Next chapter will probably be a two week wait. I've got a busy week next week so it depends how much time I have.

Chapter 14: Downhill

"Let her go," an angry voice boomed.

Immediately, Jasper released Rachel, making her fall to the ground. Keeping his head down and out of sight of whoever came to Rachel's rescue, he practically ran out of the alley.

The man ran over and held a hand out to help her up. "Rachel? Are you alright?"

Standing with her head bowed and shaking off everything, she said, "Jack… What are you doing here?"

She looked clearly shaken but wasn't broken or bleeding that he could see.

"Hey. Come here," he said, wrapping her in a hug. "Never mind that. Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine."

"Let me see," he said, pulling away to get another look at her.

All he saw was the tail end of things when that man had a grip on her arm. He didn't know what, if anything, happened before he got there.

"I'm ok. He didn't hurt me. No more than a bruise anyway," she responded, trying to remain calm.

She refused to lose it in front of him again.

"Who was that?"

"I… I don't know. Just some guy. I think he was looking for money. I don't have any on me."

"Do you want me to call the police?"

"No!"

"Rachel, he could come back. He could hurt you."

"No… Really. I… He was probably homeless. It's fine."

He wanted to yell some sense into her. That boy was not homeless. He was dressed in brand new, probably designer clothes. While Jack new little about fashion, he knew plenty about money and people who had it. This kid had it. Rachel was lying.

"Did he hurt the same arm?" he wondered aloud, unintentionally making connections.

"I'm not hurt," she insisted, pulling her arm away when he tried to inspect it.

"You're bleeding."

"What?" she said, looking down at her arm.

Little moon shaped cuts dotted around where he grabbed her.

"Oh… It's nothing."

"Let me clean that up for you."

"You don't have to. It's fine. My shift is over in five minutes. I'll take care of it then."

Just then, the back entrance opened and her supervisor came out.

"Rachel, you were out here a long time. Everything alright?"

He apprised the situation, noting the man and Rachel holding her arm.

"What happened? Do I need to beat this guy away?"

Rachel laughed.

"Someone attacked Rachel," Jack said. "She swears she's ok, but I'd like to clean her up if you're willing to let her clock out a little early."

"Who are you exactly?"

"I'm her grandfather," Jack told him. "And I'd like to take her home."

"Yeah… Sure… Should we call the police?"

"No… Thank you," Rachel told him. "I'm ok. Just need to clean up."

He gave her permission to leave. Once he went back inside, Rachel looked at Jack for direction, silently asking, "What's next?"

"What do you say you grab your stuff, we clean up that arm, and we can go somewhere – just the two of us?"

She nodded and motioned for him to follow her. He took her into the employee locker room. Grabbing the first aid kit, she allowed him to wipe up her arm. It would bruise, but it wasn't much worse than that.

After, he said, "You're the native, so where to?"

Rachel guided him through the streets of New York until they were at a local park. The weather was only just starting to get better, so it was still relatively empty, just a few little kids tossing a ball on the other end.

"I thought Shelby said you'd be in town later in the week."

"Yes, well, that was what she thought."

"But something changed?"

"You did, sweetheart."

"Me?"

"Yes, Shelby told us that she spoke to you, let you know that we knew you are our granddaughter, and were willing to spend some time with us soon. Is that right?"

She shrugged.

"I wanted to come see you alone to make sure that's what you really want, Rachel."

She gave him a curious look and waited for him to continue.

"I would love nothing more for you to want to be our granddaughter and part of our family, but I know Shelby has put you through the ringer. I love my daughter and I will defend her until my dying breath, but I also love you, Rachel and I want to protect you… Even if it's from her."

Jack sounded so sincere and caring, like he truly meant it, and it made her want to cry. The way he looked at her with such love despite the mistakes she already made, despite her feeling like she was nothing… She couldn't stop the tear from falling.

"Hey. Hey. No need to cry. What's wrong?"

"I don't get it."

"Get what?"

"Why do you care? You don't know me. You shouldn't love me. I'm no one. Nothing."

"Don't talk about yourself that way. You are a beautiful, intelligent, and amazing young woman. Despite not being in your life all these years, I feel like I do know you, sweetheart. I feel like I know your hurting heart. I know that you are struggling with something and find it hard to talk about. The rest… I want to figure out with you. You are your own person, but you do remind me so much of my little Shelby."

"I'm not her."

"I know. I also know that she put you through the ringer, and that's why I'm here. I don't want you to feel pressured. Your grandma… She's a wonderful woman, and she will smother you with love if you let her, but if you're not ready, that's ok. I don't want you to jump into this because you feel you need to. Only if you want to."

"I don't know what I want," she admitted.

"That's ok, too, Rachel."

He put his hand on her shoulder, feeling her tense beneath his touch. She knew he wouldn't hurt her, but after the run in with Jasper, she was on edge.

"You sure you're ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I think I'm just shaken. Not every day I get accosted by a homeless guy."

"Is that all it is?"

"What else would it be?" she defensively asked.

"I don't know, Rachel. That's why I'm asking."

"I'm sorry. I'm ok. It's just been a long day. I know you came for answers, but I don't really have any right now."

"I didn't necessarily come for answers. I just want you to know there's no pressure. We want a relationship with you, but we know that this is new for you, and we need to move at your pace. What time you spend with us is your decision."

"Thank you."

"You hungry? We can get dinner?"

"I appreciate it, but no thank you. I'm… tired."

"That's ok. Like I said, we move at your pace. We'll be in town from Friday to Monday. I'm heading back to Connecticut after I leave you."

"You really came out here just to see me?"

"I did. Seeing Shelly and Beth were just added bonuses."

She really didn't know what to make of that or how to respond. Thank you didn't seem right. He made her feel like part of the family, and she wasn't sure she liked that, because she wasn't really. Even if they wanted her to be, she would always be the outsider.

"Rachel, I promise there's no pressure. If you say you need space, I will make sure you get it, but I want you to have my number. That way, if you need me or just want to talk, you can reach me."

"I…"

"You never have to use it if you don't want to, but I want to make sure you have it."

"Ok. Thank you."

"Can I take you home?"

"That's out of your way but thank you."

"Alright. Please take care of yourself. I know you said you're ok, but if your arm hurts more than just a bruise should, please get checked out."

She nodded.

"Ok, Rachel. I'll let you get back to your day. I'm happy I got to spend any time with you. Are you up for a hug before I go? It's ok to say no."

"A hug is fine," she told him, standing from the bench and waiting for him to join.

He wrapped his arms around her and she graciously returned the hug, maybe even leaning into it a bit too much. She has had hugs recently, but it felt different. He hugged her like he wanted her to know that he was non-threatening and just cared about her. He was being the grandfather she hadn't really had all her life. She didn't know what to think about it.

"It was nice seeing you Jack. Maybe… Maybe I'll come by when you and Maggie are here. I… It could be good."

When Rachel walked away, both of them had a barrage of thoughts. Jack was worried. To him, Rachel was a little too nonchalant about being accosted. He was worried enough that he was likely to bring it up to Shelby. Mostly, he was worried that Rachel wasn't worried enough.

For Rachel, she was worried about Jasper and what Santana might have said to him. As soon as she made it home, she looked for Santana, but she wasn't home.

"Rachel? Long time no see. Feels like you've been avoiding me, Diva."

"Hi Kurt," she greeted as she slipped off her coat.

"What the hell is that?" he asked, jumping up from the couch to go to her side.

A dark bruise was already forming on her arm, not masked much at all by the bandage.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine. I just… fell."

"At work?"

"Yeah."

"Do you need ice or anything? I'll grab it for you."

She smiled and told him, "I'm good. Thanks, Kurt."

"Come sit with me then. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever. What's going on? Santana rushed out of here so fast this morning. I don't know what's up with her."

"Who knows with her," Rachel said.

"So, what have you been up to? Talk to me."

Rachel sat next to Kurt, both leaning back into the cushions.

"I… I spent time with my grandfather today."

"One of your dads', dads?"

"No… Shelby's father."

"Wait, what?"

"I know, it's weird. I went to see Shelby a few days ago and we got to talking. We're working on things."

Rachel explained that Shelby's parents and siblings knew that she was biologically Shelby's daughter and the story surrounding that.

"It's new and they said it would be on my terms, but that they'd like to spend some time with me and get to know me. Shelby and I discussed it when I was at her house, but Jack – that's my grandpa – wanted to make sure that I was being honest. He didn't want Maggie to overwhelm me or me to feel like I have to do it."

"That was nice. What did you say?"

"When I spent Christmas with them, they were kind and treated me like family. I don't really know what I want, but I think I should give it a chance."

"What's he like? What are they like?"

"They seem like the kind of grandparents most people would be lucky to have," she said, before getting into more detail.

Kurt was right, it had been a while since they just hung out and talked. She had been avoiding spending time with her friends because she just couldn't fathom it. Now, even though she still had secrets and Kurt didn't know any of them, she felt a little freer knowing Santana knew some of it. It took a load off her shoulders.

Most of the day sucked for her. A lot of the past few months had been terrible for her, but Kurt and Santana weren't part of the problem. She didn't want to push them away. She needed them more than she realized.

Yet, she lied to him about the bruise… What a friend she was…

Still, it felt good and normal to talk with him about things. It allowed her to forget for a little while.

"So, what are you going to do? Are you going to see them?"

"I think so… I don't know. I guess I should try. If I can give Shelby another chance, surely, I should give them a first chance."

"I'm happy for you."

"Thanks."

"What do your dads think about this?"

"I haven't told them."

"But you have talked to them, haven't you?"

"Yeah. They confirmed they are getting divorced… Finally. And they're selling the house."

"What? When did this happen?"

"They told me yesterday. We've been texting and had the occasional call, but I told them I wish they would just tell me what was going on with them. So they did. The three of us talked and it is what it is."

"Are they moving out of Ohio? Where are they going?"

"Daddy is taking a new job in Chicago, and Dad is sticking around Ohio but not Lima."

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok. Lima hasn't really felt like home since Finn died. I haven't wanted to go back. Maybe this will be good for all of us."

"I'm just glad you talked to them. Did you tell them about the drinking and everything?"

"I told them not to worry about me, that I was seeing a therapist and I could talk about all my feelings – about their divorce and everything else – with her. They were happy to hear that."

"I'm glad you're not ignoring them anymore. They were petty worried about you."

"I know. I'm… Fine."

"I still don't believe that, but you've been better, so I'll let it slide. Want to do something fun?"

"Only if it can happen inside of this apartment."

"Movie night?"

"Yeah. I'll order in. What do you want?"

"Oh, what about that Thai place that we like. They have plenty of vegetarian options for you."

"The usual?"

"Of course. And I'll make popcorn too. Gotta have popcorn. Are we in a musical mood or a good cry kind of mood?"

They looked at each other and knew, good cry was the way to go. They liked to watch sad movies when they were feeling a lot. It was a good excuse to cry openly without needing to check in on the other.

It was a normal night after a less than normal day. She was lucky to have Kurt. She knew that. For now, she was just basking in the normal.

Truthfully, she was lying even to herself. She was terrified of what Jasper's next move would be. He kept showing up. Now she made him mad. Santana had inadvertently set him off. She wasn't mad at Santana, but she wished her friend just left it alone.

She didn't see Santana until the next day since they were on different work schedules, and she had been avoiding her texts, but once she did, she needed some answers of her own.

"Hey Santana?"

"What is it Midget?"

"What did you say to Jasper?"

"Did that asshole narc on me? He's not as charming as you think he is, you know? He was a little pervy with me when he realized I was gay."

"What?" Panic was setting in. "What did he say? What did he do?"

"Jeez. It was nothing. He's just a douche. I don't know what you see in him."

"I don't see anything in him," she said a little hastily.

"Whatever. What's the problem?"

"What did you say to him? I… ran into him and he was asking questions. He said my friend came to see him… I'm assuming that's you."

"Hey, Jasper," Santana called out, trying to get the guy's attention.

Rachel told her that he was working on an off-Broadway play. She took the time to figure out where that was and go in search of him. Someone hurt Rachel, and she wanted to know more. She needed to know who to protect Rachel from.

It certainly did get his attention. He turned away from his buddies and walked over to his visitor.

"Santana, what are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you."

"Oh… I'm flattered, but you're not really my time."

She cringed.

"Ewww. No. Not in your wildest dreams. Your male-ness is a real turn off."

"You're gay?"

"Does that matter?"

"No… I'd just like to watch."

"Gross." Ignoring the cringe worthiness of the whole exchange, Santana got to her point. "I came here for Rachel."

"Has something happened?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"What do you mean?"

"Who did you leave Rachel with the night of the showcase? After Kurt and I left, what happened?"

"Did Rachel say something happened?"

"Dude, just answer the question, please."

There was a lot of back and forth, that really led nowhere. Jasper was an ass. Of that, Santana was sure. But he either knew more than he led on and lied about it, or was oblivious to everything that happened that night. Her bet was the former, but she couldn't pinpoint why.

"Rachel, I only wanted answers. I wanted to see if I could figure out who it was that… that you were with and who's harassing you now. It's not right."

"I really wish you'd just leave it alone. You don't know what you're doing."

"What does that mean?"

"It means stay away from Jasper… He doesn't know anything. Just leave it alone."

"You're being weird."

"I'm not. Please, just please stay away from him. And stop telling people my business. He was asking if something happened… I don't need that, Santana."

"What you need is to be honest about everything that happened."

"I have been."

"Rachel, whatever happened that night has shaken you up and the asshole is still bothering you. Why won't you let me help?"

"Why won't you just move on?"

"Have you?" Santana questioned.

"Yes…"

"Liar."

"Santana, please," she begged. "Stop asking questions and stay away from Jasper. I don't need him asking questions either. You have no idea what you're doing."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing."

"No, Rachel. What does that mean? What did I do? What did Jasper do?"

"Nothing!"

"Rachel!"

"Santana. I'm warning you. Stay out of it. Stay out of my business."

Rachel, trying to escape, gave Santana no time to respond before she fled the apartment. She wasn't mad at Santana, but she couldn't explain the fear and worry she was experiencing. Santana set Jasper loose and made both a target. She had been desperately trying to avoid that just for it to crumble around her from one innocent mistake.

Calming herself, Rachel decided to head to school early. She regretted it the moment she got there. As soon as she stepped foot on campus, it felt like everyone was staring at her. Laughing too, maybe?

It all made her uncomfortable.

Then she headed toward the dance hall where her class was and understood exactly what was happening. People were laughing at her, pointing her out to each other. Then she saw it… A picture of her mostly nude and in a vulnerable state was plastered on the wall of her classroom and, apparently, sent from one person to another.

Everyone had seen her naked. It was a nightmare come reality once again.

She couldn't catch her breath. Her body tingled as the panic coursed through her. All the pointing and laughing and staring, it was like the walls were closing in around her and she just needed to get out.

So she ran and ran and ran until she found a quiet place to calm down. Though even that didn't help. Calm just meant able to breath again.

She couldn't be there, so she thought about a place to hide and went without second thought.