A smile that showed nothing but love and adoration blazed before her. Brittany, in all her brilliance, sat cross-legged atop a desk, her hand digging absently through a box of Lucky Charms.

"Go on, and then what happened?"

Quinn sighed. For a week now she'd managed to avoid Rachel, as well as everyone from the Glee club. She'd come to accept her feelings now, if acceptance was defined as no longer breaking down at random intervals throughout the day. Feeling like this was a burden far too heavy to carry herself, the blonde had decided to confide in the other. Brittany was, after all, the ideal candidate for this kind of position; she had very liberal views on sexuality, was already a long time friend, and Quinn knew better than anyone else that if she chickened out half way through revealing this, Brittany would forget in no time.

"And then I left. Ran out of her house, to be more precise"

The blonde scowled, munching a mouthful of the cereal thoughtfully. Then-

"So you're in love with Rachel?"

Shocked and taken aback, Quinn answered before she could even have a chance

"I think so"

The vulnerable girl expected a laugh, a shocked expression at the least. Instead, Brittany merely nodded pensively before focusing her attention on looking down into the depth of the cereal box whilst speaking.

"You know, I could have told you that a long time ago, if you'd wanted. But San told me not to, she said you had to figure it out by yourself"

"What?"

Quinn walked over, joining Brittany on sitting on the desk. Brittany simply shrugged a shoulder.

"San said you're like us, that you like girls. But she said you're too crushed lemon to notice"

"…I think she meant pressed, Brit"

"Right, and we'd notice how you'd smile while Rachel was singing and stuff. I like Rachel, her sweaters make my eyes happy"

"Brittany… I'd appreciate it if this could just stay between us, okay? I still need time to figure what all this means; even if you already knew, it's news to me, okay?"

The cheerleader nodded so fiercely her ponytail bobbed.

"Oh, I totally get it. Only Lord Tubbington knew about Santana and me, and that's only cause he likes to watch"

"Right," was all the other blonde could respond with before she jumped up, straightening out her skirt. Offering a small smile to Brittany, she made her way to the door to leave.

Leave she would have, if not for a pissed off Latina pushing the door open, missing Quinn's face by inches. Santana stood before her, one hand clutching her cell phone and the other banishing a finger in Quinn's direction.

"You told Britt before you told me?! What the hell, Fabray?"

"Brittany, you told me you wouldn't tell anyone! And how in the world did you text her so fast?"

"Oh, but it's Santana, she doesn't count. Besides, Santana always says I have really magic fingers"

Silence.

Clearing her throat, Santana couldn't suppress the smile that tugged at her lips.

"Though I have to say, about damn time"

And before Quinn could object, she was in her friend's arms.

A long, electric note shot through the room, the noise reverberating off the walls to land heavily on ready ears. Hands extended by her sides, mouth open, head tilted every so slightly back. Rachel, knee high socks and sweater clad, stood in the center of the stage and did what she did best-

Amaze.

And amazed Quinn was, much to the amusement of Santana and Brittany. Towards the back, giggles and side eyes abounding. The blonde under the microscope tried her best to keep a relaxed exterior – to appear a passive yet understandably impressed observer- yet could feel herself heating up under her friends laser focus. It was an undeniable joy, however, to watch Rachel perform, and Quinn rationalized that this wasn't a romantic preference- it was fact. Rachel was mesmerizing, captivating and breathtaking.

It was almost enough to get Quinn to forget that these were the walls that had displayed pictures of the dead. Their haunting smiles looking over the crowd. The seating where hundreds clung to each other as they learnt the identity of the undefined ghost of a student who had taken their friends lives. Twenty-three lives. The stairs that Quinn had ascended, thunderous claps and lightning camera flashes fueling her storm. The stage where Finn had proposed to Rachel…

Her stomach dropped.

How had she not thought of that? The blonde's stomach twisted painfully, almost enough to make her reach and gag. She had been too focused on the fact that she liked Rachel, a girl; too blind to see that she had feelings for Rachel, the girlfriend of a dead boyfriend. Finn. The life stripped away too young, a life taken in exchange for her own, leaving in a flash of screams, tears, whispered pleads. And blood, so much blood, thick and splattered, gurgling in his throat, coating her damned hands…

She couldn't breathe. There was no air. Her lungs wouldn't work. Maybe she was dying. She was definitely dying.

Quinn ran from the auditorium, sprinted through the halls and burst out the front doors, fell to her knees in the grass, and proceeded to be sick.

But someone was right behind her, holding her hair back with one hand as the other large, solid hand rubbed her back.

"Just breathe through it. In through the nose, out through the mouth", advised Puck.

Her body was still shaking, but once Quinn closed her eyes and focused on controlling the regularity of each breath, within ten minutes she was able to stand up and present herself to the mohawked boy.

"Here", Puck mumbled, digging through his jacket pocket.

"Eat this, it helps"

Extended before Quinn was the twisted, half eaten remains of a Twix.

Unable to turn down the offer of kindness, the blonde took the chocolate and quickly shoved it into her mouth. Surprisingly, the chocolate did help, although she wasn't sure if just having something in her stomach was responsible in itself for absorbing her nerves.

"Thanks, Puck. I-"

"Quinn!"

Rachel came bounding down the entry stairs, leaping down the last few steps in her haste and landing awkwardly. Never the less, the brunette rushed to Quinn's side, eyes wide and filled with concern.

"Are you okay? What happened?", Rachel asked, as she gently guided Quinn to sit down on the cool grass.

"It was nothing…I just got a little overwhelmed, I guess", Quinn replied lamely, watching Rachel neatly tuck in her skirt as she sat down beside her. Noah threw himself on the ground in front of them.

"I've been thinking…", Rachel started.

"Oh boy", Quinn and Puck replied in unison.

Ignoring the shared grins, Rachel continued.

"I've been thinking maybe I want to do some counseling. Nothing serious, just someone to talk to about what happened and how things are going, you know? But…I'm scared. I was thinking it might be better to have someone else there…someone who understands…."

Quinn stared blankly at Rachel while she trailed her sentence, which was accompanied only by Puck's ferocious nodding.

"That's a great idea, Rachel. You and Quinn should totally do that"

"What?! No, it's not something I think I'd want to-"

"Oh, man up Fabray. Rachel needs you, and it's the least you could do"

"Well, actually I was thinking you could come too, Noah"

Puck's mouth slammed shut.

Grinning, Quinn extended her hand so that it laid on top of the boys, and used her well-practiced condescending voice.

"I suppose you're right, Noah. It's only right for us to 'man up' and help out our dear friend"

Rolling his eyes and mumbling what sounded like a few profanities, Puck heaved himself from the ground and shook off his jeans. The two girls simply looked up at him, eagerly awaiting a response.

"Fine. I'll see you ladies at the shrink then"

With that, Puck slunk away, resembling (almost pitifully) a scolded child.

Quinn laughed, watching Puck slip back indoors before turning to Rachel. She was stunned to find Rachel smiling widely, eyes lit from laughter and the stray rays of sunlight that illuminated her face.

"We should probably get back"

Rachel stood and offered a hand to Quinn. It should have been a simple gesture, but to a girl who was already in an emotional state, recently came to terms with her own sexuality and finally admitted her feelings for the very girl standing in front of her, well.

Quinn took the hand quickly.

Rachel smiled to herself as she walked alongside the blonde, back into the auditorium. Who were those naysayers who thought she wasn't cunning? She'd love for them to see her now, making puppets dance. It was, she reasoned, for a good cause though.

Quinn and Puck really did need help.