please don't ban me from going to fight club," Rachel practically begged her father. She knew Leroy could pull some strings and ban her from any fight club within Lima or any nearby areas. She couldn't let that happen. Being in fight club was the only thing that's keeping her from totally breaking down and losing herself.
Hiram stared at her daughter hard. He almost couldn't recognize her—and it's not because of the bruises on her face. Rachel had always elicited warmth in her, her brown eyes were bright and innocent and she glowed, shining brightly with her passion in music and singing. From anyone who wasn't really looking, they would think she was still the same person. But Hiram was her father, so as Leroy. They could see through her.
And this girl, the girl that was currently in front of him wasn't that same girl anymore. This girl looked troubled. Her eyes didn't shine the way it used to. It was dull, almost dead. He and Leroy would sometimes blame themselves for not being good enough—for being neglectful of their own daughter. Things had been rough when Leroy was in the hospital. They were in the brink of bankruptcy and they had no choice but to let Rachel 'help'. And once Leroy got out of the hospital, the heaviness of that decision affected them all.
Leroy had almost gone into depression, blaming himself for what happened in their family, especially when Rachel would go home hurt and bleeding. It was all too much for Leroy. Thank God Rachel and Hiram were strong enough to put some sense into his husband's head. Once Leroy completely recovered, he did his best to prevent Rachel from ever going back to fight club.
They were surprised, however, when Rachel almost begged them not to forbid her from fighting. It was confusing for them—they knew how much she hated violence—and had caused even more arguments in the family. They had always thought that the changes in their daughter was caused by fight club, but once they had succeeded in stopping Rachel from going back there, the girl had gone from bad to worse. She wouldn't come out of her room except when going to school. She had completely stopped talking to them until they had permitted her to be involved in fighting again. This time, they had agreed upon to be under the guidance of Leroy.
Hiram and Leroy still couldn't understand what was going on with their girl. They had already tried everything they could think of to get her to open up, but she was being stubborn about it. One thing they were certain though, it wasn't fight club that had changed Rachel Berry. It was something else, and they had a pretty good idea what it was.
"Daddy..." Rachel called gently as if reading the old man's mind. She could see different emotions swirling in his eyes and her heart broke for being the cause of his struggles, "Please believe me when I say that this isn't your fault. Stop blaming yourself. It's me. I wish I could tell you and Dad but...I'm just not ready."
And maybe I never will be.
Being gay was easy, but to be in love with her three former best friends and not to be loved back? And not only that, but to have their backs turned on you for being you? That's something she just couldn't speak of right now. Not with her fathers.
Hiram took another deep breath, "Alright, baby girl. Whenever you're ready," he finally relented and the smile that it had brought to his daughter's face was definitely worth it despite the inner battle that he was going through, "But you are still to stay home for three days. No going out. I mean it."
"But what about Friday?" Rachel asked warily. She didn't have to elaborate that. They both knew what she was talking about.
"Your Dad will handle that."
Rachel sighed in relief. After last night, she was definitely not looking forward to it. Despite her stubbornness, she knew her body couldn't handle anymore kicks. But she wouldn't admit that to her fathers. That's just a no-no.
"Thank you. I love you, Daddy," Rachel said with a smile, placing a kiss on his cheek.
"I love you too, sweetheart. Now go get some rest."
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
McKinley that day was in utter chaos. The cheerleaders were having a field day throwing slushies at random losers while the jocks were having fun throwing people in dumpsters. Apparently, the Unholy Trinity had given a go signal to terrorize the school again. It was supposed to be just Quinn and Santana and they would have been contented in watching students squirm on their feet. And maybe make fun of a person or two.
But that was until they noticed the absence of a certain brunette diva. Worried, they decided to give Rachel a call to check up on her. Brittany was excited to do just that, but her smile faded when her call was answered by none other than Alex.
"Rachel's phone."
Brittany quirked an eyebrow at the voice she recognized as not Rachel, "I didn't know Rachel's phone could talk," she replied a little harshly.
"I could be her voicemail for all you know."
The tall Cheerio rolled her eyes, "Why do you have Rachel's phone?"
"Because I can."
"I want to talk to her."
"You can't."
That irked her. A lot.
"And why the hell not?" Brittany snapped, her frustrations this morning and what with this conversation finally getting in to her. Quinn and Santana were now staring at her with matching eyebrow raise, 'Alex', she mouthed to her girlfriends.
Santana groaned. Quinn rolled her eyes.
'Speaker,' Quinn mouthed.
"She's asleep right now. Doctor H ordered complete bed rest."
Brittany sighed. She really didn't want this conversation with this girl but she's way too worried about Rachel's condition, "Is she okay?"
"Okay? You did see her this morning, right?"
Fuck you!
"Yes, I did. And if only I have an idea how she is right now, I wouldn't waste my time talking to you."
"Oohh. Fiesty blonde you are, Ms. Pierce. I had no idea."
"Shut up. Just tell Rachel the girls and I will stop by later this afternoon."
"I'm no messenger."
Brittany huffed. This girl was really starting to get on her nerves. And that's saying something.
"Buuttt..." the voice on the other line drew out, "if you say please, I might just remember to relay your message."
Bitch please. You wish.
"Never mind then," Brittany replied dryly and end the call with a firm press on the red button. See, that's the problem with mobile phones, you can't get the satisfaction of slamming the phone down.
Seconds later, each of the girls' phones vibrated. They looked up to see that they received the same message from Rachel. Or rather, from Rachel's phone.
Don't worry about Rachel. I'll make sure to give her the TLC she needed. I'll take VERY good care of her. ;) -A
And that was enough to turn the girls batshit crazy.
Fucking bitch. She made Brittany lose her cool. Now there's no controlling the Unholy Trinity.
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
Alex sighed for the hundredth time as she watched Rachel pace in the room. She had settled herself on the center of the diva's bed, leaning on the headboard with her arms crossed over her chest. Rachel had slept for most of the morning and woke up with a start. Alex was more of confused than surprised when she found the starlet with her eyes open wide and staring blankly at the ceiling. When she approached her, the girl sat up, jumped off the bed and bolted towards the bathroom. Once she came out, she had blurted about the girls apologizing and stuff that she couldn't really understand.
And then Rachel started pacing the room, mumbling to herself as if she was having a monologue.
"Will you quit your pacing? You're giving me a headache."
"I'm freaking out. Why am I freaking out? I shouldn't be freaking out, Alex. This…this is what I've always wanted to hear from them. And yet...Oh God. I am so freaking out," Rachel groaned, rubbing her face with her hands as she took a seat on the edge of the bed.
"You're right. Why are you freaking out about this, Rach? So they said they're sorry. Shouldn't you be, I don't know, happy? They finally hit their head and gained some senses with how stupid they are for what they did to you."
"I don't know, Al. It's just...It feels so...surreal. I mean, why now? Why just now? What changed? It's been almost two years!" Rachel exclaimed, tears threatening to fall from her eyes, "Two years of tormenting me and treating me like I don't matter," she said, her voice getting lower and trembling from the emotion overflowing within her.
After she had gotten enough rest, she woke up sore and totally confused with a mild migraine which only worsened when she remembered yesterday. A sudden rush of emotions hit her that she had literally bolted up from her bed.
She had the chance to finally think things through. It still felt like a dream but the ache in her body proved that what happened yesterday was real. The girls had apologized. To her. Like, really, really. Now that she was able to process all of it, the things the girls said to her had finally sunk in.
And wow, did it blow her mind away.
"You're scared."
It was such a simple statement and yet, it had hit it so close to home.
Rachel looked up at her friend with unshed tears in her eyes, "I'm so confused, Al. I'm scared of what they can do to me—how they can affect me. I'm scared of these feelings I have for them. I'm scared that…if I let them in and things get tough, they'd leave again. I-I don't know if...if…I can handle that the second time. I barely made it the first time, Alex!" Rachel cried out, tears now streaming down her face, "I just...I...I don't know what to do..."
Alex went over beside the distraught girl, rubbing circles on her back, "It's okay to feel that way, Rach. They hurt you. Big time. They turned their backs on you. They betrayed you. And you feel that way because you don't trust them and that's perfectly fine, Rachel. It's not unusual that you feel that way so please, please, stop freaking the hell out."
That last statement made the diva chuckled, and that's just exactly what Alex was aiming for.
"But seriously though, give yourself some value. You deserve this apology more than anyone. And in my opinion, it is way overdue," Alex paused, "But there's no need to rush things, Rach. You may be ready to forgive them, but you are obviously not ready to open up yourself to them. And there's nothing wrong with that. Trust isn't something you can just give and take. It takes time. And that's just exactly what you need. Time. And a lot of self-respect. And I mean, a lot. I know how much these girls can make you weak on the knees."
Rachel chuckled, "Can you blame me?"
Alex scrunched her face, "Obviously, you saw something in them that I couldn't."
The diva rolled her eyes then rubbed her face hard with her hands, "God. I'm such a mess."
"No, you're not. You're just feeling, Rachel," Alex paused for a moment and looked at her friend straight in the eye, "Something you haven't really done in a while."
Rachel was silent; her eyes getting that far away look before softly whispering, "I know," she then turned away from Alex, anxiously biting on her lower lip before looking back at the barista, her eyes filled with fear and uncertainty, "W-what if...what if they didn't mean it? What if this is just another prank? What if—"
"Then they can go fuck themselves and go to hell."
"Alex!"
"What?" Alex shrugged, "Come on, Rachel. Give yourself a break. Those bitches deserve it."
"Those were just hypothetical what if's though."
"That has the possibility to really happen."
"Y-you think so?"
Alex stared at the singer, studying the girl's face–hating the desperation and fear she could see on it. She wasn't used to seeing this side of Rachel and it was a heart breaking sight, "I don't know, Rach. But do you really think they can be that heartless?"
Rachel turned away, "I...no, I don't believe so."
Alex held Rachel's hand and gave it a squeeze, "Hey, don't worry about it too much. I'm sure everything's going to be fine. And if not...well, you have me. There's Jesse and Puck and your dads. We're all here for you."
"Thanks, Alex."
The barista smiled before turning serious again, "But you do understand what I'm trying to say, right?"
Rachel nodded and smiled, "Yes. And I wonder...when did you start making sense?"
"Bitch."
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
"What crawled up your asses?"
"Puck. What do you want?" Santana snarled, shoving books on her locker with Quinn and Brittany.
Puck watched as a group of jocks passed by with a struggling Jacob Ben Israel being lifted in the air. He smirked. Although he didn't agree with the current chaos the jocks and Cheerios were causing, Jewfro deserved it for always creeping on his Jewish princess.
"What's up with all this...commotion?" Puck asked, flailing his arms around.
"Shouldn't you be out doing what you do best?" Quinn asked as she turned to the mohawk jock, her arms crossed, purposely ignoring what he asked.
"Sleeping with anyone that wears a skirt is what he does best," Brittany snide, not looking up from her locker as she collected her books for her next class.
"Ouch. That is so not true. Rachel wears the shortest skirt around here but I never slept with her. And I don't plan to."
Somehow, that lessened the tension on the trio's body.
"She's gay, Puck. Of course she won't sleep with you," Santana said a matter-of-factly.
"Never stopped me before," Puck shrugged.
Santana rolled her eyes while Quinn scrunched her face in disgust. Brittany stared at him blankly.
"She's smokin' hot though. Like totally. If she wasn't my Jewbro, I'd totally tap that."
The girls had totally lost interest by now. Because, yeah. They were kind of already aware of that certain fact. Rachel Berry was freaking smoking. Hot damn.
"Seeing her naked was a bonus though," Puck added as an afterthought, his eyes in a daze as he remembered the day he walked on her in the bathroom, his signature smirk planted on his face. He jumped when the locker beside him was slammed shut—hard.
"Wait the fuck up. Did I hear you right? You," Santana pointed at the jock, "saw Rachel naked?" she sneered.
"Uhh..." Puck was at a loss. He didn't expect this reaction from any of the girls. Quinn was seething. Brittany was giving this scary look that creep him the hell out. And Santana? Well, she's being Santana. That was scary enough. What the hell gives?
"Yes? But that wa-Oww! Hey!" Puck raised his arms in attempt to shield his head from the attacking Cheerios, slamming their books on him.
"Fuck you, Puck!"
"Stay the hell away from Rachel!"
"You perverted asshole!"
With that, the Unholy Trinity power walked down the hallway, leaving an injured and bewildered Puck.
"The fuck?"
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
Gud thing ur MIA 2dy, Rach. Unholy Trinity gone on rampge ds am. -Puck
Rachel scrunched her face at the text-speak. She had called Puck before she had gone to sleep to inform him the cause of her absence. His message baffled her though.
What happened? And what did I tell you about text language? -R*
Dunno. Bt its crzy. Slshy nd dmpstr is bck. Nd sori. Im in cls. Gt wl sun babe. Mis u. -Puck
Rachel frowned at the idea that the slushies were back, but a smile made its way on her lips as she read the last part of his message.
Miss you too. See you soon. -R*
Rachel wondered what riled up the girls. They looked fine this morning. She shook her head in dismissal. Those girls sure had their moments. She winced at the thought of what could possibly be going on at McKinley today. Much of a loser she was, she had never been at the receiving end of the Unholy Trinity's crazies.
There was a knock on the door and Alex came in holding a tray.
"So, since we couldn't have that breakfast in bed, we can at least have lunch instead," Alex said as she approached the bed.
Rachel smiled and sat up, leaning her upper body against the headboard, "You didn't have to bring me food though. I'm sure I'm still able to walk just fine."
"I know. And I kinda have to do this because Doctor H was pretty headstrong when he told me that you are not to be let out of this room."
"Seriously?" Rachel asked in disbelief. What was she supposed to do in her room for three days? Plus two, counting the weekends since the third day of her 'rest' landed on a Friday.
"Yes. But it's not like I could stop you from moving around."
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
"I'm sorry. Are you lost?" Alex asked with feign confusion and innocence to the three girls that were standing on the Berry's porch.
"No. Are you?" Santana snide, fixing Alex a glare.
"Do I look like I'm lost?" Alex said, a smirk on her face as she pointed at herself. She was currently wearing a white button down shirt, the top buttons were left open and a very comfortable black boyleg shorts.
"Oh I don't know. I won't be surprised if you actually go walking around the streets wearing that."
"Nah. Rachel wouldn't let me. She has this habit of being overly protective. Really hot."
"Shouldn't you be somewhere else serving coffee?" Quinn snapped, irritation showing on her face.
"I took the day off," Alex shrugged and examined her nails with disinterest, "I realized Rachel needed someone to take care of her right now. And I was more than willing to leave my job for her. I mean, that's what friends do, right? You know, be there for each other."
"Of course," Quinn replied, her voice laced with indifference as she placed a hand on Santana's shoulder to keep her calm while her other hand was holding Brittany's.
"Can we see Rachel?" Brittany's soft, calm voice broke the silent tension, "Please."
Alex quirked a brow, examining the three girls in a different perspective for the first time. Before she could say anything, she felt a tug on the door and it opened wider, revealing a confused, sleepy diva.
The girls gawked at the sight of the disheveled brunette, a serious case of bed hair, an amusing black patch on her left eye with a big gold star in the middle, and clad only in a gray wifebeater and, apparently, a matching black boyleg shorts as Alex. They weren't really sure what shocked them more—the appearance of the diva or the fact that both of them were almost half dressed...or half naked? Or was it both? Either way, they seemed to have frozen on their spot.
"H-hey guys," Rachel finally choked once she was able to recover from her own shock. She cleared her throat and managed a smile, though she felt like it was more of a grimace, "Please come in."
Rachel and Alex moved aside, giving way for the girls. The girls had somehow managed to snap out of their stupor and quietly, albeit a little stiffly, walked inside the house and sat on the living room. They indulged in the warmth that the Berry household gave off. It was all too familiar and yet, they felt out of place.
"We hope we're not interrupting anything."
Rachel looked at the Head Cheerio whose eyes were currently glued to Alex as she said those words so she wasn't really sure who the blonde was talking to. And then she realized what Quinn had said and reflexively looked down at herself then to Alex and it dawn onto her what the blonde meant. She felt the heat rush up to her face and she began rambling.
"Oh...No. No. It's not...uhh...you're not interrupting anything. We were just sleeping together," Rachel quickly backtracked when she noticed the looks on the girls' faces and quickly added, "I mean literally sleeping! Like, sharing the same bed but just sleeping. And…uhhh…I...err...let me just put some decent clothes on," Rachel stuttered as she dashed towards her room.
Five minutes later, she returned wearing a set of sweats and carrying another set of pants. She threw the set of pants on Alex's direction who was currently sitting on the loveseat.
"Mmff! Hey!"
"Put those on."
"But Rach..." Alex whined. "I'm quite comfortable with my current clothes."
"Well, I'm not! And in case you haven't noticed, we have guests." Rachel huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.
"You weren't complaining earlier when we were—"
"Just put the pants on, Al. Please," Rachel insisted, her eyes big as she looked at Alex, giving her a 'please-behave-before-you-make-things-really-awkwa rd' look.
Alex rolled her eyes and sighed, "Fine," She stood up from her seat and went straight to the bathroom to change, leaving Rachel with the three cheerleaders in a living room laced with all sorts of weird atmosphere.
Rachel settled herself on the love seat. She cleared her throat and wiped her hands on her pants, another nervous habit of hers, "So..."
"Nice eye patch," Brittany blurted out, breaking the awkward silence.
"Oh...uhh...thanks," Rachel said as her hand unconsciously flew on the eye patch, "Dad gave it to me. He said it makes me look badass instead of looking like a battered teenage girl."
"It's cute," Brittany giggled.
Rachel pouted, feeling the atmosphere getting lighter, "But I was going for a badass image."
"It would have if not for the star," Quinn stated, an amused smile playing on her lips.
"Yeah, well, you know how stars are kind of my thing."
That was the moment Alex walked in, holding a tray of drinks for their 'guests' and thankfully, already clad in pants. She silently placed the tray on the table, walked towards the diva but instead of sitting down, she leaned down and whispered to her ear.
"I'll just be in the other room. If you need anything, call me," Alex said softly. As much as she wanted to stay with Rachel, she knew being in the room with the cheerleaders for a period of time would only result to disaster. She couldn't seem to behave herself when they were around and she didn't want things to be awkward for Rachel. The girl had gone through enough for today. The teasing could wait.
Rachel only nodded and offered a smile, thanking the barista silently.
The trio watched the interaction between the two brunettes. Quinn pursed her lips in annoyance, Santana glowered while Brittany crossed her arms and pouted as Alex's lips almost touched the brunette's ear as she whispered to her ear, shared a silent conversation with their eyes before Rachel nodded and smile. Alex returned that smile, and much to their displeasure, leaned down to press a gentle kiss at the diva's forehead before giving the cheerleaders a warning glance and then walked away.
The display of affection looked too...domestic in the girls' eyes and—ouch, that was a painful sight to look at. And Santana, being Santana...well...
"Are you guys together?"
"Santana!"
"San!"
"Sorry?" Rachel asked, her eyes growing wide comically.
"I'm sorry, Rachel. You know how Santana is," Quinn apologized, offering a tight smile to the singer as one of her hands gripped the Latina's wrists and dug her nails on it. Her smile morphed in to a sincere one when she heard the Latina hissed. Brittany, on the other hand, was itching to hit the back of Santana's head.
"It's okay. We kind of get that reaction a lot," Rachel shrugged, smiling sheepishly, "I was just a little surprised. I understand though. Alex could be a little—"
"Flirty?" Quinn said.
"Touchy?" Brittany offered.
"Bitchy?"
"San!"
"What?"
Rachel watched in amusement as Quinn and Brittany reprimanded the Latina who was just shrugging it off. It seemed like nothing much had changed. Santana would always be snarky and blunt, Quinn would always be the polite one and Brittany would always be the one to keep the two girls in check. Now, where would Rachel fit in all of these? Did she even still have a place?
"Affectionate. I was going for affectionate," Rachel finished her statement and the trio's bantering automatically stopped.
"Well, that's good for her," Quinn replied, being her usual polite self before Santana could offer another inappropriate comment.
"Yeah..." Rachel drawled out, unsure of what to say next, "So, what brought you guys here? I wasn't really expecting any guests today so forgive me if I'm such a mess."
"We actually called earlier but you were asleep. I talked to Alex but I guess she didn't mention we were supposed to come today."
"Oh. It must have slipped her mind," Rachel offered but if she knew the barista well—which she did—Alex purposely didn't mention anything about it. And it seemed like the girls shared the same thought.
"Oh I sure bet she forgot all about it," Santana said snidely with a roll of her eyes.
"San, will you stop being yourself for the mean time?"
In their surprise, instead of stating an argument and being petulant, Santana sighed, leaned on the sofa and looked straight at the starlet, "Sorry, Rach. It's been a long day."
Rachel was taken aback that her mouth opened and closed in attempt to say something. She didn't see that one coming, so as the rare gentle voice from the Latina, "Uhh...it's okay. I understand. I'm sure you have a lot on your plate," Rachel said, her eyes darting everywhere as a thought came to her mind, "You really didn't have to come over though. You should have gone home and rest. I'm sure—"
"No, Rachel," Santana stopped the girl, her voice laced with firmness, "We want to be here. I'm sorry if you got this all wrong. It's just..." It's Alex! She irritated the hell out of me! "Look, we want to be here," she repeated as she met the diva's eyes, "Honestly, we were looking forward to seeing you. You're not in school today and...you know. We thought we could pay you a visit and see how you are doing."
"Also, we brought you notes from your classes so you wouldn't miss much," Quinn said as she dug through her bag and handed the brunette some papers, "We know how much you hated missing school."
"Wow. Thanks. That's very thoughtful of you," Rachel beamed as she took the notes from Quinn. She scanned through it and was surprised that even those subjects that she didn't share with any of the three was there.
"It's our pleasure, Rachel," Quinn replied, giving the brunette one of those sweet smiles that could melt anyone.
Oh, the girls didn't need to mention how they threatened the nerds to make sure to get notes for the diva on the subjects that they didn't share with Rachel. She didn't have to know that.
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
For the next two days that Rachel didn't go to school, the trio would always find themselves on the girl's doorstep every afternoon, bringing notes and checking up on her. And for two days, they would do their best to rein in the jealousy they felt as they watched Alex being affectionate to the diva. And for Rachel's sake, Alex and the girls had silently agreed to tone down the insults and mockeries and act civil around each other.
On Friday night, Alex had to leave early, much to the girls' delight. The trio offered to stay longer so that Rachel wouldn't be alone. Rachel then invited them to stay for dinner and they were more than glad to accept the offer.
So now, here they were, sitting in the Berry's kitchen as they intently watch Rachel cook dinner for them since the singer was adamant to accept help from them.
"You're guests. I would be such a poor hostess if I let you cook your own dinner which I invited you to, by the way."
The girls finally relented and simply settled themselves on the kitchen island. They talked and joked around as if they didn't spend the last two years living different lives. Their conversation was interrupted when Rachel's phone started ringing. The trio watched as the tiny brunette's face morphed in to a frown as she stared at her phone's screen.
"Aren't you going to answer that?" Brittany asked.
Rachel pursed her lips as if debating against herself if she would answer the phone or not. She could sense the girls' eyes on her. Finally coming to a decision, she excused herself and took the call.
Santana watched the diva closely as she exited the kitchen, phone on her ears. She had observed the way Rachel anxiously stared at her phone and sensed that something was up right away. Relying on her Mexican third eye, the Latina made a move to follow the diva who went to the living room.
"S, where are you going?"
"Ssshhh!" Santana shushed the blondes, placing a finger on her lips. With her ninja skills, she subtly walked closer to the oblivious diva who was harshly whispering on the phone.
"I can't tonight, Bry. Dad won't let me."
...
"I thought he took care of it?"
...
Rachel sighed and rubbed her temples, "What is it this time?"
...
"What? I can't believe he'd do that."
...
"What about Jesse or Puck?"
...
"Fine. I'll be there tonight," Rachel huffed before ending the call.
Santana quickly walked back towards the kitchen. By the time her butt made contact to the seat, Rachel appeared on the entryway with a forced-Santana could see it-smile. The Latina sent a subtle look that said 'Later' to her confused girlfriends.
"So, who was it?" Santana asked casually as if she didn't spend the few minutes eavesdropping on the starlet. She wasn't able to hear the person on the other end of the line though. All she knew was that his name was 'Bry' which was probably a shortened name for something else. But whatever it was about, it sounded off to her.
And the way Rachel seemed to look distant and aloof about it only intensified the Latina's curiosity. She could see how the girl tensed at her question.
"Umm…that was...Dad. He was just checking up on me."
"I see," Santana replied, eyeing the diva who was now busy preparing the table as Quinn and Brittany helped. Of course Rachel was lying. Even if she didn't sneak up on her, she could see the lie all over Rachel's face. And it made her wonder why Rachel needed to lie. What was Rachel hiding from them? Better yet, why did she need to hide whatever it was?
"San, are you okay?"
Santana snapped back to reality when she felt Brittany squeezed her hand. She turned to her girlfriend and forced a smile, "I'm good, B."
"You're awfully quiet though," Rachel observed.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Quinn quipped, sending her Latina girlfriend a teasing smirk though her hazel eyes showed signs of curiosity.
"Shut up, blondie."
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
Rachel stomped inside the fight club. She felt bad about sneaking on her Daddy Hiram and she was sure she would get in a lot of trouble after this but she had her reasons. If only she had a choice, she would have preferred to stay at home and sleep. She was greeted by Brian who was looking at her apologetically.
"Sorry, Star. I heard you had a rough week but...I know how you hate your Dad fighting in the ring. I tried to stop him but you know how he is. Just don't cause any commotion, alright?"
Rachel nodded, "Thanks, Bry. I owe you one."
"Sure, kid. Good luck."
Rachel spotted her dad easily who seemed to be having a heated argument with Jesse and Puck. She hurriedly walked towards the trio and they all stopped talking as soon as she got close to them.
"Rachel! I swear I tried to stop him—"
"Honey, what are you doing here? What did I tell you ab—"
"Dad! Are you being serious right now?" Rachel huffed as she chastised her father.
"Rachel."
"Dad."
The two Berry's stared at each other with equal intensity, both too stubborn to look away. Jesse and Puck shifted uncomfortably as they watch the staring contest, feeling the tension between the father and daughter.
"Rachel, I'm doing this for you."
"And you don't have to. You can get in trouble when you go in there. You haven't been in the ring for quite a while."
"I will do just fine."
Rachel shook her head at her dad's stubbornness. She sure got it from him, "Dad, please. Don't do this."
Leroy stared at his daughter who was looking at him with pleading eyes, "Rachel, honey, you're in no condition to fight tonight. I tried to ask nicely but things kind of gotten out of hand. That bastard-"
"Dad!"
"I'm sorry, honey. I never meant to bring you into this."
"Oh God, Dad! Are we really having this conversation now?" Rachel exclaimed as she flailed her arms around, "Juts forfeit. Let's just go home."
"Umm...they won't let you forfeit, Rach," Jesse said reluctantly.
"What? Why the hell not?"
"Language!"
"Sorry," Rachel responded automatically. She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Fine. I'll fight."
"Absolutely not!"
"Dad! You're in no condition to fight more than I am. I have rested enough. I can handle this and there's nothing you can do about it."
With that, Rachel turned around and marched towards Brian to talk about the changes on the match.
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
Rachel won the fight but not before limping out of the ring with more bruises than she could ever imagine. She might have to skip school next week as well because of it.
She was in a hurry to get out of the place so she could avoid the confrontation with her dad. She was in so much pain right now and she wasn't sure if she could concentrate enough to handle a decent conversation with him. She was just about to get onto her bike when she felt someone grab her arm.
"What are you suicidal?!"
"Alex.."
"Don't Alex me! What were you thinking—wait. Were you even thinking?"
"Yes! I was! I was thinking about my Dad not getting hurt again! I was thinking about the day when he almost died and I told myself that I would never let that happen again!" Rachel snapped, her arms moving around as she blinked the unshed tears in her eyes—her emotions going haywire as she remembered the day that she would spend most of her afternoon and night sitting beside her dad's hospital bed.
Alex visibly softened and pulled the distraught girl in her arms, "I'm sorry, Rach. I just...I was worried. You scared me in there. If it wasn't for Puck or Jesse, I might have just got in to that ring and beat the crap out of that guy. Fuck the rules."
Rachel chuckled despite the pain in her body as she pulled herself away from the hug, "It's okay. And thanks for being here. I didn't see you come in though."
Alex shrugged, "Eh. You were busy kicking ass."
"Rachel!"
Rachel groaned, "Noah, please. No talking."
"Promise. I just want to check if you're okay to drive home. Hey Alex."
"Sup, Puck?"
Rachel nodded and smiled tiredly, "I'll be fine, Noah. Thanks."
"Don't worry, Puck. I'll drive her home."
"I can't just leave my bike here, Al."
"Who said about leaving your bike? Hand me your keys."
"But—"
"Keys, Rachel. Don't make me say it again," Alex demanded, lending her palm out.
"Hot," Puck mumbled to herself as he stared at the barista. His smirk grew wider when Alex threw him a flirty wink.
Rachel rolled her eyes and huffed, placing the keys of her bike on Alex's hand, "Just be careful, okay?"
Alex scoffed, "Of course. Relax. I'll take care of your baby. And you," she added with a wink.
Rachel smiled as she pulled the barista in to another hug.
"Let's convoy though. For my own peace of mind," Puck said, dangling the keys of his truck.
"Fine," Rachel agreed as they made their way towards their vehicles.
"Fight club, huh? I would have never guessed."
The three froze at the very familiar voice. Rachel's heart thudded as she took in a sharp breath, closed her eyes and prayed that she was mistaken. Slowly, she turned around and opened her eyes.
"Fuck."
Right there, standing in front of her with all their glory and hotness, was the Unholy Trinity.
Author's Note:
Thoughts? Opinions? I've always wondered how I'm going to write about the UT finding out about Rachel and I already had a few ideas. But this one wasn't really one of them. :p This was kind of a last minute thought. You know. For the sake of progress. :p I hope it wasn't a disappointment. This is the 11th chapter and I thought it's about time that the girls find out about Rachel's Friday night out. Tell me what you think?
I've also added some moments with Rachel's dads just so they don't appear nonchalant about everything. I've always wanted to portray them as caring parents. I'm aiming for a happy family for Rachel since everything else in her life is shitty (except for Alex, Jesse and Puck).
Also, for those who haven't noticed yet, I've posted the alternate ending for Chapter 9 that I was talking about—where the girls molested Rachel in her sleep. ;) It was posted separately. Go check it out.
Again, thank you so much for the never ending support for this story. I hope you will never stop. If you have time, please do drop me a review. They always made my day and make me push harder for this story.