AN: Yo everyone! I'm back. Thank you so much for the new follows, favourites and reviews and sorry for the ultramegasuperlong hiatus. There's too much going on in my life + I have this writer's block that just wouldn't leave me alone for the longest time. Anyway, here's chapter 12, lovelies. Hope you like it. This one's unbeta-ed 'cause I forgot my Yahoomail password and therefore I didn't know how to send this to my beta so all mistakes are mine. XD
Chapter 12
The cold feeling Judy has had the past evening doesn't amount to half the coldness she feels as she wakes up the next day. She's always cold and empty, but this morning cold – which she's sure is what woke her up – feels different. Initially, she is confused by the slight aching on her back, but as the early morning fog in her brain settles down, she feels the past night come back to her in full force.
Russel… Quinn's grade… Quinn… The closet… Both of them sleeping on the wall…
It was enough to fully wake her up and forget about the pain in her joints as her eyes snap open.
Judy moves her legs and frowns at the oddly weightless feeling as she does so. For some reason, they feellight – too light, in fact. Then her eyes widen as she remembers last night further and realizes that the reason why she's been feeling so cold is because Quinn's head is no longer on her lap as it was last night.
This awareness makes her heart skip a beat – she swears it does – and she startles up. Shaking not so slightly, she stands up and clumsily gropes at the wall to find the switch, her whole body engulfed in fear.
Has Russel taken Quinn while she was asleep? Has he hurt her even further?
She feels tears prick her eyes uncontrollably. She can never forgive herself if she hasn't even felt it last night.
She finally finds the switch and light fills the cold room. Judy fights the glare that the sudden illumination causes. Still, she doesn't close them, because she's eager to find her child and every second of not seeing her could mean the worst.
Her fears are assuage – but only slightly – when she sees Quinn's small form huddled on the other side of the room. Her daughter has her legs close to her chest, a terribly guilty expression coating her face. Her remorseful eyes turn to Judy when the room is illumined. Judy kneels close to her, swallowing her own tears with much difficulty. How did she not feel it when Quinn left her side?
But there's no time for self-blame now. For now, she needs Quinn to calm down, to be OK.
"It's OK, honey," she says, shakily clearing Quinn's hair off her forehead – in which a bruise has formed – and kissing it affectionately. How many times has she lied to her daughter? Nothing was ever OK. She can almost feel the fear and guilt which constantly feed off her child rebound on her so she closes her eyes for a while and pleads herself to be strong.
Quinn needs her to be strong.
"How are you feeling?" She knows it isn't exactly the right question but she hopes Quinn will open up to her after last night.
Her broken child's eyes momentarily shift downwards at the question before they are hesitantly fixated on Judy's again. The guilt and pain in them sends an arrow straight to the older woman's heart, and the pain triples when Quinn doesn't say anything back, shakes her head instead and moves her stare downward once more. Judy kisses Quinn's forehead again, hoping against hope that her child can feel how much she means to her.
"I'm O-OK, mama," Quinn whispers a few seconds after Judy's kiss. But the words feel heavy. And her voice is small, hoarse and weary. Judy has to bite her lip again to brace herself. Last night wouldn't cure anything that easily. "I-I'm sorry."
"No. No. Can you look at me, please," the mother pleads, lowering her head slightly in an attempt to catch Quinn's eyes. The plea goes unaddressed, though, as Quinn does no movement. "You have nothing to feel bad about, Quinn, just like what I said last night," she continues, the lump in her throat growing exponentially as her baby continues to avoid eye contact. "You have been a very good girl."
Quinn gives Judy no answer yet again, which causes the latter to sigh. "I'll just check the door to see if we can come out, OK?"
Judy squeezes her eyes and tightly closes her knuckles momentarily when Quinn's only response is to curl further into herself, wincing visibly. She purses her lips as she remembers how Russel kicked her like some dummy again last night.
She touches her baby's shoulder before moving her hand to lightly rub the bruise on her forehead. Quinn doesn't respond still, and Judy half-heartedly stands up and approaches the door to check if it's unlocked from the outside.
However, she shrieks instead as the door swings open just before she touches the knob.
The snarky grin of her husband welcomes her. Russel turns his glum look to Judy as he enters the door.
"Judy."
The one-syllable word is laced with malice and ill-intent. But Judy's chest starts heaving when she realizes that he's holding an army knife which she recognizes as Henry's – Russel's father – gift to him when he was a child.
Seeing the implement causes Quinn's chin to tremble out of fear as well and Judy tries to coax the young, frightened girl to look at her instead. Quinn's terrified eyes – however – are already stuck on the knife.
Russel, who also seems to be hiding something behind him, regards Judy first. "Get out of here and fix us some breakfast. Then pack our bags. We'll be leaving in a while."
"What-"
"Have you gone deaf as well? Just pack our bags. We'll be away for four days."
Judy looks at the knife he's holding, then at Russel, tears of fear forming in her eyes as her chest continues to heave. "R-Russel… Please… Don't-" she pleads shakily.
"Oh please, Judy," he says, rolling his eyes. "This isn't for her. Now leave us or else you'll actually make me punish her for all she's worth and use this on her."
"Russel, please, l-let's go out together. It's e-enough. Please…"
"One." Russel counts coldly. A serious warning. "Don't let me get to three."
"Honey…"
"Two."
Judy does what she does best: closing her eyes and pursing her lips through things. She knows better than to ignore his warnings. If he counts to three, Quinn will be in for much worse punishments.
As she looks at her terrified child, she laments about how she can't help her now. She's helpless now.
And Judy has learned that helplessness does not help the cowardly.
However, this will be last time she won't be able to help her child against Russel and she'll make sure of that. No more hurt after this. But for now, with sorrowful yet eager eyes, she tries to catch Quinn's hazel ones to silently tell her that things will be OK.
She will make things OK.
/
Judy holds back a curse when she notices that she has taken the wrong shirt for Russel out of the closet again. She can't seem to get back to her elements and even her breathing is rugged as she fixes their trip necessities. The two of them are going to Hawaii for four days, which came as a total surprise to her as Russel would normally tell her about trips a day or two prior them.
Her husband is getting more and more unreadable as time goes on and it drives Judy insane. Even his angry fits are getting more and more often. What would he do next? Leave suddenly for a month and ditch a helpless Quinn to her own defenses?
She watches him as he gets ready to take a bath. He usually takes one after a beating like that would be enough to clean anything.
Russel isn't the most powerful man in the land, but he can easily be considered the second. His boss, Malcomn Sterling or Iron Dragon to most people, is the most powerful, and Russel, being his right hand gets an insane amount of power and protection. Iron Dragon owns the biggest drug empire in Ohio and its neighboring states and Judy knows for a fact how prominently and steadily he controls the police and the local government. Aside from unlimited supply of illegal drugs, the highest officials are fed by bundles of bucks monthly. How else can the empire still exist if not for that?
Even if they report Russel and successfully have him imprisoned, he can easily get out of jail through the Iron Dragon's help. The only way for Judy to get Russel out of Quinn's life is to kill him. She can do that while they're on their trip, make it seem like an accident, so Quinn doesn't have to witness anything. She can't subject her daughter to more trauma.
When Russel finally gets into the shower, Judy immediately runs for the telephone. She is yet to check on Quinn since she left her with Russel. There has been no trace of blood on the knife or his clothes when he came back, but Judy knows she shouldn't be so complacent.
But first, she has a call to make.
She shakily dials Rachel's number – one that she has memorized so well. It's the only number she has ever used since Russel started his cruelty, after all. After three rings, a click and static is heard – exactly how everything inside her feels at this moment – static. Clicks. Just so many loud sounds, none of which clear.
"Hello," the well-sounding voice says from the other line. The niceness of it doesn't calm Judy's fears even a little. She has never sought favors from anyone before because she has never been allowed to, nor did she have enough courage to try. But Quinn just seems so broken and out of it now that Judy actually dreads the idea of leaving her home alone. She's risking so much here but it's better than all the other possibilities associated with leaving her daughter by herself.
"Hi. I-is this Rachel," she asks, hating herself for her slightly shaking voice. She can't even be tough enough for this. How is she going to do what she needs to do to Russel?
"Speaking," Rachel answers. She can sense confusion and worry with those words and Judy leans on the belief that she'll be leaving her daughter to the care of the right people.
"This is Judy. Uhm, Fabray," she starts, continuing to fiddle with the telephone wire nervously.
"Yes, yes. Hi Mrs. Fabray. I mean, Judy. Yeah. That. Uhmm. Sorry. So, is everything OK?" Rachel says stiltedly.
From her end of the line, Judy manages to smile for the first time since yesterday at the young woman's antics. Rachel seems so flustered and it's amusing. If she only has any idea of the terrible person that Judy is, flustered would be the last thing she'd feel in her presence. Judy feels a bit of the nervous feeling slip away – just a little because the fear still prevails – but it's something. This may not be so hard after all.
"Everything's fine, honey. But I really need to rush and I was hoping to ask a f-favor from you," she says, silently cursing herself for the stutter.
"Of course you can, M-Judy. What is it?"
Judy takes a glance at the bathroom door again. Russel wouldn't be out of it for a while but her heart's still beating so fast. He wouldn't be happy with seeing Judy on the phone, no matter who it is that she's talking to.
Almost unaware of doing it, she lowers her voice. "Well, uhm, Russel and I have to attend this business trip and we can't bring Quinn with us. She'll be alone at home and I don't really want that. Can she please stay with you? Until Wednesday? I'm sorry if this seemed so sudden, I just have no one else to call."
There was a very, very short pause from the other line, which feels like forever to Judy, causing her eyes to burn and her hands to shake.
Rachel has to say yes. She just has to.
Please don't say no. Please.
"Of course she can," Rachel answers and Judy's hand shakes harder at the overwhelming relief she feels. She has to support the arm that's holding the phone or it would surely clutter to the floor. The fact that she's not expecting such willingness to help from another person does not help at all. "It's very fine. No problem at all." Judy can tell the sincerity in her words and that assuages her fears a little more.
Rachel cares. That's more than she can hope for.
That's when Judy thinks that now more than ever, she is willing to risk it all. For the first time in a long while, there's somebody out there who seems to genuinely care about her Quinnie. For the first time in a long while, Judy doesn't feel as helpless. Or as hopeless. Maybe they can help Quinn the way she can't. Maybe they can help Quinn get better.
Judy doesn't have to be saved. She doesn't deserve to be. She's almost in the same depth of hell of sinning Russel is in. But Quinn needs to be saved – she deserves to be. She wants her daughter to live the life that was meant for her to live. She wants Quinn to grow and be the beautiful person she's sure she'll become.
The Berrys are the only hope she has. As much as it pains her as a mother to think about it, Quinn can live her life better without her.
"Judy?"
"Oh I'm sorry, honey. I zoned out. Thank you very much. You have no idea what that means to me and her."
"I told you it's not a problem. Do you need me to fetch her?"
"Y-yes, please. Thank you. Can you get her around two o'clock this afternoon?"
"Of course."
"Thank you so much, honey. I'll repay you in this favor as soon as I can."
If I can, she thinks gloomily.
"There's no need, Judy. I owe your daughter a lot, to be honest." Rachel's voice is laced with sincerity – but there's something akin to guilt in it, too. She doesn't know Quinn and Rachel's story, but Rachel's statement worries her.
Judy wonders if Rachel can hear the guilt out of Judy's voice, too. She wishes she can. "I'll make sure her needs will be taken care of. You don't have to worry about anything, M-Judy."
"OK, sweetie. Thank you."
/
The thing with Santana Lopez – is she never believed in true love. Brittany changes that perception in every single way, but seeing her father and mother fight again today is curbing that fragile belief again.
It's the same topic – that woman, Leticia, she heard – that's causing the commotion at 7 o'clock in the morning. Other families would be having breakfast at this time but not her's, obviously. It's a routine, in fact, and Santana was even prepared for it to happen again.
What she isn't prepared for though, is – finally – her father's frustrated admission and him pulling his suitcase out the door after an unfinished, bland breakfast. Santana's older brother Juan and younger sister Raisa retreated into their room before the fight – apparently tired of having to deal with the same sh*t on a day-to-day basis. They didn't even come out to watch their father go. Maybe they don't want to. Or they can't. Santana is tired, too, to be honest, but she is glad that the lies are coming to an end.
She detests – most of all – the lies, she thinks, as she watches her mother slump down on the doorway after angrily and hoarsely shouting at her father's retreating figure from the door.
She sits in front of Maribel and gently, lovingly moves a few stray hairs out of her face. Seeing her mother this way hurts too much and she gets this sudden impulse to follow his father and hit him with all the words he deserves to hear. Her mother is a good woman who happened to marry a good but idiotic man.
"At least he finally admitted to having his bitch," are the only words she says, matter-of-factly and with jaws tightly clenched despite her best efforts not to showcase any emotion. She's not good with comforting words and emotions only make her words more horrible. She's so angry right now but she can't show it for the sake of her mother.
She's heartbroken as well, but she finds the need to hide it, too.
A part of her had always wanted to believe her father's previous lies even if she had so much doubt about them herself, perhaps because of her desperate desire to believe in love and in their family. So now that the truth's slapping her straight to the face, she feels shattered. "That's a – that's a mile's worth of progress, I think," she manages to add.
This only prompts Maribel to cry harder. "What have I ever done wrong, Sanna?"Her mother chokes on a sob and Santana tries to shush her but to no avail. "Am I ugly? Do I smell bad? Did I not show him I loved him enough," she says, the desperation lacing her voice tearing Santana apart despite her best efforts to keep herself together.
"No mami. Listen to me. It's not you who did wrong. Papi's just too blind to see how lucky he was to have you in his life and what he'll be missing without you," Santana says, meaning everything in it. "It's him who fucked up, not you. He never deserved you all those years. He never deserved this family."
Santana thinks about her own words and almost smiles internally, because now that she'd said them, she has this realization that they're all true. She has always looked up to her father – believing everything he says about life and love and people – that she chose to believe in them instead of what she believed in herself.
She has been so scared to acknowledge who she is and how she feels because she has always known that all it would cause his father is disappointment. And she hates making him feel that way. When she commits mistakes or does or says something Emilio wouldn't like, her father would give her a cold shoulder – some of them lasting for months – until she feels awful enough to admit that she's wrong. He does the same to her brother and sister.
His father is a doctor by profession but a douchebag by deed.
Her mother's broken words bring her back to where she is and what's happening to her at the moment. "Then why I am the one who's left alone," Maribel cries.
"You're not. You have us, mami. We will never leave you. You don't need him. We don't need him. He's the one who's alone. We're OK. We're OK, mami, we're OK."
She says that again and again until the words blend together and she starts to partly believe herself.
/
She runs to the one place she usually goes to when she feels the world shatter – one her father built with her – the tree house. She climbs the stairs faster than she ever did in her entire life and immediately slumps in one of the walls – just under a window – when she reaches the little house she loved since she was a child.
Her chest hurts and she rubs it as tears finally fall from her eyes. Her family is falling apart and that's tearing her completely. And all she hears is static and all she sees is blur. Or almost. Because it's not all blur if she accepts in her heart what she really sees. Because through the haze, there is one thing she sees clearly: Her beautiful Brittany's face. And that feeling of want to never ever lose her because she's everything she has and there's nothing else in this world she needs only becomes stronger.
It's the same feeling she had – always – when she was in the same situation before. But never did she take her phone out and called Brittany everytime she has similar moments. Because what would her father think if she'd rather be in the arms of another girl during her most vulnerable times? He'd flip out – for sure, the homophobe that he is.
Truth is, Santana never believed in love. In happiness. In comfort. She never believed in anything until she met Brittany. Then she believed in everything that was the innocent, sweet blonde. Even something that used to be so foreign to her as love. Brittany is love. Brittany is everything. She's Santana's everything.
F*ck her father. She wants Brittany right now.
With shaky hands, she retrieves her phone from the right pocket of her short shorts and dials a number she can memorize better than her own. Her sweet blonde is still angry right now but she knows Brittany – who seems to have this special radar that can tell when her friends are sad – will answer.
It took three tries and seven rings on her fourth one for her love to pick up.
"Britt, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't call you but I just-" Santana says in one beat, now pacing around the hut and only pausing as she chokes on a sob. "I n-need you, Britt."
Brittany tries to shush her from the other line. "Hey, Tana, stop crying, please. You know I don't like it when you cry. I'm sorry my phone was in the fridge. It'll be OK. Wait for me, I'm coming," Brittany tells her simply, worriedly, which makes Santana feel worse about herself and everything. Despite all she's done, Brittany cares for her and is not afraid to show it. It's more than what she has given Brittany all those years.
"No. I need to get out of here for a while," she said. Juan and Raisa can take care of her mother for tonight. She needs to get somewhere else or she'll explode or something. "Can I – can I come to you?"
"Anytime, San. So do I have to-"
"I- I love you, Brittany," Santana interrupts. Fast. Suddenly. She doesn't know if it's the departure of her father or the sadness that grips her heart with that, or maybe, just maybe, it's her long ago desire to say this to Brittany that gives her this unexplainable bravery to confess what she feels, but she can't stop herself now. Perhaps being away from Brittany these past few days has affected her way more than she thought or whatever. And now that she has finally brought those words out of her mouth, there's no way she's going to take them back. She'll be damned if she would. "I'm sorry I have been so stupid and cowardly. But I love you. Oh gosh, I love you."
She hears Brittany heave a soft sigh from the other line, which frustrates Santana who couldn't read through that action. "Hey. Don't worry," Brittany says. "Of course, you know that I love you too, Tana."
"No it's not that. I love you, Britbrit. In a not bestie way. I love you. Everything we did – all those things we enjoyed doing together – it meant so much more than that to me. I love you. Not as a friend or as a bestie or a bedmate or anything. I just love you. Like I want to be with you all the time because everywhere else sucks. I love you. In an I-want-you-to-be-mine kind of way. And I'm not afraid to say that now."
"San, I-"
"Please, Britt. I love you. And I-"
"SANTANA," Brittany raises her voice a little, causing Santana to pause. Oops.
"Yes, Brit," Santana replies shakily.
"You said a lot of words but I understood what you meant the first time you said I love you," Brittany says. Santana can hear the smile from her end of the line.
"Oh."
"And I love you, too. How can I not? You're a unicorn. The best unicorn out of all the best unicorns. But you have a lot to make up to after how you were acting recently. But let's talk later. Not on phone. When you get here."
"S-sure," Santana stutters out.
"Rachel will be also coming over – hopefully with Quinn – so I need your help around, 'kay?"
Santana, who's still a little shocked at the moment, only nods dumbly.
"And, I want to celebrate Laurie's birthday today instead so I guess I really need you, too, even if she hates you." Brittany adds from the other line. "So see you here later, Tana. Know that I winked as I said that."
With that, the line goes dead.
And as Santana, still in a possessed state with her mouth hanging open a little, puts the phone down, all she that her head can hear are Brittany's "I love you, too," and somehow that makes everything feel better.
/
When Judy gets inside Quinn's room, her heart immediately stops. Quinn is on her bed, curled in a sitting position against her headrest, eyes unfocused. She jumps in fear when the door is opened, eyes widening as her head snaps to the door's direction. She calms down slightly when she's certain that it's not her father, but she doesn't stop breathing heavily as she turns her unfocused eyes in a spot on her bed again. Judy swiftly gives her daughter a quick lookover, checking for new injuries. There are bruises on her arms and forehead, but Judy knows they're from last night. There seems to be new visible damages but the shaken look in Quinn's eyes as she rocks a little from where she sits on her bed, chills Judy to the core.
What has Russel done?
Curbing the urge to scream, she sits down in front of her daughter, who refuses to look at her.
"Quinnie?"
No response.
"C-can you tell me what happened down there? What did your father do?"
Quinn bites her lower lip and shakes her head but the terror Judy sees in her eyes, even when they're not looking in her direction, betrays how she feels.
Judy closes her eyes, frustrated, and takes a deep breath to give herself its much needed strength. She tries to coax her daughter to open up to her but it seems like pushing only consequently pushes Quinn back into her shell.
"You'll be staying with Rachel for the meantime," Judy decides to say instead and that thankfully gets Quinn's attention, as the young blonde turns her head to her, eyes – although not fully meeting Judy's own – dotted with something akin to hope now. There's also apprehension in them – lots of it in fact – but Judy chooses to hold on to that little hope as she smiles sadly and strokes one of her daughter's cold, pale cheeks. Rachel means a lot to Quinn, she can tell. "I called her and she'll be picking you up at 2. Pack your bags only after we're gone and make sure to be home by Wednesday morning."
Judy manages to give her still slightly confused daughter a small smile. For the first time, she's feeling brave. She doesn't know if that courage will last until she's alone with Russel, but she's making sure all these will end.
Quinn can be safe with Rachel. Her previous plan sucked, that much she knows. If only she isn't stupid, she can make better plans. Faster ones. But no. She's a forsaken idiot who has not graduated college and was locked in most of her life to know any of the constitution or law that could help them.
But to say she hadn't hoped that her plan would somehow be good for them would be a great big lie.
You see, she saw a little abandoned house along the way to Rachel's. She was thinking that maybe they can escape from Russel and squat there for a while. It's not an ideal place to live but it's something.
It's a start.
Just a little cleaning up, then maybe they can temporarily stay and hide there. She and Quinn can sleep on the floor while Judy thinks of somewhere to go. Then maybe she can sneak to Rachel's house in the middle of the night, tell her their condition and her fathers can help them get to another country or anywhere far from Russel. She'd never ask them to file a case or get involved because she doesn't want them to be dragged to their dangerous situation.
She can keep some amount. Judy learned that while he is a sucker for huge amounts, Russel isn't really keeping note of smaller ones. She stole 25 dollars from him once, and the bastard did not notice. A few weeks and she'll have enough money to buy some supplies that would be enough to sustain the two of them temporarily. She can steal some food from the refrigerator and the cupboard as well.
But she has no time to execute her stupid plan. So she can't do that. Things must be done now. Quinn's too broken and too hurt to wait.
The fastest way would be to kill Russel. But Judy will have to risk herself too, for that, so she needs outside people to look out for Quinn should anything happen. If somebody out there would be able to help Quinn get better, then maybe Judy can take care of Russel even if it meant death for her, too.
She'll try to live through this for Quinn but if she has to die trying then she will.
Quinn only nods in response to Judy. The latter eyes the bruise on Quinn's forehead. Russel has always been good at aiming – he leaves bruises in places that are most often unseen. Seeing a mar on her daughter's beautiful face somehow makes everything even more real. More heartbreaking. But Judy knows it can be used in their advantage – Rachel is a smart enough girl to figure this out. She already has an inkling – but in a few hours, she's sure to discover Quinn's real home situation. She knows her fragile angel would be too terrified – too brainwashed – to say anything, but Rachel and her family will ultimately know.
They just have to. Her Quinn has to be OK.
"Always remember that I love you, OK," Judy hears herself telling Quinn, her throat so close to closing up so most of the words she longed to say for years come out like a squeak. Her daughter is the only person she loves so much at this time. She loved Russel, too, she always will, because she managed to accept him even if he has turned out to be the man she has always feared he'd be. Perhaps that's how blinding and stupid love can be. But Quinn…the love she feels for her right at this moment and the way she hurts over the idea of possibly, finally losing her is twisting her heart in a tight grip. Lips trembling, she continues, "I'm sorry that I let you get hurt all these years when you shouldn't have been, but always – always – remember that I love you."
Tears fall from Quinn's eyes at that. She meets her mama's own, and Judy's heart is twisted even further to see pain, fear, but most especially love – most especially love she doesn't deserve – swirling inside her daughter's hazel – though darkened fairly by her hard life – eyes.
Quinn just continues crying, seemingly unable to form any words as she looks at her mother brokenly, lips trembling, tears falling down her cheeks continuously. It prompts Judy to hug her carefully for a good one minute before letting go and cupping her daughter's cheeks.
"You'll be OK, baby. I promise you that. You will be safe. This time you will be," she tells her, making sure that Quinn is meeting her eyes – and that she's there with her. "I-I love you so much."
She blinks hard because she almost can't see her daughter with the amount of tears fogging her eyes.
"I l-love you t-too, mama. So much," Quinn says, swallowing and panting. "D-do you – do you know that?"
Quinn's answer only causes Judy's chest to constrict further because it's the last thing she expects to hear from her. Still, she nods in reply. Fiercely, surely. She knows Quinn loves her with the kind of love she doesn't deserve.
"Of course, I do, baby. I kn-know you do. I always did," Judy manages to spit out.
Quinn smiles through her tears sadly, blankly but relieved, and it makes Judy feel simultaneously better and worse. "T-thank you, mama. I really t-thought you didn't l-love me be-because I didn't deserve i-it."
Judy wants to punch a pillow. The wall. Anything. But she only clenches her fist tight because she can't do anything. Like the way it has been for years. "No, no… Please… That is not true at all. Listen to mama," she urges, gauging Quinn to keep eye contact. "I have always loved and will always love you, Quinn. And don't ever think that you don't deserve it, because you deserve every little bit of love from every single person in this world. And so much more," she says. "You needed my love and deserved more than I can give. But all I have caused you is so much pain, and that's been killing me. I'm the one who doesn't deserve your love. No one does."
Quinn shakes her head, disagreeing as expected. "But I l-love you, mama. A-and I think you d-deserve it. Y-you didn't hurt me w-when I was b-being bad," Quinn says, looking downward again. "Y-you didn't p-punish me even if I am a m-mistake."
"You are the farthest thing from a mistake," Judy replies, stressing every word and urging Quinn to look at her again. Quinn does, albeit tearfully. "In fact, y-you're the only thing that's right in this house and everything else is wrong."
Judy receives no reply from Quinn, who just wipes at her face. The younger Fabray bites her lip and instead of responding to Judy, she asks, "Y-you're leaving?"
The mother can't seem to answer that verbally, so she just nods her head.
She's leaving.
"Where are y-you going?"
Judy gives her daughter a tiny smile. "To this little island called Hawaii," she says.
Quinn wipes away her own tears and nods. "I r-read that it's a n-nice place," she says.
"It is. But right now, you're my best place. And I wish to just stay here with you but I have to come with your father. I'm sorry."
Quinn shakes her head in an attempt to erase Judy's shamed face. "It's O-OK, mama. You will like Hawaii."
The older Fabray nods although she isn't so sure about that.
"Don't worry about me. Just make sure you have fun at Rachel's while I'm gone, 'kay?"
"Okay, mama."
"Can I give you another hug?"
Quinn smiles tearfully and nods, and Judy hugs her daughter, doing her best to pour every little bit of her love in it. She doesn't want it to be the last time, she really doesn't, but what if it is?
"I love you, Quinnie," she whispers in her daughter's ear.
As Quinn says, "I love you, too, mama," Judy lets out a desperate, silent prayer for God to guide them through what's going to happen next.
/
Rachel has this weird, unexplainable urge to comb her hair again as she stands outside the Fabray door, waiting for it to open. She has combed her hair thrice before getting out of Noah's car – a thing her cousin has teased her for at least six times earlier – but she feels like there are still hairs sticking out somewhere, which Quinn may find weird. Well, Quinn probably wouldn't judge her on anything, but her inner OCD wants to make sure.
She jumps slightly when the girl of her thoughts finally opens the door a minute later. The blonde is fidgeting a bit from where she stands, her head slightly down. The oversized grey jacket she's wearing is making Rachel suspicious, especially given the slightly warm weather, but what's even more wary is the grey beanie that's on her head. It's set so low that it's covering most of her forehead. She looks cute, as always, but why on earth would she wear that inside her own home?
The way she's holding herself – as if keeping it together – is tugging at Rachel's heartstrings, too.
Still, she tries to give Quinn a warm smile, so as not to make the blonde feel awkward. "Hi, Quinn." Behind her, Puck gives Quinn his own Pucker-smile and greeting.
"Hi R-Rachel. Hi uhm Puck." The shakiness and hoarseness of the blonde's barely-there voice makes Rachel's smile slowly turn to an almost frown. She can't help but notice how Quinn is more out of it than usual, and how she has taken a few steps backward when it comes to eye contact. The shy girl can barely manage a smile and it's piercing Rachel's heart.
The feeling that there's something terribly wrong in this household escalates when she's desperate for that foreboding feeling to go away.
"Is everything alright, Quinn?"
Quinn nods minutely and gives Rachel a small, close-mouthed smile (at least it looks like that to her), eyes still on Rachel's knees, hands still fidgeting a bit.
Rachel continues to study her worriedly. "Can we come in? Let us help you with your bags?"
Quinn just nods again, then steps aside so both Rachel and Puck take that as their cue to come in. The first thing Rachel notices about the Fabray's manor – aside from the fact that everything seems terribly expensive – is its smell.
Detergent, Rachel thinks. Like this house is almost too desensitized to be a home.
"Wow. You have a badass home, Quinn," Puck comments, looking around. Their tiny apartment would look like a garage next to this, he thinks.
"Th-thank you," Quinn answers tiredly. Rachel just suppresses a sigh once again at the sadness in Quinn's tone.
She looks at Quinn. "Are your parents here?"
"No, uhm, they already left."
"Oh, OK," Rachel answers, a little disappointed, as she looks around the house once more. She has been hoping to meet Russel Fabray and see if she'll have the same judgment on him as had Santana.
Puck – as the only man around – offered to take all of Quinn's things that the blonde has already brought to the living room. It was only a small, yellow travel bag – probably filled with Quinn's clothes and other stuff. And Frankie. Definitely Frankie. The thought makes Rachel smile a little.
Quinn wraps her arms around herself and Rachel lightly places her hand on the small of Quinn's back as they leave the house. The timid blonde is eyeing her bag with a half-weary, half-guilty expression when she thinks no one is watching her, Rachel notices.
Even when they get into Rachel's car does Quinn's shattered look never waver. Looking so small in the passenger seat, it seems like she's going to cry anytime, even. Her heart aching, Rachel takes one hand from the steering wheel and places it over Quinn's shaking ones, biting her lip both thoughtfully and worriedly. She needs to figure out if Quinn is being treated poorly – or abused (the thought of the word alone makes Rachel cringe internally) – in their home. She has to know as soon as possible. Quinn is never coming back here if her suspicions are true – Rachel would make sure of that.
"You promised to tell me if there's something wrong, right?" she asks.
Quinn looks down her lap. "E-everything's fine."
Rachel sighs internally, but makes sure that Quinn can't feel the frustration that she feels. Sounding as sincerely cheerful as she can, she says, "Okay. But if there's anything wrong, you can tell me anytime, OK? I promised Judy I'll make sure you enjoy your stay with us."
A nod is the only response Rachel gets. She takes her hand off Quinn's and holds to the steering wheel. "So brace yourself, for tonight, we'll be having a small party at Brittany's."
A hopeful expression creeps up Quinn's face as she glances at Rachel which sends a smile to Rachel's own. It makes her simultaneously proud and nervous how she's willing to do so much to bring more hope to Quinn from now on.
/
"I should have known that my instincts exist for a reason and used my car instead of yours. I can't believe I fell on your "trust me" crap again," an irate Rachel tells Noah – whose car's engine has stopped not even halfway their way home. "I understand that your truck is old but what grinds my gears is the fact that you don't seem to care about your safety even while fully realizing that your car is trash. Don't you listen to lectures on the dangers of driving a poorly-maintained vehicle? Tirewheel Magazine said you're 85% more likely to get into a vehicular accident with a poorly maintained car. And Tirewheel magazine is always right. Don't even get me started on the environmental hazards a lousy engine poses."
Rachel knows she shouldn't blow up on Noah especially in the presence of Quinn but she can't help it. Of all things her cousin could be careless with, it has to be this. He could have had endangered not only Rachel's life but Quinn's as well, which was driving Rachel extra crazy.
Quinn's safety is her primary concern. There are certain things she can't quite understand but she's certainly more concerned with Quinn's safety now than her own.
Well, deep inside she thinks she knows why she is extra-sensitive when it comes to the shy blonde, but she chooses not to acknowledge that. Not yet. This could be purely out of well-deserved guilt too, for all she knows. Besides, it's a feeling she does not deserve to feel after all she subjected Quinn to.
"I'll make sure Annabelle hears about it this time," she continues, totally ignoring the eyeroll Noah gives her. "I've told you this so many times before. You're just not getting it into your Mohawked head."
"Come on, Jewd. Just chill somewhere for a while. I can fix this shit in no time at all," Puck tells her. "Now give me peace or we'll be stuck here forever."
"15 minutes. You take more than that and I'll cut you."
"Dude. Give me 20. At most."
Rachel shakes her head and glances at a still sad Quinn. She decides to look at the brighter side of Noah's stupid carelessness. At least now she has the chance to bond with the blonde for a while. The girl – who just had her head down the entire time Rachel's been giving Noah his dues – just seems lost and shattered. More than she usually is, even, and Rachel hopes she can get to the bottom of things so she can help Quinn feel better.
"Fine. 20 minutes and not a millisecond more."
The brunette looks around. The part they are in now is bordered by nothing but trees on both sides of the dusty road. She takes Quinn's hand as spontaneously as she can make it seem. The action startles Quinn a little bit so Rachel rubs the back of her hand comfortingly.
"Let's go find somewhere to sit while he fixes the engine," Rachel says.
Quinn looks around a little bit. "Sure. I think I, uhm, know a nice quiet s-spot here."
"That's amazing," Rachel says gleefully. "Let's get ourselves to it, then."
Quinn nods, still not meeting Rachel's eyes, and walks ahead. Rachel follows her to a higher part of the road just nearby, a low ravine below them. The height of the road is perfect for sitting with your feet hanging on the ravine.
"You've stayed here before?"
Quinn nods again. After merely staring at Quinn for a few seconds, Rachel takes both of her slippers off and keeps one on her hand as she offers Quinn the other. The blonde looks confused at the gesture.
"Come on, take it. You can sit on it," Rachel says, smiling, as she puts the one she's holding on the ground, just near the edge of the road and sits on it, letting her feet hang on the low ravine. "Like this."
Quinn looks down at the slipper and whispers, "It's OK, Rachel. Uhm… I can use mine."
"My little feet are already dirty," Rachel answers, showing Quinn her icky foot with a smile and an awkward wink she didn't mean to do. Shoot. "Your's are still clean so just use it. I insist," she says with a small swallow at the end. How stupid was that wink?
When Quinn only looks down, as if not knowing what to say back, Rachel adds, "I further insist my insistence, Quinn. You can't say no."
"O-OK, Rachel. Thank you."
"No need, Quinn. Really."
Quinn takes the slipper from Rachel and copies how the smaller girl sat. The quiet blonde seems to be so out of herself still so the two sat silently for a while, until a bird – which Rachel isn't sure what type is – lands on one of the nearby trees and makes chirping sounds. Quinn's head snaps to the sound, an action Rachel catches.
She figures out the best way to distract the girl.
"Why do you like animals so much, Quinn?"
Quinn looks personally attacked as she stares back at Rachel with an awestruck expression on her face. "Why do you a-ask? D-don't you?"
"Of course I do, more than I like humans, to be honest," Rachel says with a smile. "I just think it's adorable how much you love them. I mean, it's cute. Endearing. It's beautiful to look at."
Quinn blushes to the tip of her ears and Rachel feels a slight blush come up her own cheeks. "You're really cute to look at," the brunette continues swiftly, wanting nothing more but to let Quinn know how beautiful she is. Rachel's pretty sure she's not scared to tell Quinn how she sees her now because of how accepting the blonde has been when they sang to her. She knows she wouldn't be judged.
Quinn lifts her feet off the ravine and buries her head on her knees in embarrassment. Rachel, who did not see Quinn's wince at the sudden movement, makes an internal "awwww" in her head and tucks some of Quinn's stray, unkempt hair to the back of her ears. Quinn flinches slightly at the touch and Rachel once again feels a deep pang in her chest at the mere thought of the sweet girl being hurt more than she thought.
Rachel only feels the fierce want to protect this innocent, precious angel become stronger. She'll try to see if Quinn has more bruises. Quinn's not coming back to that house if Rachel finds enough proof.
"You don't need to be shy, Quinn. I mean it. You're a beautiful person. Inside and out. Everyone who says otherwise can go marry Satan. You're the best person I know, so there's no need to hide your face on your knees," she teases, moving her roaming hands to Quinn's back to rub it ever so gently. "There's no way they can appreciate your adorable."
Rachel wishes she can turn back time so she can take things back to the start with Quinn. She regrets not taking the chance to know this beautiful, beautiful person earlier.
Quinn finally takes her head off her knees and puts her chin on them instead. "They're cute – cute and nice," she says with a small smile. "I mean the animals. I only met birds and butterflies and White Rabbit and a cat once but they're – they're all nice to me."
Rachel smiles, but strictly makes a mental note to keep their neighbor's demonic dog as far away from Quinn as possible.
"I'm sure they are. Especially because you're nice."
Quinn responds with a shake of the head. But then she says, "You are, though. I really think you're c-cute and nice too. Uhmm. I-I'm thankful that you are that to me," and despite the automatic guilt that creeps up Rachel's heart, it still pounds like British money.
Jesus Christ.
"You're cuter and nicer, really," Rachel says with much certainty. Why are they even having some sort of a contest anyway. Whatever. Rachel is enjoying this. "I, or anyone for that matter, can't even compete with you in that department."
Quinn doesn't say anything back as she glances at Rachel's direction without meeting her eyes, before looking back to the bird that's pecking at something on the branch. Her cheeks are even redder now.
"But I'd like to think I'm the better singer," Rachel teases, feeling slightly sorry now for Quinn and her tomato cheeks.
Quinn lets out one of the smallest smiles Rachel has ever seen. "I-I think y-you're the best."
Awwwww.
"Quinn, I was just kidding, you know," Rachel, who's feeling a little shy now, tells her.
"B-but it's true," Quinn says, and the other finds it really charming that although it's Rachel that's being complimented, it's Quinn that's blushing more. "Sometimes when you s-sing I freeze in place – that's how good you are."
Quinn's eyes immediately go wide after that – as if she totally did not mean to blurt that out – then looks down and plays with her feet instead. Oh, the things she says when she's excited. Rachel gapes at her, resisting the urge to cry (her dramatic self overtaking her) – that's one of the sincerest and most precious compliments she has received in her entire life.
The sound of dogs barking takes their attention away from the nice but awkward conversation at hand, as well as Rachel's half-flattered, half-shocked eyes from Quinn's face. They looked at where the car is and saw a blonde girl trying to pull two cute but angry little dogs away from an obviously scared Puck.
Seeing that her cousin needs help, Rachel stands up and waits for Quinn to do the same. The blonde does not move from her position though, so Rachel turns her gaze at her. Quinn looks scared and unsure.
"Let's go check out what's happening."
The other girl just bites her lip and rubs at her neck, not meeting Rachel's eyes, causing the latter to sigh. Unaware that Quinn has interacted, though indirectly with the new girl before, Rachel's first thought is that this is another consequence of their bullying. Quinn has problems dealing with new people because of what they subjected the girl to. Guilt eases its way back to her insides again. This is another thing she needs to correct.
"It's okay Quinn. I've got you," she urges, her sincerity felt even by her. She offers Quinn her hand, and although it takes a few moments of hesitance, Quinn accepts it. She still looks really nervous as she shakily gives Rachel's slipper back to her, so the singer offers her a reassuring smile.
"It'll be fine, Quinn. You'll be fine."
/
Apparently, the blonde girl and her dogs were walking by the road when Puck got frustrated by what he was doing and carelessly threw an unneeded screw behind him. It hit one of the dogs in the head which caused all the commotion.
Once things were settled down and Puck surprisingly apologized, everyone figures out they need to introduce themselves. The new kid is a pretty girl – with large brown eyes and dimpled face. She's wearing a pink and white dress under a jeans jacket – a usually odd combination but it works on her. Her most noticeable feature, Rachel thinks, is her perfectly-sculpted, divided chin.
"My name's Dani. We're kinda new here. Don't ask about my full name 'cause I really hate it," the new girl says with a scoff at the end. "I happened to be here because I walk my dogs every weekend and, ignoring the fiasco earlier, it's really nice meeting you all."
Rachel lets out a polite laugh. "Ok. Just Dani, then. No full names. I'm Rachel, this one's my cousin Noah..."
"Puck. People around here call me Puck," Noah cuts in.
"...and uhm, my friend Quinn."
Hearing the name Quinn seems to have stirred something in Dani, whose face suddenly lights up as she addresses the other girl. "The Quinn with the note?"
Rachel looks confusedly at Dani, then at Quinn who gives the shyest nod Rachel has ever seen. Quinn's eyes are glued on the dogs for a few minutes now and she's biting her lip nervously. "You know each other?"
"Yeah we kind of know each other already," Dani says, jumping a little out of excitement. "It's so nice to finally meet you face to face, Quinn. I didn't know you're this cute!"
Quinn's cheeks turn bright red. Rachel eyes Dani a little suspiciously.
"And yeah meet my loves. I know you want to," Dani says with a bright smile, specifically addressing Quinn. "This is Joy," she points to the shy brown pup hiding behind Dani's foot, "And this one's Bene a.k.a the pup that got screwed earlier." She points to the golden-haired dog. "They may seem like the most innocent angels on earth but they're the naughtiest dogs you'll ever meet. Bene especially."
Rachel cringes at that, confused, then lets out a smile when she catches Quinn give the dogs a small wave. Her cheeks are red and her feet are twisted in the way it does when she's excited, Rachel notices. The brunette's hand moves on its own accord and squeezes at Quinn's forearm fondly. She pulls away when she realizes how touchy she's being and clears her throat a little.
Yeah, Rachel, freakin' good job. Not awkward at all.
"You can play with them if you want to. They're not freaking out now as much as they do when they meet other people for the first time so they must like you."
That prompts Quinn to look at Rachel, her barely-contained excited face as if looking to her for the answers to all of the world's questions. She's also rocking on her feet shyly. When Rachel gestures that it's alright to, Quinn bites her lip and kneels in front of Bene to pet her. She seems to have forgotten that she's wearing pants and that those pants are getting dirty now. Anything for the puppies, Rachel thinks fondly. Quinn's mouth opens wide in delight and her face becomes so bright when the little dog gets close to her. Rachel thinks it's the lightest she has ever seen Quinn and isn't able to stop the smile that forms on her own lips. The blonde gasps quietly when she touches the dog's fur for the first time and rocks on her feet a little when Joy – the shyer of the two dogs approaches her to be petted, too.
She just stays like that – quietly indulging the dogs with what Rachel thinks is a heavenly touch. She doesn't say anything as she touches the dogs' fur but the glow on her face is enough to warm Rachel's heart. It makes her want to play with the dogs, too, but she doesn't want to take their attention away from Quinn. Not when she's this happy.
A while later Noah clears his throat which he probably did to grab everyone's attention. Rachel turns to him in time to see him comb his Mohawk with a hand before going back to working way harder and faster than he was earlier. Or than any normal person would. The idiot's trying to impress Dani, Rachel can tell easily. He knows her womanizer cousin like the back of her hand after all.
"It's getting so hot, don't you think? Must be the monsoon," Noah says. Rachel, making a "you're unbelievable" face, judges him. Whatever he said didn't even make any sense. She gets the urge to smack his Mohawked head when he takes his t-shirt off, exposing tanned, admittedly sturdy abs. He makes sure to flex the muscles for good measure. "There, better. For all of us," he says to everyone, though Rachel knows he's mostly addressing Dani.
The addressee, who seems more interested in interacting with Quinn at the moment, only spares him a quarter of a second glance. Rachel pokes her tongue out at her cousin when Dani's full attention goes back to Quinn, who is now studying and gently trailing Bene's wagging tail. (Even if she's feeling something heavy as well). Puck merely rolls his eyes.
Quinn's apparent innocent wonder is endearing Dani, too, if the smile on her face is any indication. Rachel feels something inside her shift.
It's not jealousy, though. Rachel's sure of it. She's just being protective of Quinn. Her friend is too nice and innocent. Who is this Dani girl and how is she connected with Quinn? Where is she even from? What's her family background?
Quinn looks at Dani, surprisingly meeting her eyes. "Did you see how Bene moved her tail," she asked with a happy smile. Rachel almost melts at the cuteness, but her mood suddenly changes when Dani squats next to Quinn and subtly touches her in the back. The blonde flinches a little, but doesn't pull away, too distracted with the dogs.
"Yes. She always does that when she's happy," Dani says. "She must really like you."
That warrants a genuine smile from Quinn. "She does?"
"Yes. She can be picky. You're a rare case."
Quinn giggles. "They're very cute."
Through this, Rachel just watches, making her best effort not to interrupt. She isn't aware she's been slightly scowling at this point.
"You smell," Noah suddenly says beside her and it immediately sends Rachel on red alert.
"What? Why did you not inform me earlier, you dummy?" she replies, panicking as she surreptitiously smells herself. She showered last night and this morning. Did Quinn smell her?
"You smell of jealousy," the Mohawked boy continues, winking at Rachel suggestively.
"What?" She looks at him with a ridiculous face. "What are you talking about?"
"Rachie's having a crushie."
Rachel tries to snort but she ends up swallowing awkwardly. Damn. "Yeah right."
"It's OK Jew babe. You know I'd support you in everything."
"Shut up, Mohawk. I do not have a crush on anyone," she exclaims in a whisper, trying to look as attacked as she can.
"Sure."
Noah is one of the few people who know Rachel swings both ways and she thinks she has never hated that fact more than she does now. Even if she's not guilty of his accusations. At all.
"You're an idiot. Just fix the f*cking car, Puckerman."
"OK. But take a shower, Jewd." Rachel rolls her eyes at the endearment. Jewd is short for Jew dude – a word Noah claims he invented specifically for Rachel after she came out to him and her fathers.
"Whatever."
/
"QUINN!"
Brittany's excited and happy squeal – yep, squeal – welcomes Rachel, Quinn and Puck outside the Pierce's gate. It's already open when they arrived. They said their goodbyes to Dani once Puck fixed the engine, and while Quinn was heartbroken to be separated from the dogs, Dani promised to keep in touch.
Brittany all but runs toward them, with Santana following the ball of sunshine a lot more calmly and timidly. Rachel gives the Latina a worried lookover – the latter's eyes are still puffy and her movements are a little heavy.
The taller blonde stands in front of them for a while, keeping her happy smile though the apparent concern upon seeing Quinn closer is on her face now. Apparently, she can tell that something happened to Quinn from the last time they've been with her. There's just so much that a distraction can do, after all. She hugs the smaller blonde carefully when she reckons it's OK. Quinn accepts the hug despite her initial startled state.
"I'm so glad you're here now," she tells Quinn with a big smile after the hug. "I've been waiting for you since this morning! I can't wait for you to meet my cats; I've been telling them about you for days now! And it's Laurie's birthday, so tonight is special!"
"L-laurie?" Quinn asks.
"One of my cats," Brittany answers. She then whispers, "the 'evil' one I told you about."
At this, Rachel makes an amused face. She knows Laurie, alright. The cat's nowhere near evil but she only responds and comes to you when you call her "Evil Lau." She has two other cats – Tubbington and Mel – which Rachel is sure Quinn will like.
Quinn gives Brittany a few hurried nods and a small smile. She glances over at Rachel – an action the singer catches – and smiles cutely at the smaller brunette as well. Quinn is apparently more excited than sad now – and Rachel silently thanks the creator for Brittany and all the dogs and cats in the world even if they're just other forms of distraction to whatever heavy problem Quinn seems to be carrying on her shoulders all the time.
"Hi Quinn," Santana greets as well, her usually gorgeous smile looking a little nervous and awkward. "I hope you don't mind me being around after all those you know…shit. I might end up bored as hell but I swear no more of that tonight. Or ever."
Quinn looks surprised at Santana's word, but she seems worried as well as she shakes her head and says, "No…no… I don't – I don't mind."
"Thanks, really," murmurs Santana. "You should mind, though, but I'm glad that you don't. I was awful. Like Berry's shirt."
"Hey! This is a favorite," Rachel protests, protectively wrapping her arm around the dolphin at the center of her light blue top.
Santana actually snorts at this, and despite being offended for her poor t-shirt, Rachel feels a little relief, too. As vulnerable as her best friend can be, she's a very strong woman. The next few days will be tough for Santana but Rachel promises to be there for her friend every step of the way. Plus, Brittany always knows how to make the snarky Latina feel better, so they've got this.
"Well to spare that awful piece of clothing you call shirt, all your other shirts are awful too so it's nothing personal."
At this, Rachel just rolls her eyes. She'll let the Latina go for now.
"I l-like your shirt, Rachel," Quinn reassures her, and it is so sudden and unexpected and sweet that Rachel has to pinch herself on the arm so as not to topple Quinn over in a hug.
"T-thanks," she says. It receives a shy smile from Quinn and a knowing smile from Puck.
And oh shoot, from Santana, too. Rachel wants to faceplant.
"What are we waiting for, let's go and meet everyone," Brittany says enthusiastically. "Santana made a new outfit for Mel! And I downloaded so many cat videos to show you tonight! Come on!"
Brittany excitedly takes Quinn's hand and leads her inside the gate. After a fond tsk at Brittany's antics and a what-are-you-waiting-for glance at Rachel, Santana follows suit.
"So I'd go now," Noah tells Rachel then yells, "I'm gonna go ahead ladies" to Quinn, Brittany and Santana. He only went with Rachel to help with the things and have her borrow his car and despite being a total dickhead, Puck looks out for her and she appreciates that.
"And good luck with the new crushie," Puck adds. "Million times better than that James guy."
Well that teasing, she doesn't really appreciate. Although she has to say she agrees with the Jesse part 1000 percent.
"It's Jesse. And go away, Noah" she rebuts.
As Noah leaves with the car, Rachel looks at the Pierce's huge house where everyone else is already finding their place. While tonight is about having fun, Rachel has a more important purpose. She's determined, now more than ever, to figure out what's hurting/scaring Quinn and she's going to the bottom of things tonight. And if there's one thing to remember about Rachel, it's that she's determined.
She sighs. This night is going to be long.
/
So there goes Chapter 12. I hope you liked it and the Faberry. We're getting sooooooo close to Rachel's discovery and dealing with Russel. See you in the next chaps. They'll be important ones.
Also, shoutout to my fanfiction buddies Isabella G.D., Astarpen, KestralsBrittana and Treecklove. If you haven't read their stories yet, you better check them out.
Reviews are much appreciated. Thanks again, everyone. Have a great day ahead.