Chapter 40
amandaes417 – Believe it or not I always do worry if it's alright. So thank you for letting me know that it is. That is a tough conversation that Rachel had to have to mom and Elyse. She is so confused by sex and a sex talk at that age is confusing enough without all of the trauma that she has endured. San will have bits and pieces of letting herself open up but it won't come all at once because that is not in her nature. I will try and fit in more flashbacks I promise. Thanks for reviewing my story.
maddy449 – Thank you for loving my story and telling me. It really does help a lot. San is really trying to let go a little of her mothering role with Rachel but it is going to be hard and it will have its challenges. These are such tough situations that even adults struggle with. Thanks for the review.
Piper – all the trials are going to be gut-wrenching but the authorities will do everything in their power to help Quinn and the rest of the girls through each one. Quinn will definitely see her father and have to testify against her father when and if there is a trial – her mother will be there defending her husband too but Quinn will not have to be in the court room everyday and Shelby will make sure she is only there when she is absolutely needed. Thank you for the review.
SuzQQ – I hate hearing that you are having a bad week. I know it must be super bad because you always give such insight into my story. I hope you like this update and I hope your week gets better. Thanks
Scout – You are correct Bear does not have good news. I won't be getting into the background of Will much. Unfortunately there are monsters in this world for no justifiable reason. It just happens. He is a monster and that is that. The next couple of chapters are going to be tough reads as well.
TommyH – Thank you so much for always reviewing. I will try to incorporate more Rachel and Puck I promise.
look4me – Quinn and Santana are becoming like sisters should be and it will continue but not without it bumps. I will try and give you a flashback or two with Frannie and Quinn but obviously it will not be pretty. Russell's trial will most likely be first and foremost, Judy's will be secondary. Thank you so much I am glad you are enjoying the story.
Sammi – I promise I am updating as fast as I can. Some of these chapters take a lot out of me and I need a small break from them. Thanks for reviewing.
wonderwall85 – Wow I am impressed. To be able to write and function after reading this all at once. Thanks for sticking with it.
Fangirl44 – Sorry for the emotional rollercoaster. Therapy is going to be tough for all the girls. Quinn is part of this family now but reliving her experience with her original family is going to be tough. Santana is starting to realize it but she is going to be filling a little guilty because she actually will enjoy it. Thanks for the review.
Ryoko05 – Your welcome. Shelby and the rest of the family are going to continue to discourage Santana from playing the mother role. They understand fully why she has done it and still does but it is not healthy for their relationship and Santana is still only 16 years old – she needs to have a childhood of her own. Thanks for reviewing and sorry for making you make that comment.
Cookie07 – San will continue with therapy to try and make her realize that she never let Rachel fall. There is so much that was out of her control. But years of therapy will try and get that out of head. I am glad you enjoyed watching a piece of the "little Corcorans" before Hiram and everything tried to destroy them. I wanted to show that San was always like she is now and Noah is very similar too. Elyse has a tough job with all of the girls but she is a trained trauma therapist so she is definitely used to it. Thanks for reviewing.
Ellybelly07 – You will have to wait and see what happened but I will let you in on a secret – he did not escape. Rachel will have private sex ed but with Elyse and Shelby. Thanks for the review.
A C one – Sorry I didn't actually want to end of the cliffhanger but I had to because it fit better. Santana is slowly relinquishing the role as parent and she needs to so that she can heal too. Unfortunately the therapy sessions will continue to be heartbreaking and even with therapy I think the trials will also be heartbreaking. Thanks for reviewing though.
OTHangels – thank you so much!
cbell123 – Here you are with what happens next. Sorry for the semi cliffhanger. Thanks for your review.
Unicorn20089 – Hello back! I am glad you love the family bonding. I can just picture all 3 of them being siblings so that's where it came from.
Kimberlli- Sorry to do that to you. It wasn't where I had originally planned on ending it but I needed to get it posted so sorry about that. Thanks for reading and reviewing!.
marinka4 – I promise to try and fit in more of the happier scenes for you. Thanks for R&R.
lovecanbesostrange – Thank you for your wonderful review. You really hit the nail on the head. Your understanding of the characters is completely honest and true. I appreciate it more than you know. I was especially impressed on your recognition of the complexity of Rachel and Santana's relationship. It is a hard situation where there are no easy answers. I appreciate that you enjoyed Quinn and Elyse's talk. Somehow they'll make progress, but it won't be overnight. Rachel's confusion will continue for awhile. She is still very blurry about what happened between her and Will and ultimately her and Hiram. And this absence of clarity may prove to be more hurtful to Rachel than knowing. SHe is too young. They all are. Thank you again. Your reviews bring my so much joy. Thank you for understanding these characters.
alopez208 – Thank you so much for your review. It made me smile. I hope you like this chapter as well.
Lolathe17th – there will be more San / Joey talks and I will also be trying to fit in some more of the nicer flashbacks because those are important too. Santana and Quinn both care more about others at this point than they do about themselves and Elyse will work with both of them on that. Thanks for your review.
GleeFanatic1988 – A little more San/Britt in this chapter for you and there will be more coming I promise. I don't want it to be forced though. Thank you for reviewing.
NinjaGleek21 – Once again thank you for the cookies. I enjoy them. Scrabble was a favorite of mine. Thanks for the review.
Renata – Rachel and Quinn do have a long road ahead of them but so does Santana but there is a large loving family looking out for all of them. They will have many more talks with Rachel about sex because she does not get it right now. It is very hard for an eleven year old to understand and on top of that one that has been raped so there are many more talks with Rachel about sex and how with the right person and situation it is a beautiful thing. Please do not get yourself in trouble reading and reviewing my story at work I love my faithful readers and I need them to stay employed. As always – thanks for the review.
Drea LuRuiz – I am glad you caught that. It is such a true statement from Santana that I had to use it. If I wrote for Glee though – my show would not air at 8:00 on a regular network and it would most certainly not be a comedy. That being said the writing for this season for the show was beyond atrocious and the characters were all over the place. Especially the girls. You may need a glass of wine for this chapter as well. Thanks for reviewing.
broadwaybound2016 – Thank you for your kind words. That was one of my favorite flashbacks to write. I can so picture Santana doing that when she was little and Shelby being so worried and Leroy loving it and watching his Taz take right over. Oh how things would have been so different if he hadn't died. Thank you.
Filmaddict – I am sorry for the cliffhanger. I had wanted to go into it but I didn't have the time and I wanted to post it so I had to leave it there. Please forgive me. No screaming allowed. It is going to be a tough road for Quinn to have to tell the story before she is ready but to be honest I have no idea when she would be ready to tell the story and on a witness stand would not be a good place. So as gently as possible they will get her to tell the story once and for all. I really wonder how all these kids would have turned out if none of this had happened but we will never know so we need to move forward and make them realize that they can go on and be productive happy people. Sorry again for the cliffhanger (you can blame most of it on my beta) and thank you for your support.
Jamison08 – Thank you so much. Here you go.
A/N You may be frustrated. I'm frustrated for this family. However, this had to happen because the prosecution is right.
Please read with caution. THis chapter has flashbacks that can be triggering.
Not super happy with this chapter, but something is better than nothing, right? Please let me know what you think. Thank you all for reading.
Chapter 40
"So what is it?" Shelby asked taking a sip of wine as she leaned back heavily in her chair.
"Don't freak out," he began.
She gawked at him in disbelief. "You're the chief of police and you start with that? Surely, you have more tact than that."
"I'm talking to you as my sister-in-law." He narrowed his eyes and watched her carefully. "He made bail."
"What?"
"The ADA couldn't hold him because of the flaws in Rachel's testimony," he said heavily. "The lawyer wants to suppress the stuff from the house because they are questioning the search warrant. They're saying we had no right to enter...They're bringing it in front of the judge tomorrow-"
"Who is?" Joey interjected grabbing her own goblet of wine.
Bear looked at her and paused.
"Spit it out, Lawrence," Helen scolded.
The man sighed. "Felix Duncan is representing him... and Russell..."
"Scum attracts scum," Joey hissed.
Bear shook his head. "They don't have anyone that saw him kidnap Rachel. And that bastard is saying that he found her at school and was helping her They're building a case around what happened in New York and how she was unstable and took his caring efforts to comfort her wrong. Her underwear found in his office only had urine on it according to the lab so they can't use it and it is an explanation on why it is there."
Shelby shook her head in shock. "You've got to be kidding."
"I wish I was," he replied. "Schuester is saying that Quinn went to him for sex and then when he said no she got angry and hit him with the music stand."
"WHAT?" Shelby yelled.
"You're going to wake them," Helen said gently as she set down a plate of cookies in front of her daughters.
"Cookies will not help!" Shelby hissed.
Joey reached forward and grabbed three as Bear went on.
"Schuester' s trying to press charges against her. They have someone else that said that Quinn asked for sex willing to testify so we have issues there because also her father says she is a slut ." Bear's voice reached a breaking point. Shelby gripped her glass harder. "They're using everything that these girls went through against them." He watched Shelby put her head in her hands and he went on. "They know she was pregnant and her mother is saying that she killed the baby so we need to get what happened to the baby and we need it soon. Will also has Suzy Pepper who said nothing happened to her and the other kids that have said anything have just said that he was creepy and he never touched them." He shook his head. "I think they're getting scared. People don't want to come forward." He sighed. " We do not have the dress back from the lab yet but Rachel's testimony is too confusing and she is adding things that couldn't have happened. They may let him out on bail and he would be free before the trial which is in a couple of months. The one good thing is that the school is not going to allow him back until this matter is settled."
Shelby glared at him. "Good thing? Seriously?" She slammed her hand on the table. "GOOD THING?" She stood up and grabbed the bottle of wine to refill her glass but Joey beat her to it and simply handed Shelby the bottle from her glass. Helen frowned at her daughters and refilled Shelby's glass and put the bottle back on the counter.
The woman looked at her family. "What do you want me to say? How am I supposed to tell them this?" She waved her arm. "Rachel can barely sleep now! Quinn... I just... How do I do this?"
Joey looked at her sister. "Elyse is coming back tomorrow. Tell the kids then." She looked at her husband. "Dad will drive Rachel around as you tell the older three."
"Drive her around?"
"You remember last time," Joey insisted. "We need to slowly expose her to being outside of this house or she won't ever want to leave."
Shelby nodded quietly agreeing with her sister.
"Then we'll bring Rachel back once Santana has finished breaking things."
"Joey, that's not funny..."
"I know but it's true..." she pushed.
"Go to bed," Helen coaxed. "I'll wait up for the kids. They're ride is mine anyway."
"I can wait up," she said weakly.
"Just go lay with the girls. The kids will be back soon."
Shelby sighed and opened the double doors into the family room that her mother had closed. She looked at the girls. "Kay," she whispered. She walked into the living room and kicked off her shoes. She leaned over and tucked Rachel in more underneath the comforter. She planted a gentle kiss on Rachel's slumbering furrowed brow. Rachel physically relaxed under Shelby's tender touch. She crawled into bed with Quinn and rested her head on the pillows behind Quinn's. "Kay," she whispered.
…..
"Really?" Mike asked looking at Brittany.
The blonde frowned. "Yeah," she said with a shrug. "Sprinkles make the ice cream..."
"Ice cream makes the ice cream," Mike explained. "Plus you got a milk shake..."
"I really like sprinkles," the blonde said with a shrug and looked at Santana. "They're in here." She looked through the milk shake. Sprinkles in every bite... Well, sip."
Santana rolled her eyes and smiled hooking her arm with Brittany. "We'll be at this picnic table."
Noah rolled his eyes and nodded at Mike a table. "Pop-Pop, you know Mike right?"
The older man held out his hand. Nice to meet you, son," he said.
"Thanks for coming..." Noah said sheepishly. "My ma called you?"
"Yeah," Mike shrugged taking a seat. "Said you might need someone to talk to... and she would buy me ice cream..."
Noah smiled and looked at his grandfather who sat in an adirondack chair between the picnic tables that they were sitting at.
"I haven't really told you …. anything about my family..." he said carefully.
Mike shrugged. "Figured you would eventually... but I wasn't gonna hound you." He gave him a reassuring smile. "You know?" He sighed. "What's going on, buddy?"
Noah shook his head and leaned over his ice cream, thankful that he got marshmallow topping. "You don't want to know." He looked up and made eye contact with Mike. "Schuester is an asshole," he said quietly. "He attacked my sisters"
Mike straightened and looked over at Santana and Brittany. "What?" he asked. "Are they...What?"
He nodded his head and continued. "That's why Quinn wrecked my car. She was trying to get away from that bastard."
Mike narrowed his eyes. "I'll kill him when I see him." He thought for a moment and took a breath. "Wait, he hurt San and Quinn?"
Noah kneaded his lip. "Not Santana," he muttered.
The boy stared back at him in shock. "Wha-Wha...What?" He shook his head. "She's nine..."
"Eleven," he chuckled. He smiled faded. "Yeah..." He stirred his partially "They aren't doing too well - they were hurt pretty bad in the accident. Quinn was trying to get her and Rachel away from him. They both had to have surgery and he messed big time with their heads."
Mike stared back at him.
Noah took a deep breath. "San is freaked out and my family wants me to still apply to schools. " He leaned forward and lowered his tone. "I am freaking out man." He looked over at the girls. "When San and Quinn get back to school I need you to help me make sure no one goes near them."
"Absolutely," he said quickly. "They're my friends. And I-"
Noah cut him off. "Quinn's my family now. She's not just staying with us. She isn't just a friend anymore. She lives with us. From now on and no one, especially Hudson, is saying one word about her or they will hear from me."
Mike grinned. "Trust me. From me too." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, man." He looked in Noah's eyes. "I've heard rumors, but I can't even begin to imagine..."
Noah just nodded. "It's … It's hard..."
"Tell me what you need and I'll be there." Mike smiled. "Except illegal stuff... My parents want me back by ten-thirty."
"I need to go on this trip..." he trailed off. "It's more than just getting away. I have some other issue that I need to deal with." Mike looked back at him as he went on. "Do you want to take a road trip with me?"
"I told you I would," Mike said. "New York right?"
Noah nodded his head.
Mike continued, "Alright then we will have to find a way to get around our parents."
"Yea, we'll also have to use your car...but its important."
Mike smiled. "Then we'll figure out how to make it happen."
…..
Santana watched her brother carefully as she stirred her half melted ice cream.
"It's turning to mush," the blond said interrupting her busied thoughts. "How are you doing?"
Santana shrugged. "I don't...I don't know. Fine, I guess," she mumbled. "I'm glad you're here though," she muttered looking up at her.
Brittany nodded. She leaned over and took the girl's hand.
"Rach and Q aren't doing well," she whispered, continuing to hold onto Brittany's hand but not looking at her. "They keep asking her about the baby-" She looked at Brittany with wide eyes. "I know you heard stuff at school but... Don't tell her we're talking about this."
The blonde nodded nervously. "Course."
"Um... I'm just nervous for her..." The brunette looked at her ice cream. "I'm sorry... I …. " She gave a weak smile. "Okay. Sorry. Here to get away from the drama and -"
"Don't apologize," Brittany whispered. "I'm just glad you're talking to me."
"I want to tell you everything but," she said with a quiet shrug.
"Don't start with everything." She smiled. "Paintball was fun this morning. I'm glad you played."
She nodded. "Me too." She pressed her lips together. "Rachel's clinging on to me..." Brittany looked at her. "More than usual..." she bit her lips. "Living in New York with my stepdad was hard on her... and... yeah..."
Brittany frowned. "I didn't know that your mom married twice."
Santana gulped and looked at her with hesitation. "She didn't. My Dad was gay..." She frowned and looked at the girl. "My family was …. really well known in New York... They were in entertainment... You didn't know that?..." She searched Brittany's eyes. "Anyone who wants to... Can look things up..." She shook her head. "You knew what my mom did..."
Brittany sighed.. "I knew what your mother did...I didn't ask about your dad because," she trailed off quietly. "You got this look in your eye... You got so sad and I felt like you were slipping through my fingers. So I didn't ask. I didn't ask because you meant too much to me to pry it out of you..." She bit her lip. "That's not what I meant. I just...I didn't want to hurt you... I really wanted to know a few times I did," she said quietly. "You're my friend. My best friend. So I didn't...want hurt you. "
Santana narrowed her eyes. "You didn't look... at all?"
She shook her head. "No." She frowned. "When I met you it was two almost three years earlier... I knew something had happened but..." She shrugged. "When you're ten that's a lifetime and you don't care, you know?"
"No," Santana mumbled. "It's not a lifetime..." She looked down at her ice cream. "I'm sorry."
Brittany sighed. "What do you mean Rachel is clingy?"
Santana shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"Listen, do you want a distraction?"
She smiled. "You know it."
"My sister's home," Brittany muttered.
"Why?"
"Because my parents found out that she changed her major..." Brittany mumbled. Santana smiled. The blonde followed suit. "I know. I mean. She really wants to be an artist. … but she doesn't know if art school is her thing. If it's too strict in their guidelines of expression or whatever."
Santana laughed. "Either way, art school is a lot different than the pre law track she told your parents she was doing..."
Brittany grinned. "Even though, she's a junior she can change her major at any time. At least that's her argument."
She arched a brow at the girl. "Your parents are paying for pre-law. Not all the art electives that she's taking. Plus if she's a junior. If she keeps changing her major she won't graduate on time."
She nodded. "That's the issue. She's wasn't even trying to get into the pre-law society. Saying that my parents were disappointed in her was an understatement. They're having her look at art schools for the spring." Brittany shrugged at Santana's surprise. "They realized that they can't force her into something she never really wanted. She idolized my grandmother, who you know was one of the best lawyers Columbus has ever seen and a woman to boot. But they … it took them awhile to separate idolizing her from admiring and respecting her doesn't mean Melanie wanted to emulate her."
Santana nodded. "Did you tell them... about what you wanted to do?"
Brittany rolled her eyes. "They did talk to me about my future for about an hour. I had to remind them I was only a sophomore but they said it was never too early...and then we had to talk about the repercussions of being suspended..."
The brunette's smile faded. "What you did that day... You didn't have to-"
Brittany frowned. "Of course, I did!" She frowned. "I know that Quinn and I haven't been close for awhile, but she is still my friend..." She looked at the ground. "We grew up together." She looked into Santana's dark eyes. "Her family was terrible to her and she had no one. Frannie tortured her. She was so terrible to her at the country club." She looked at Santana gently. "I'm so happy that you call her family now."
Santana shrugged sheepishly. "Whatever, she is. So what?" Brittany looked down at her ice cream. Santana watched her carefully. "What's wrong?"
"Just thinking," she mumbled.
"What about?"
"I didn't... I didn't … nevermind," the blonde gave a weak smile. "I just... I'm glad she has you. She needs you."
Santana stirred her melted ice cream. "I need her, too." She gave a tight grin. "But I need you too. So much."
"Ditto," Brittany replied.
"I'll be here. For anything."
"I know."
They both stared at each other quietly.
"We should get going guys," Michael interrupted all of them.
They all stood and Santana could see the boys stand and murmur quietly. She looked at the ground sheepishly. "Good night."
Brittany leaned forward, pulling the girl's chin up so that they made eye contact. "I'll see you later?"
Santana nodded and tilted her head into Brittany's hand. The blonde leaned forward and she was grateful for her instincts because she didn't pull away. And ever so softly and their lips touched. Santana fell into the kiss. They had been friends since they were ten years old and had kissed in play many times and later when they were older, kissed in sneaky passion, but in that moment it was true and genuine. In that moment everything seemed to stop.
She felt Brittany pull away, but she kept her eyes closed hoping to savor the moment for a the rest of her life. However, like every perfect moment, it ended. It had to, or else she wouldn't realize its perfection.
"Sweet baby jesus," Mike muttered.
"DUDE! Lay off that's my sister and her … um girlfriend." Noah made eye contact with her. Right? his eyes asked her. Santana gave him a weak nod, still stunned by perfection.
"Sorry," he muttered. "We should all hang out... See a movie or something...We're all friends, right?"
Noah looked at Santana, well-aware that movies, more particularly dark places weren't her thing. He opened his mouth to say something.
"We actually prefer drive-ins," Brittany interrupted. She crinkled her nose and smiled at Mike. "Why share seats with gross people when you can watch in your car and look at the stars if it becomes boring?"
She didn't notice Noah looking at her, appreciatively, but grabbed Santana's hand.
"Right," Mike laughed. "That sounds great." He shrugged. "When you're not grounded."
Santana gave a tiny grin. "Yeah I don't know when the warden will let us out?"
"Say goodnight," Michael chuckled.
Brittany leaned in again and their cheeks touched and whispered quietly in her ear. "Night."
Santana felt herself leaning in again. There may have been a moment when she forgot why she loved the blonde, why she was going through the turmoil in her head. However, in that moment she realized that she felt so indescribably at peace with Brittany. It was as if the most peaceful butterflies were fluttering gently in her stomach, exciting her but enticing her to never let go. It was the most perfect feeling that she could never describe. It simply was home.
"Night," she replied.
She followed her brother and grandfather to the car but couldn't help looking over her shoulder again. Brittany waved. Yeah, she told herself silently. Perfect. She stared out the window and climbed into bed when she returned home. Her mother and sisters were already sound asleep. Shelby had her arms wrapped protectively around Quinn. Santana readied for bed and climbed next to Rachel. Rachel always felt like home, but Brittany felt different. She felt like a future. And for one brief moment she relaxed and fell into sleep away from the reality.
…
"I don't want this," Quinn muttered as she stared at the oatmeal and pushing it away slightly.
"Too bad," Joey replied, pushing it back toward her.
She rolled her eyes and looked next to her. Rachel was sitting between Santana and her at the counter.
"I don't either," the girl muttered after watching Quinn push it way.
"I'm arguing," Joey said. "Eat or be fed."
"Joey," Shelby scolded from the breakfast table behind them.
"I'll do it," she said looking at the girls.
The two of them looked at the oatmeal.
"I'll do it," Joey said again. "Don't test me."
"Jo," Shelby hissed setting down the paper. "That's one option. She feeds you. Another option is drink all the shake and you then you will be eating a full lunch with me later today."
Rachel frowned and began to slowly eat it and Quinn sighed but followed suit.
"Rach, Pop-Pop wants to take you to the store with him to get some groceries."
"Mumma, I don't want to," she said quickly looking at the family in panic.
Santana narrowed her eyes. "What's going on?"
Shelby shook her head. "I need things, Rach," she said with a smile. "And you know what to get. you make the grocery list and if you don't go then Pop-Pop won't get the right things." Shelby caught her eldest daughter's eye. "You need to get out anyway," she finished.
Santana knew that look. She wanted her to get out. They needed to talk.
"Yeah," Santana chimed in. "You should go. And pick up my cereal okay?"
Quinn looked up and saw there were several silent conversations going on: Shelby and Santana, Santana and Rachel.
"I can go too," the blonde offered.
"No," Shelby replied casually. "I would like for you to stay here and help tidy up." She smiled. "You're still grounded remember?" She smiled. "Plus, you three are still suspended this week." They looked around cautiously. "A tutor is coming in on Monday."
"I'm sorry, what?" Noah gawked.
"Noah," Helen said with a warning frown that echoed her disapproval. She leaned down and kissed Rachel softly on the top of her head. "I'll go with you and Pop-Pop." Rachel nodded and leaned back against her as she continued to pick slowly at her oatmeal.
"She's quite fun," Shelby said as she went on. "Trust me. You really didn't think I was going to have you out of school and no school work for an entire week did you? Anyway, I expect chores still to be done. "
"I haven't checked the mail in awhile," Rachel said apologetically.
"That's fine," Shelby replied. "Make sure you let someone know when you go out to get it, but I expect it to continue to be sorted. I want you to keep the beds made in the living room. Quinn, you too. Noah and Santana, clean upstairs and -"
"Noah?" Rachel whispered, but loud enough for everyone to hear clearly as she casually took a bite of oatmeal. "Who was the letter from?"
Santana watched as her brother not so subtly widened his eyes.
"What letter?" he asked shoving a spoonful of cereal in his mouth.
"I sort the mail," she said casually. "I put that letter in your mail bin. We never get mail. It wasn't marked, remember? You promised you would tell me who it was from."
The entire family was staring at him. "I told you, Rach." He mumbled. "It was from Aunt Kate."
"But I thought-"
"I need to shower. Shower, yeah," he said putting another colossal spoonful in his mouth and sprinting up the backstairs.
They turned to Shelby for an explanation. "It wasn't marked?" the mother asked her youngest casually still looking after her son.
Rachel shook her head and took another bite of oatmeal. "Mom," she whispered. Shelby broke her gaze from the stairwell to look at her. Rachel's eyes begged her to come closer. "I need to go to the bathroom," she whispered once Shelby was closer. "Will you … help me?"
Shelby nodded thankful that she didn't ask Santana.
"Be back in a second," she said. "I want that food finished girls.
Santana looked over at Quinn. "Where are they going?"
Quinn shrugged.
"Get out of here, sweetheart," Helen encouraged turning to Joey as she started rinsing out the plates. "You need a shower."
"Thanks, Mom," she said with a roll of her eyes.
"I'm going to um..." She trailed off and looked at the girls. "Run to the office," she finished. "Need to get some work done."
"Where's Bear?" Santana asked as she ate a bite of her cereal.
Joey shrugged. "At work...I think..."
Quinn shook her head. "Shouldn't you know?"
Joey shrugged and said her goodbyes.
"Why are they taking so long?" Santana asked looking in the direction of the downstairs bathroom.
"They're fine, Sanny," she said. "Let them be."
Santana sighed heavily and put her bowl in the dishwasher. She looked back at the bathroom sharply when she heard a tiny sob.
"Santana, help me with the laundry please. We have towels to fold," Helen said in a tone that was more of an order than a suggestion
The girl started toward the restroom.
"Santana, now," Helen said more sharply. "We need to finish these towels and linens before we go to the store."
Quinn looked at Santana and the girl made eye contact with her briefly.
"Just listen to her," Quinn said. "Rach will be fine." The blonde watched the battle in Santana's eyes. "She's fine. She's just hurting," Quinn said again.
Santana pushed her tongue into her cheek to suck back her tears and followed Helen into the laundry room.
Quinn picked at her oatmeal. "I want that finished," Helen called from the laundry room. The girl rolled her eyes and started quietly toward the sink to wash it down the garbage disposal.
The doorbell interrupted her attempt to be sneaky. She groaned.
The doorbell rang. Quinn looked over her shoulder. No one seemed to be responding. "I'll get it," she muttered as she stood and walked to the door.
"Can I help you?" She narrowed her eyes. She recognized him. "You're Captain Marshall." He nodded. She pointed behind her. "My mom's with my sister." She didn't notice a tiny smile at the edges of the man's mouth. She didn't notice Helen coming in behind her still.
"Captain, what can we do for you?" she asked.
"Just need to speak with Mrs. Corcoran, ma'am," she said quietly.
"Captain," Shelby said entering the foyer with her arm wrapped around Rachel's shoulders. "Can I help you?"
"Just wanted to give you an update," he said carefully.
The mother nodded.
"Come on, girls," Helen said ushering the girls into the kitchen. Rachel leaned her tear stained face into Santana's side and took Quinn's hand despite the blonde's frown of surprise. "Your mother won't be happy if you don't finish your oatmeal."
Shelby didn't miss the eyeroll at the girl's disappeared. "Can we speak in here?" she asked leading him into the study.
"He's out on bail," he said once they were in the study. He noted the absence of surprise in her face. "I figured you knew, but I needed to tell you."
"What are you doing about it?" she asked with a sigh.
"He has an ankle bracelet," he said with a sigh. "We can also station a car in front of your house, but we'll be able to monitor his whereabouts and he's not supposed to come 100 feet near your family. He's on house arrest."
"I can't keep these four kinds in this house all day long. We're still going to go about our lives."
He nodded. "I encourage you to do so." He looked at her. "How are they?"
"Physically... they're healing. Rachel's struggling and so is Quinn." She looked up with her arms folded. "Are you working on that investigation?"
"Against Quinn's father?" he sighed and leaned against the desk. "Now, I am. Because Bear is essentially her uncle, they've brought me in to oversee the investigation as well."
"He is her uncle," she said sharply.
He smiled. "She called you her mother." Shelby looked up with frown. "When she answered the door. She's letting you in."
Shelby gave a tiny smile.
"Okay."
…..
Noah flipped through the channels casually. Captain Marshall had left about fifteen minutes priot.
"Those don't look like chores," Shelby echoed through from the kitchen. "I don't hear vacuuming. Santana and Quinn, you best be dusting. I don't want to see any dust on any surfaces. I expect things to be spotless."
Santana rolled her eyes and looked at her brother. "Who the hell sent you a letter?" she asked as she wiped a picture frame and put it back on the shelf and grabbed another to dust.
"No one," he frowned. "It was just junk."
"You're the worst liar ever," she hissed.
Quinn nodded. "You kinda are."
"Drop it.. It doesn't matter." He looked at Quinn. "Can you even stand and dust don't you have a lung or something missing?"
"Spleen, Noah," Santana replied. "You need both your lungs."
"Do you have two spleens? Heart's the only one you have one of right?"
The girls looked at him. "Seriously?"
The doorbell rang and echoed through the house. Santana shook her head and went to answer it. Shelby followed behind her as she opened the door. She shook her head when she opened the door and saw who was standing there. She turned and looked at her mother. "Is this why you sent Rachel away?"
"Santana, don't be rude," she said sharply. "Come in Elyse. Santana apologize."
"I'm sorry that you have to chaperone our conversations," she said haughtily.
"Santana, that's enough!" Shelby said in a raised voice causing the girl to jump.
A few minutes later the three of them were sitting across from Shelby. Elyse was standing to the side. Santana looked between them, skeptically.
"You called her over here so that you can stare at us?"
"Santana," Shelby warned again. "I mean it."
"What is it that you needed to ask us?" Quinn asked. She looked at her siblings. "At the same time...and without Rachel. However, you tend to do everything without her."
"That's not true," Santana said turning to her.
Quinn arched her brow, challengingly.
"Enough," Shelby warned.
"You're being rude, Santana and embarrassing yourself more than anyone else," Elyse interjected surprising everyone.
"Santana, you are on thin ice right now. One more rude comment is going to earn you another writing or two and trust me you are not going to like it. If this behavior continues, you'll move back upstairs," Shelby warned causing Santana to pause. "I want you with us downstairs and I think you do too.. However, if you continue your rude behavior you're going to be grounded to your room. "Do you understand?"
"Yes," she nodded. She looked at Elyse. "I'm sorry."
"Thank you," Shelby said exchanging a quick gentle look with Santana. The girl looked down at her hands. They both were aware that this what what she did when she felt scared and out of control. They knew that things were impending.
She took a deep breath and looked at the kids. She moved closer to them so that she was sitting next to Quinn on the couch with Santana on the chair across from her while Noah leaned against the arm of the chair.
"Will Schuester made bail," Shelby said clearly.
For a single moment the room froze. Shelby watched the kids careful. Quinn had her head bowed and stared at the ground.
"What?" Santana asked.
"Why? When?" Noah asked. "You sent them out there. You sent Rachel out there - And he's just roaming free?"
"Noah, he's not roaming free. He's on house arrest and he is being monitored with an ankle bracelet and-"
"That doesn't matter!" Noah hissed standing up and pushing his palms into the temples. "God! Call them bring them back here!"
"They're fine, Noah," she said gently. "Trust me."
She saw Santana shaking her head vigorously. "I don't understand. This doesn't make sense. He kidnapped her." Shelby saw the tears pooling in her eyes. "He... He hurt her..." She shook her head more frantically. "I don't understand."
She took a deep breath as they looked at her for answers. "No one saw him do that." The two older to deflated. "Rachel's testimony is questioned ."
"What? Why?" Quinn asked.
Santana frowned and shook her head. "Quinn was there! She saved rachel, Mom. She-"
"No, she found Rachel afterwards," Shelby said gently. She watched Quinn's face carefully. "Quinn found Rachel's underwear." She paused for a moment again and looked at the kids. "And now he is saying that Quinn wanted sex with him and he refused and that is why she hit him."
She shook her head as the tears flowed without control. "I wouldn't," she whispered. "I didn't have sex with him. I didn't have sex with him." Her voice raised. "I swear. I didn't have sex with him."
The room turned to look at her. Shelby wrapped her arms around her gently. "I know, Quinn. I know you didn't."
She shook her head. "This shouldn't be happening," she whispered sinking into Shelby.
Santana stood and looked around the study. Her eyes landed on a picture of her, Noah and Rachel. It was taken last year at the when they were at Griff's last soccer game of the series. They were huddled in the bleachers. It had been colder than they expected. They were trying to keep warm. Rachel was biting her finger and smiling as she leaned into Santana.
The girl breathed heavily. "God damn it!" she screamed. She used her arm to wipe the pictures and books from the shelf.
"Santana," she said calmly.
The girl pushed her mother away.
"No," she screamed. "No. You need to make this right. She looked at her mother. He can't get away with this. He can't..."
Santana breathed heavily and sat on the ground. "This can't happen to us."
"Santana," Shelby whispered kneeling in front of her.
"No" the girl said pushing her away. "No."
She pushed at her mother but Shelby didn't move. The girl's tears were falling freely. Noah paced heavily around the room as Quinn had her head in her hands, her cast was rough on her face. Santana grabbed the cord of the lamp from the desk and yanked it off. Elyse reached out and grabbed it.
"Santana," Shelby said gently. "I know that this hurts and -"
"You don't know! You don't! I was outside, Mom! I was in the closet! I was there and I didn't do anything! I-I-I was there and now and now he's out and..."
"Santana,"Shelby said softly.
She shook her head. "No." She looked over at her sister. "Are you okay?"
Quinn looked at her. "No." She looked up. Santana recognized the calm in Quinn's eyes. Something was brewing, Santana just wasn't sure what. "You told us without Rachel." It was a mixture of a question as well as a statement.
The mother nodded. "Yes, we haven't told her yet."
"Your mother thought it would be best if we told you three separately," Elyse chimed in.
Santana scoffed. "Because you knew we would lose it? You wanted to protect her from us?"
Elyse looked at her honestly. "We wanted to give you a chance to feel what you would naturally feel."
Santana shook her head and reached out taking Quinn's uncasted hand. "What's gonna happen to him?"
"We're not sure," Shelby said looking around. "We're waiting for evidence to come back from the lab." She looked carefully at Quinn. "They're going to really dissect your testimonies."
Santana shook her head. "And say what? That they made it up?"
The room settle in silence. They all got the answer.
Quinn shook her head and tears flowed.
"Rachel, won't be back for a bit," Shelby said. "Take some time to yourselves-"
"When are you going to tell her?" Noah asked stopping his pacing. Shelby and Elyse exchanged a look. "What?" he asked.
"We're not," Shelby said. "At least not yet."
"Are you kidding?" Noah asked.
"No," Elyse interjected. "We need to sift through all the facts. There's no reason to put her through further trauma until we have all of the facts."
"What facts?" Quinn asked. "She'll want to know this. She'll hate us for not telling her. She is not a child! You can't keep babying her from protecting her from this. You can't protect her from anything. She's not... There's no more innocence left to protect. You can't save her from that."
Santana looked at Quinn as she ranted as the dam began to break, leaking out Quinn's emotions. At that moment, Santana saw something that she never could understand before that moment.
She looked at Quinn tearfully. "Yeah, we can, Quinn."
The blonde snapped her gaze at the slightly older girl, ready to yell but she hesitated. She looked at Santana and in that moment they exchanged a look. "She's not a baby, S," she whispered as if the rest of the room wasn't there.
"We know that," Santana responded, equally ignorant of everyone else in the room. "We're trying to make a genuine effort to conserve the last piece of childhood you have left."
Quinn shook her head, still holding eye contact with Santana "That's gone," she whispered.
"It's not," Santana replied. She knew in her heart that they weren't talking just about Rachel anymore.
"She needs us to be honest with her," she muttered.
"We will be," she said squeezing her hand. "But it's better to wait until we have all the facts." She looked at her mother and Elyse. "Which I don't understand what else we don't have."
Quinn shook her head, both unaware of the impressed looks around them. "Fine, but tell her tomorrow."
Santana leaned back against the wall and looked at her mother. "Tell her tomorrow."
….
They pulled into the small grocery store.
"Nana?" she said from the back seat. "I would prefer to wait in the car."
"That's not a choice, baby bug," Michael said as he parked the car.
"Come on, Rach," Helen said as she opened the door. Rachel shook her head and remained in her seat. She didn't even react to unbuckle. "Sweetheart, get out of the car now."
"No," Rachel whispered. "I wish to stay in the car."
"The faster you get out the car, the faster we leave," Michael said grabbing a pushing grocery cart.
She looked up tearfully, but unbuckled her seat belt.
"We just have to take the first few steps, okay?" Helen held up the list. "We're just picking up a few things."
Rachel took her hand cautiously and followed her into the store. She gripped onto her tightly as they made their way down the aisle.
"I want to go home," she whispered as she looked around at the few people milled around.
"Rachel, I know," Helen said gently. "This is a little but big step. This is hard, but we won't let him win. We won't, right?"
Rachel looked at her with big eyes. She was scared. She was scared that she would see him. She was scared that someone would come around the corner and frighten her. The sane part of her should have reminded her terrified part that he was in jail he was far away. However, she didn't feel safe knowing that. All she felt fear. At home she knew what would come around the corner. Here, she had no idea. She had no control.
"I want to go," she whispered. She looked up at her grandmother. "Please."
Michael knelt down in front of her. "You're being so brave. It's okay to be scared."
She shook her head and the tears fell. "I don't want to be brave. I want my mom."
She saw a father pushing a grocery cart with his young daughter in the seat of the cart. She was bouncing her arms. "Good girl, sweetheart," the father said. "We're almost done, good girl."
She squeezed her eyes shut. She just wanted to go home.
"Okay I'll do it for you." She let out a whimper as he reached for her. She backed away from him. Her chest breathed heavily. He backed her into the corner. Her back hit something hard and she couldn't move anymore. She was stuck. She looked up at him and he was smiling. He stroked her cheek.
"My good girl."
She let out a sob as she felt both his hands grip her hips underneath her skirt. She shook her head frantically as he pulled her underwear down. With another swift movement she felt her shirt being opened and her undershirt being ripped down the front. She sobbed and tried to push him off but he pulled her closely to his body. She pounded her fists against him.
"Please-Please," she sobbed.
"Shhh," he cradled the back of her head and inhaled deeply. "Bend over the desk, Rachel."
She sobbed.
"Come on, Rachel, be a good girl and bend over."
Rachel felt a hand cup her cheek and she flinched back. "Please - No," she yelled.
Her eyes were squeezed shut so she couldn't see the father and his baby turn quickly to stare at her. Michael sighed. "It's just me, bug," he whispered.
She opened her eyes slowly and breathed a small sigh of relief. She wrapped her arms around her grandfather's neck. She rested her cheek on her grandfather's shoulder as she let the tears drop onto his sweater. "I had an accident," she stuttered. Michael continued to hold the little girl but looked up at his wife. They didn't have a change of clothes. He sighed. She would have to stay wet until they returned home.
Michael looked up at Helen. "We'll see you at the car."
He said quietly picking Rachel up and headed out of the store. At least, they were able to get her into the store., even if it was only for a few minutes.
…..
Quinn watched as Noah walked down the basement steps and Santana started up the stairs. She thought for a moment, forcing herself to muster up the strength to climb the stairs.
"Quinn, we need to talk to you for a few minutes," Shelby called out as they walked toward the young blonde.
"I would really rather not," she whispered.
"Quinn," she said quietly. "We need to talk."
"I don't want to," she said turning and looking at them.
"Quinn, we need you to talk to us," Elyse said.
"Don't push her," Shelby said carefully. "We just want to talk about the baby."
"I don't want to talk about the baby!" she said with an exhausted sigh. She looked at her tearfully. "No! We're not!"
"Quinn," Shelby said gently. "What aren't you telling us?"
"I told you I can't," she said heavily. She shook her head. "Why aren't you listening to me? And why does it matter? She's dead!" She looked at the women. "It doesn't matter."
"Did you see a doctor?" Elyse asked.
Quinn gawked at her. She realized the women weren't sure. "Yes," she said in frustration. "Okay? Are we done here?"
The women exchanged a look. Elyse nodded.
"Did your mother - Judy -take you?" Elyse asked.
"It doesn't matter. It's over. It's done," she looked at the women but then stared at the floor. She didn't want to be here anymore.
"It does matter," Shelby said sitting next to her. Quinn backed away from the mother. She wasn't in this moment. She couldn't be here. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to talk about this. She slammed her casted arm against the shelf in frustration. "Okay, we won't talk today, but Elyse will be back tomorrow."
She shook her head. "I won't talk about it because it doesn't matter." She looked at Shelby as if she had been betrayed. "I am sick of this! I am sick of everything and obviously talking doesn't help because we are still nowhere near being okay! None of us are! So stop pushing!"
"Okay," Shelby said enveloping Quinn in a hug only to have the blonde try to push her away. "Okay," she whispered gently. "We won't talk."
Quinn fell into the hug. "Okay," she said wiping her tears.
Elyse left. Quinn made her way carefully and slowly up the stairs. She could hear the phone ringing faintly in the background. She crept slowly into her mother's room and then up another flight of stairs. And right where she suspected, Santana sat quietly out on the roof.
"She's going to kill you if she finds you out here," Quinn said peaking out.
"I'll kill you if you try to climb out here," Santana said looking over her shoulder in surprise. "I don't need you falling off of the roof." She shook her head. "What are you doing up here anyway?"
"Looking for you," she shrugged.
Santana turned to face her on the roof. "Why?"
Quinn shrugged. "Thought you could use some company."
The brunette looked back at her. She narrowed her eyes. "You're still not coming out here." She turned and looked out at the neighborhood.
"I'll be fine," Quinn said as she reached for the sill of the window.
"I mean it, Quinn," she snapped. She reached in and yanked a chair over from the side forcing Quinn to back up. "You can sit there but you're not coming out here. So don't even try."
The blonde sighed and sat carefully into the chair. A silence fell over them.
"I can see your house from here," Santana said quietly looking at the house four streets over. . "Always could," she whispered. She looked over her shoulder a little bit. "Sorry about that."
Quinn shook her head. "I never really lived there. I just... I just was there."
Santana paused and looked over at her. She paused. "Well," she said quietly. "This is your home now." She gave a small smile. "And it always will be." She looked forward. "You're still not gonna get out on this roof."
"Whatever," Quinn said leaning back. They looked over the neighborhood in silence, comfortably.
It felt easy and safe and most importantly, comfortable. "They keep asking me about the baby," she whispered.
Santana looked behind her at the girl and gave a tiny frown. Much to Quinn's surprise, the brunette responded. "They're not going to stop, Quinn."
The blonde frowned. "Why?"
Santana turned to face her. "They ….." She looked at the girl's eyes. "I know you don't want to talk about what happened in that house, Quinn."
"It doesn't matter," she hissed quickly.
"It does," she said honestly. "Quinn, they can use this stuff against you. They need to know the facts."
She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. I can't."
Santana looked at her hands. She tried to think about her words carefully. "Quinn, if they knew about-"
"You cannot tell a soul," she said fiercely. "I need you to swear it."
"Quinn," she said gently.
"Don't, San," she hissed. "I know that we've become friends or …. um... whatever, but I will destroy you if you say a word."
The blonde's hazel eyes pierced her dark ones. Much to her disappointment, Santana didn't flinch.
"I won't tell," she said with a small smile. "You're just scared, but I won't say anything."
The blonde stared out into the neighborhood. Thankful that she dodged another bullet for the day.
The streets in the neighborhood were deserted. It was the typical quiet upper middle class neighborhood. It was quiet. The sound of a car in the front of the house slowing and pulling into the driveway slowed their thoughts.
"Who's that? Is that Rach?"
Santana frowned. "It doesn't sound like our car, but who else would it be?'
…..
Shelby watched as Quinn made her way slowly up the stairs. She gave a sigh. Quinn needed her space and she needed to respect that. She wiped her brow in exhaustion. She heard Noah panting and punching the bag in the basement. She squeezed her eyes shut. She was already dreading the trials. She was dreading what it would do to them. She knew that the kids were fighting themselves and their emotions. She knew that they were strong enough to handle so much. However, she wasn't sure if they were ready to handle a trial. Noah was the only one who was cross examined in New York. That day had been terrible. And she-
The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She took a deep breath. Where was Santana? She thought to herself. The phone rang again. Pick up the phone, she ordered herself.
"Hello?... Hi, Valerie! Yes, I appreciate you allowing Brittany to go for ice cream last night... Yes,..." She deflated slight. "What?...Really? Right now?" She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't want to say that what you have to tell me isn't important but right now-" Valerie interrupted her She took a moment to listen. "Quinn? About Quinn?" She frowned. "Okay. See you soon."
She sighed and hung up the phone as she stared out the window. The leaves were falling off of the trees. Halloween was next week. At this time last year she was trying to balance how to decorate for Halloween without scaring Rachel and without giving Noah and his friends ammunition to throw at the pre-teens down the street all while trying to convince Santana that Halloween didn't give her an opportuntiy to wear a skirt shorter than her Cheerios skirt. At this time last year, her youngest wasn't wetting herself, her eldest wasn't regressing to back to who she was by throwing things like she had done barely a handful of times when she first got the kids back. This time last year she only knew Quinn as the blond girl with the sad eyes.
And now here she was, a year later. She was here waiting in her entryway, waiting for another dose of reality. She stared at the walls. There was a family portrait of her Noah, Santana and Rachel. She paused with a frown. She needed to call the photographer. She should take another picture that included Quinn. The kids had all changed their hair. She looked at her own hair and looked behind her in the mirror. Perhaps, she should cut her hair too.
The doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts. She could hear the patter of the girls' feet coming down the stairs. She opened the door.
Valerie looked at Shelby who stared at the entire Pierce family in surprise. They all looked so solemn and regretful.
"There's something apparently that we all need to discuss," Valerie said looking back at her girls.
Quinn entered the foyer and looked at the family. The four of them looked at her with a plethora of emotions. She shook her head, pleadingly.
Brittany shook her head as her mouth tried to form around her apology. "I had to do it," she finally managed. "I'm so sorry."
Santana came into the foyer as she descended down the stairs. She spotted Brittany and gave a weak smile, which quickly faded. "What's going on?"
Brittany looked at Santana as the brunette stopped on the stairs. She shook her head tearfully. "I need to tell you something."
…
Michael pulled into the driveway. "I wonder what's going on here."
He looked into the backseat and Rachel continued to stare back at him tearfully. She hadn't said a word since he helped her buckle back in since the grocery store.
"What do you think, bug?" Helen asked.
She looked around. "That's Valerie's car. She and Dr. Tom purchased it last year." She looked at them. "They traded in the Honda."
She shifted on the paper bag that she insisted on sitting on so that the seat didn't smell of urine. "Can I see Santana?"
Michael opened the door and walked around the car. She could hear raised voices in the study.
"Let's just head upstairs okay?"
Michael scooped her up and started into the house.
He opened the door and was immediately hit with the heated conversation.
"Brittany! What are you doing?" Quinn asked. "It doesn't matter anymore! You need to go!"
The blonde barely notice Michael enter through the door with Rachel in his arms.
The family was gathered in the study. Rachel gripped tighter to Michael.
"ichael, let's take her upstairs," Helen said as Shelby's voice echoed into the hallway, attempting to be calm. Helen urged. She exchagned a quick look with Shelby before her daughter closed the door. Helen put her hand on Michael's back. "Shelby's handling this."
….
Shelby shut the door as soon as she saw her mother with Rachel. She turned back to the argument behind her.
"What's she talking about?" Santana asked.
"Don't you dare, Brittany," Quinn hissed, but Santana held her back.
"I didn't have a choice after SAntana-" Brittany stopped mid-sentence.
Quinn turned slowly and looked at Santana was such betrayl in her eyes. "What?" she hissed. "What?"
"Let's calm down," Shelby interceded.
"Quinn, I didn't say anything," Santana pleaded. "I swear."
"Don't," the blonde said putting her hand up.
Tom stepped forward. "Let's just begin from what you girl told us."
Santana looked between Melanie and Brittany. "What? Both of you?"
Brittany looked at the ground regretfully. Valerie looked at her eldest daughter, urging her to speak.
Shelby held her breath wondering what these girls could say that Quinn wanted so badly to remain hidden.
"Mrs. Corcoran, last year Brittany came to me for help," Melanie said darting her eyes between the adults in the room. Her father nodded for her to continue. "Quinn needed to go to a clinic."
"I didn't need you to do that for me," the blonde snapped.
Melanie bit her lip. "So we went."
"Melanie, stop talking," Quinn hissed.
"Quinn, I would like to hear why they have to say," SHelby said. "Melanie, go on."
"No," the blond hissed. "No!" She glared at Shelby. "I'll tell you. I was pregnant. We all knew that though right, but I wanted to go to the clinic to get rid of it. Okay? I had to go for a stupid check up to confirm I was pregnant and then I scheduled a date for an abortion. Melanie signed for me. Okay? It's over. It's done. Drop it."
Shelby looked at the Pierces and her eyes fell on Melanie and Brittany.
"You took her to get an abortion?" she asked.
Brittany looked up from her gaze on the floor. "That was the plan," she whispered. She met Santana's eyes and looked away. "But then..." she looked at Quinn. The shorter blonde turned away and looked at the floor.
"Then what?" Shelby asked.
"Then I lost it," she whispered to the carpet.
"What?"
The room fell silent.
Brittany saw the room go silent . Everyone was staring at Quinn for answers. She knew that mustering up the strength to say it was too hard.
"That day, Quinn wasn't feeling well," Brittany said. "We thought it was nerves...She told me that she was bleeding some and she had bad cramps. I called Melanie to bring us to the clinic earlier than usual." She bit her lip and locked eyes with SAntana. "It was a far drive. We...um... " SHe looked at Quinn. "By the time, we got to the clinic..." she trailed off. "The baby was gone."
Shelby looked at Quinn. She felt her heart swelling. She wanted to reach out and hug her, hold her. "Quinn?" she asked gently.
"Don't," the blond hissed staring at the ground. Shelby approached her and pulled the girl into her arms. "I said don't," she bellowed, but fell into the mother's arms anyway. "Don't," she said weakly.
Santana looked at Quinn as she fell. Did Brittany know what Santana knew?
"Does anyone else know?"
"Just us," Brittany said. "And Finn, of course."
"He's the father, right?" Valerie asked.
"Yes," Brittany said staring down at Quinn and Shelby who were crumpled on the couch. "He wanted her to get rid of it and now he's playing the martyr."
Santana saw Quinn flinch and Shelby felt the girl stiffen in her arms. Tom Pierce frowned. He had done this girl's exam.
"Valerie, take the girls outside please, I want to talk with Shelby and Quinn alone," he said calmly.
"No," Santana hissed. "I'm staying with her." She sat closer to her mother and sister.
"Santana, go outside," Quinn said in a low voice from Shelby's shoulder. The two exchanged a look. "Just go, okay?"
Santana leaned forward and kissed Quinn on the cheek. "Okay."
She stormed past Brittany, ignoring the girl's pleading eyes.
Quinn watched as the door shut behind them. She continued to feel safe in Shelby's arms, even though she knew the question that she dreaded most would fall from the only father figure she ever had.
"Quinn, is there anyone else who could be the father of this child?" Tom asked carefully sitting next to her.
She looked at him and shakily extracted herself from Shelby arms. SHe could feel the woman's concerned eyes on her. "I don't know...," she whispered. "Maybe..." She looked him in the eye. "But i think you know that..."
She stared at them. They were both looking back at her. Waiting for an explanation, the truth. She closed her eyes to escape, but she could only think about that night. She knew the truth but sharing it was the biggest challenge.
He pushed her down against the bed and his hand clumsily felt her body.
"Quinn," he muttered breathlessly.
She felt his hips grind against her. He lifted up her top and removed it and leaned back in awe. "Thank you. Thank you."
He had her bra removed quickly and the boy began to ravish her breasts as if they were a prize. "You're hot," he said panting on top of her. "Too bad they're not bigger though." He sighed and leaned back yanking off her spanks and skirt. She knew he wouldn't notice the tiny bruises on the tops of her thighs where her father held her in place. She also hoped her didn't ask her to turn around so that he would see her belt marks: scars left over the years and the raw ones that had just been delivered. She winced as she felt his hands on her bottom.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing," she whispered. "Let's do this."
He smiled eagerly. "Okay," he muttered. He released himself from his pants and rubbed the tip against her entrance. "Ready?" He didn't wait for her to respond. She released a gasp as he entered her. She then closed her eyes and wished she was elsewhere. She felt a build up deep in her stomach as he quickened his pace. He would do it inside and then it would be over. That would fix it. Right? She wouldn't have to worry. Suddenly he pulled out.
"Wait-," she whispered.
"Stay down," he said huskily. "I want to cum on you." He pounded his flesh. "I wanna see it," he said breathlessly.
Quinn felt the liquid hit the front of her body in disgust. She deflated. This wasn't what she had planned.
She blinked her eyes open. She felt empty and raw and exposed. She felt Shelby's hand in hers.
"I don't think it was Finn's," she heard herself whisper. "But he doesn't know that."
Shelby looked over at Tom. Shit.
…...
It's another short one. It was supposed to be longer …. as always.