Disclaimer – yeah, yeah, I don't own Glee, you know this by now

Hello dear readers,

Not much of our boys in this chapter but I promise they'll feature more prominently in the next one

Chapter 23 – Goodbye Childhood

Glee rehearsals were proving to be an awkward affair. The New Directions were managing to get a lot of work done and they were all feeling confident that they would put on a good performance at Sectionals, but the knowledge that Quinn was pregnant with Matt's baby continued to cause tension in the group. Luckily, Mike and Brittany had specifically organised the choreography so that Quinn, Matt and Finn were never in a position where they had to dance too close to one another. True to his character, Matt remained pretty much silent in Glee rehearsals. Finn concentrated on getting the dance moves right and had taken to sitting beside Mercedes as she was his duet partner. As for Quinn, she found herself spending more time with Rachel and Artie, her hand cradling her stomach whenever she sat down.

"Great rehearsal today guys," Mr. Schue praised them. "Just two weeks till Sectionals. Keep up the good work. Tina, how are the costumes coming along?"

"Almost done," Tina answered. "I'll be ready to have everyone try them on this Wednesday and that will give me time to make any fitting adjustments." I'll probably have to let Quinn's dress out a little more, she thought as she discreetly eyed Quinn's baby bump.

"Hey, Tina," Rachel called approaching the Goth after Mr. Schue had dismissed them all.

"If this is another intervention or lecture thing then save your breath," Tina advised with a quirked eyebrow.

"No, it's not that," Rachel said as she looked back over her shoulder to where Artie and Quinn were waiting for her. "I just, I kind of needed a favour."

"How can I help?" Tina asked.

"Well, as you've noticed Quinn's bump is becoming slightly more prominent," Rachel said quietly and Tina gave a subtle nod. "She knows she can't hide it much longer and it's only a matter of time before people at school start talking. Jacob Ben-Israel already has his suspicions. I had to give him a pair of my underwear to stop him from printing a story," she shuddered.

"I could have a little talk with Jacob," Tina offered. "I'll make sure he doesn't print so much as a single word about Quinn."

"That's not… well, that might actually be helpful," Rachel acknowledged. "But just a talk and some threats, no violence," she said and Tina rolled her eyes beginning to look bored. "Anyway, we can discuss that later. You see, Quinn's decided to tell her parents. She doesn't want to do it alone and she's refused to have Matt be there with her and she doesn't want any of the other boys there because her parents would assume they were the father even though they're not. So I'm going to be there for Quinn to help her through this and, well, she and I kind of hoped you could be there too."

"Why me? I barely even talk to Quinn," Tina pointed out.

"She isn't sure how her parents are going to react," Rachel said. "But she's freaking out and truth be told she's a little afraid of her dad and purely from the thoughts in her head I'm deeply concerned too. If… if Mr. Fabray gets violent he could really hurt Quinn and the baby. I won't be much help if he gets aggressive but you… you're a girl, so the Fabrays will know you're not the father and with your strength you'll be able to protect Quinn if things go… badly."

"I'll come, of course I will," Tina answered.

"Good, thank you," Rachel responded throwing her arms around Tina in a hug. "But remember, this is just a precaution in case Mr. Fabray has a violent reaction. He might be entirely calm about the situation."

"I get it," Tina said. "If Mr. Fabray is a good boy I don't lay a hand on him. If he's an asshole then I'm his worst nightmare. When are we going?"

"Well, Quinn wanted to get it out of the way and tell them tonight," Rachel answered. "Is that ok?"

Tina's head whipped to the side and her eyes seemed to turn a shade darker as she inhaled. Karofsky, she thought viciously.

"Give me five minutes," Tina said. "I smell trouble," in the blink an eye she was out of the Choir Room, following Karofsky's scent.

"What's going on?" Artie asked. "Did she say no?"

"Tina will be right back," Rachel said turning back to Artie and Quinn as she rubbed her temples. "She just needs to take care of something first."

"Take care of what?" Quinn asked.

"Karofsky," Rachel answered with a wince as she closed her eyes, seeing the boy strike Puck in the back of the head from behind and then shoving Kurt against a wall and forcing his mouth on Kurt's. "No," Rachel whimpered as she dropped to her knees, clutching at her head.

"Hey, ssh, ssh, it's ok," Quinn said gently, rubbing Rachel's back soothingly, just as the brunette girl had done for her countless times now when she was throwing up in the bathroom.

"I don't want to see this," Rachel sobbed shaking her head from side-to-side as Karofsky's large hands groped at Kurt's intimate areas and ripped at his clothes. "I don't want to see this." She could feel Kurt's fear as though it were her own and her body trembled violently as Karofsky pulled out his cock. "No, please no."

Quinn and Artie shared a concerned look as Rachel babbled some more before she let out a shuddering breath and her eyes opened.

"It's ok," Quinn soothed. "The vision's over."

"You mentioned Karofsky," Artie said. "What's he doing? Can we stop him?"

"I'm not sure," Rachel sighed. "Either I saw what was happening as it was happening, or it's something that can be prevented if Tina finds him on time."

"Tina's fast, she'll stop him," Quinn insisted.

"I hope so," Rachel nodded feeling a little sick from the vision.

XXX

On the other side of the school, Kurt and Puck were walking hand-in-hand, laughing together at a joke Puck had made. Karofsky was coming up behind them, raising a fist to attack Puck from behind.

"Puck, behind you," Tina called out and Puck whirled around just in time to duck Karofsky's punch.

"You son of a bitch," Puck swore shoving Karofsky up against the wall.

"Noah, forget it, he isn't worth it," Kurt said.

Reluctantly, Puck let Karofsky go. He glowered at him as he stepped back, wrapping an arm around Kurt.

"Tina, stop," Kurt admonished as the girl used one hand to shove Karofsky back against the wall, his feet dangling a few inches above the floor.

"Relax, Kurt," Tina smirked. "I'm just going to give my good friend Karofsky a friendly warning." She gripped Karofsky's balls and the boy's eyes widened in fear. "Next time I find you anywhere near Kurt, Puck or any of my friends from Glee, I'm going to break into your bedroom in the middle of the night, cut off your testicles, force them down your throat and then stick duct-tape over your mouth." She released her hold on the jock and he fell to the floor, looking up at her in horror. "Go, now," she advised and Karofsky crawled on all fours before scrambling to his feet and running away.

"Tina," Kurt sighed. "You can't just… if he reports you to Figgins for that…"

"He won't," Puck said confidently. "He'll be way too embarrassed to admit he's scared of a girl. Thanks Queen T," he offered his fist for the girl to bump.

"Be careful," Tina told them. "I don't know if Karofsky's smart enough to listen to my warning."

"You need to be careful too," Kurt responded. "I know you can handle yourself but if Karofsky or somebody else does report you… I just… I don't want you or anyone else getting into trouble because of me."

"Don't worry about me," Tina replied. "Just make sure you stay safe."

"It's cool, Vampire Babe, I'll look after him," Puck assured pressing a kiss to the corner of Kurt's mouth. Kurt blushed faintly while Tina smirked.

"I'll see you boys tomorrow," she said before turning on her heel and speedily making her way back to the Choir Room.

"Come on, I'll take you home," Puck said wrapping his arm securely around Kurt's shoulders.

"Noah, why is Karofsky so obsessed with me?" Kurt asked.

"I don't know," Puck answered honestly. "But I'm always gonna protect you from him. I promise."

"I don't… I don't want to have to be protected," Kurt said. "I'm not a damsel in distress."

"Then I'll teach you how to fight," Puck told him.

"I'm not a violent person," Kurt pointed out. "I don't want to have to fight."

"Alright, don't think of it as fighting. Think of it as defending yourself," Puck said. "And keep working on getting your powers under control so that you can turn invisible and walk through walls precisely when you need to."

"I know, I'm working on it," Kurt said. "And I'm getting there, I think."

"Well, in the mean time, how about we make-out?" Puck asked. "Kissing always cheers me up."

"I do like kissing," Kurt smiled coyly.

XXX

"Hey, I'm back, you ready to go?" Tina asked upon returning to the Choir Room.

"What happened?" Rachel asked standing up. "Are Kurt and Noah ok?"

"They're fine," Tina nodded.

"Oh thank god," Rachel sighed in relief.

"And Karofsky?" Quinn asked.

"As far as I'm concerned he's had his last warning," Tina stated. "If he messes with the people I care about again then I'm sure as hell going to make him regret it."

"Tina," Artie groaned. "I know Karofsky's an asshole but you can't just…"

"Artie," Rachel interrupted. "You didn't see what I saw. You don't realise what Tina just prevented from happening. Karofsky isn't some regular bullying jock who needs a detention. He's dangerous and I for one don't want him anywhere near my best gay."

"Wait, what was Karofsky planning to do?" Quinn asked. "What did Tina prevent from happening?"

Rachel hesitated for a while, unsure whether she should share the truth. The concerned look in Quinn's eyes as she rested a hand on her baby bump prompted her to be honest.

"He was going to attack Puck from behind and knock him out," she said and Tina nodded having seen and stopped that particular incident. "Then he was going to… he was going to rape Kurt."

"What?" Quinn asked in horrified shock, her eyes moistening with tears.

Artie's fingers flexed and a few stray blue sparks sizzled from his finger tips. Tina was still as a statue, her eyes dark and had Karofsky been in the Choir Room at that precise moment Rachel was sure the Goth girl would have snapped his neck in her bare hands.

"We have to keep him away from Kurt," Artie stated.

I'll kill him, Tina thought, her eyes snapping to meet Rachel's knowing the other girl could hear. I will, I'll kill him. Rachel remained silent, not sharing Tina's dangerous thoughts with the others.

"Quinn, are you sure you want to tell your parents today?" Rachel asked.

"I'm sure," Quinn nodded determinedly.

"Ok, let's go," Rachel decided.

The four Gleeks left the Choir Room together and made their way through the school. They passed through the corridor where Karofsky had raped Kurt in Rachel's vision; the same corridor Tina had shortly prevented such a heinous crime from happening. Even though the vision hadn't come to be, to Rachel, for all intents and purposes she had still witnessed her friend be raped. As they walked through the corridor, Rachel's mind flashed with images of Kurt crying out in fear, pain and humiliation as Karofsky violated him. The vision hadn't come true that day, but Rachel worried that it could still happen and that Tina wouldn't be there every time to save the day. She knew that Tina wanted Karofsky dead. She also knew very well that Tina had the power to do it. Rachel was now debating with herself whether she should encourage Tina to end Karofsky's life or try to prevent her from committing murder.

"You ok?" Artie asked. "It looks like you've got a lot on your mind."

"Just the usual stuff," Rachel answered him. "Song lyrics, dance steps, Glee drama," murder. "Anyway, we're off to Quinn's. I'll call you later."

"Sure," Artie nodded leaning in to kiss her. "Good luck," he told Quinn softly and the blonde mouthed a thank-you to him.

XXX

Soon enough, the three girls had arrived outside Quinn's house and the voices in Rachel's head were louder than ever but she gritted her teeth through the pain of the headache and followed Quinn inside.

Mrs. Fabray greeted them with a false smile and Rachel didn't need to hear the woman's thoughts to know that she thoroughly disapproved of the likes of herself and Tina being in her home.

"Is daddy home?" Quinn asked. "I needed to talk to you both about something."

She's pregnant, Mrs. Fabray thought, keeping that forced smile in place as she called out for her husband.

"Hey Quinny," Mr. Fabray smiled as he strolled in to the living-room where the three teen girls were seated on the sofa. "New friends of yours?" he asked looking between Rachel and Tina with confusion.

"Daddy this is my friend Rachel and my friend Tina," Quinn introduced. "We're all in Glee Club together and Rachel recently joined the Cheerio's."

"It was really a one time performance," Rachel said.

Coach Sylvester will kick me off the team soon, Quinn pointed out. She'll need a new full-time Cheerio. You were great at the last game it may as well be you.

Oh, another cheerleader, Mrs. Fabray thought with a genuine smile, her entire attitude towards Rachel seeming to change in a matter of seconds.

"So, what do you need to talk about, Quinny?" Mr. Fabray asked and Rachel could tell by his thoughts that he had no idea whatsoever.

"I… I…" Quinn struggled to form the words. She looked to her mother for some kind of support but Mrs. Fabray was determinedly avoiding eye-contact with her.

"It's ok," Rachel whispered placing a hand on Quinn's shoulder, Tina moving in to rest a hand on her other shoulder. "We're here. You can do this."

"Daddy I…" Quinn tried again. I can't… I can't.

He isn't going to take this well, Tina thought as she kept her eyes on Mr. Fabray, readying herself for a fight.

For his part, Mr. Fabray still looked confused and slightly suspicious, but he hadn't yet guessed what was really going on.

"Quinn, you can tell us anything, you know that," Mr. Fabray said. "Is it school work? If you're struggling with something we can get you a tutor."

"My grades are fine, daddy," Quinn answered. "Straight As."

"That's my girl," Mr. Fabray beamed proudly and Rachel found herself hoping that Quinn's father would remain loving and understanding even though Tina's thoughts clearly indicated that she expected the opposite.

"Daddy I'm…" Quinn was interrupted by a knock on the door and she sighed as she cast her eyes to the carpet.

"I'll be right back," Mrs. Fabray excused herself to answer the door, returning a few minutes later with an extremely worried look on her face as Matt followed behind her.

"Who's this?" Mr. Fabray asked. "Is this Finn?"

"No, this is, this is Matt," Quinn answered. What is he doing here, I told him not to come, she mentally seethed.

"Matt's also in Glee Club with us," Tina spoke up.

"And what's Matt doing here right now?" Mr. Fabray asked. "Quinn, what's going on? What do you need to tell us?"

"I'm pregnant," Quinn revealed and everybody looked to Mr. Fabray awaiting his reaction. "Daddy… please say something," Quinn begged in barely more than a whisper.

"You did this to my little girl?" Mr. Fabray hissed as he glared at Matt in disgust.

"Yes, sir," Matt answered.

Tina stood, feeling certain that Mr. Fabray was about to get violent. But he didn't. He walked right up to Matt, continuing to glare at him, but made no move to strike the boy.

"I want you all out of my house," Mr. Fabray said. "And take the slut with you," he said harshly not even looking at Quinn. "You have thirty minutes," he left the room to set the timer on the microwave.

"Wait, you can't just… Mrs. Fabray, do something," Rachel urged.

"Don't bother Rachel," Quinn cried. "Just help me pack, please."

They went up to Quinn's room and Tina's speed enabled them to pack very quickly. It all felt so brutal. Seeing Quinn's possessions packed into a large suitcase and a few bags seemed so wrong. The look in Quinn's eyes as she glanced about her bedroom was even worse. As Rachel looked at her, it didn't feel like she was looking at a girl her own age. With Quinn resting a hand on her baby bump and walking out of her bedroom, it was like her childhood and innocence was being left behind.

Mrs. Fabray was waiting at the bottom of the stairs but Mr. Fabray was nowhere to be seen. Rachel found herself looking hopefully to Mrs. Fabray, urging her to say something. Quinn didn't even bother looking at her as she left through the front door.

"You can stay with me and my dads," Rachel said. "I already told them about the situation just in case things went badly and they've said you're welcome to stay with us for as long as you need."

"Or you can stay with me," Matt offered.

"Thank you but I'm going to stay with Rachel," Quinn said as Tina loaded the bags into the car.

To Be Continued…

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