I do not own Glee or any of the characters! (Unfortunately, *sigh*)

Dear OoSunnyoO and RVNola546 - my first two reviewers, wow! – thanks for your comments! Here you have the answer. And then let's take it from there…

Chapter 3

Quinn stood on the sidewalk, her gaze trained on Rachel's back, her name hung unspoken on her lips. She wanted to call after her, but stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. She was so shocked about what she had just seen. Had she not committed Rachel's face to her memory in every single detail, she hardly would have recognized her now. She could not find words to describe it. It was… it was just that this did not seem like the Rachel she knew.

That simply was not Rachel.

It was almost a completely foreign person who had stood in front of her. With lifeless brown eyes, pale skin, a defeated air surrounding her. Yes. That was what she had seen. Rachel looked defeated. But why? What the hell had happened to suck the life right out of Rachel Berry, the diva, the person with the strongest backbone she had ever met?

Though just for a fraction of a second, Quinn had also noticed something else flicker across her former friend's face. Was it hope? She could not quite place it, it had been a fleeting moment before shock, surprise, and dismay had commandeered Rachel's features.

Still, something stirred in Quinn's heart. Running into Rachel that day must have been fate. Fate or not, Quinn Fabray would not give up so easily. She watched Rachel enter a small building further down the street to the left.

And then Quinn planted herself in front of the entrance of that same building.

The Community Center.

What was Rachel doing here? Well, she would find out eventually. Quinn hoped that the building did not have another exit where she could miss Rachel should she choose to take another route to exit.

After one and a half hours of waiting and pacing in front of the building, it started to drizzle. Quinn shot a dubious look at the sky. It did not seem that it would stop soon, there were big, grey clouds building up. She decided to wait inside. Luckily, there were some chairs along the wall close to the entrance. She gratefully plopped down on a seat and flipped through a program that lay on a small table next to her.

After waiting another hour Quinn really had to go to the bathroom. But she was afraid to leave her spot. What if Rachel slipped by in that instant? She would lose her again. And there was no way Quinn was going to let that happen.

Finally, when Quinn thought her butt had gone totally numb she saw Rachel coming out of one of the classrooms further down the hall. While walking down the aisle she stuffed a book into her bag and did not notice Quinn until she was almost in front of her.

Rachel gasped when she saw the blond sitting there, looking at her with a small apologetic smile. Before Quinn could react, she observed another woman approaching from behind, tapping Rachel on the shoulder. The brunette jerked around. It seemed to be her teacher from the class she had just visited. At least that was what Quinn guessed, as she came out of the same room that Rachel had left a moment earlier. The tall, slender, and dark haired woman reminded Quinn faintly of Santana.

The teacher handed Rachel a workbook.

"You forgot your book." The woman accompanied her words with signs directed at Rachel before moving on.

Quinn watched the exchange with a mixture of interest and confusion. She did not know that Rachel was familiar with the American Sign Language. Rachel pressed the book against her chest like a shield. With a look of utter dismay on her face, she tried to pass by Quinn to head towards the exit.

Quinn quickly stepped in front of her, a hand on her upper arm to stop her progress.

"Rachel, please, let's talk." Quinn noticed Rachel's gaze flicker from her eyes down to her lips. "Please Rachel. Let's not…" Rachel jerked her arm out of Quinn's grip. She moved back a step and shook her head with an incredulous look on her face.

"Rachel, don't go! I…" Quinn could not finish her sentence. With horror, she watched as Rachel's features convulsed in rage and desperation at the same time before the words broke out of her.

"Quinn, stop talking to me! Don't you get it? I can't hear what you are saying. I can't hear you! Just let me go!" She screamed, struggling against Quinn who had grabbed her again.

Quinn stared at her in absolute shock and Rachel flinched when she saw her expression. She jerked back as if Quinn had slapped her across the face.

When Rachel tried to run for the exit, Quinn held her back once more. She pulled her close and enveloped her in a hug. Quinn had no idea what had possessed her to do that. She felt Rachel fight against her, but did not let go. Then she felt the struggles give way to cries that soon shook the smaller girl's body. If Quinn had not held her upright, Rachel would have landed on the floor in a heap; her small frame was shaken so hard by her crying.

Some people passing by threw them concerned looks, but Quinn ignored them, she did not even notice them. The only thing she noticed was Rachel in her arms. She felt her own tears slide down her face, but could not be bothered to lift one hand away from the small body to brush them off. She let them fall freely and held on to the most important person in her life. She vowed to herself that no matter what had happened to Rachel, she would not leave her again.

Ever.