AN: Thank you for all the positivity lately in regards to this story! I'm still quite self-conscious in regards to my writing so the reviews are reassuring!
Here's another one..
"How can he plead not guilty Mama? Do they think I'm lying? This isn't going to go my way is it? They're going to let him out and he's going to come for me." Quinn rambles out beginning to hyperventilate.
Santana quickly kneels down infront of her, grabs a pale hand and places it above her own heart. She then cups both of Quinn's cheeks, "Look at me Lucy Q, it's okay. Breathe with me, deep breath in, deep breath out." She chants and they repeat the process until her breathing returns to normal.
"Baby girl, I'm sorry but there is one more issue." Maribel carries on, as Santana returns to her seat besides Quinn.
"If Russell wins this case, which I don't think he will, not based on the evidence we have, but if he does, he can take you back, he's your legal guardian. He's already said that you aren't safe here because you're living with not one, but two dangerous characters." Mari finishes looking at Santana with a sympathetic look. She glances over at Quinn, whose tears are about to fall.
"He thinks that Tana or Blaine would hurt me? They're the two people that have protected me! What am I going to do?" She cries, flinging herself into Santana's arms and gripping her t-shirt.
"Shhh baby. It's okay, it's all going to be okay." Santana whispers trying to sound convincing, she looks over to her mother who has silent tears too, both not sure if this is going to be okay.
Quinn has been extremely subdued and clingy the rest of the week. Anywhere Santana goes, she's either at her side, not far behind or they're constantly texting.
The blonde also doesn't speak much and Santana is extremely worried. She answers questions with basic answers and usually just nods or shakes her head in response.
Maribel also agreed that Santana shares Quinn's bed for a while as she seems to rest better when her girlfriend is around.
That's until tonight.
Santana has finally fell asleep, she's been sleeping awfully the past few days as Quinn is really restless and her mind is going a million miles a minute of what's going to happen in a weeks time.
She is awoken by an ear-piercing scream coming from the body next to her.
"TANA NO! DADDY GET OFF HER! STOP IT! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HER, GET OFF! MY TANA, MY TANA, GET UP!"
The brunette springs into action, trying to wake her girlfriend up shaking her and speaking into her ear. "Quinn wake up. Wake up." She repeats.
Suddenly, hazel eyes urgently open, immediately shedding tears. Quinn starts to hysterically cry and Santana wraps her arms around her body, pulling the blonde into her lap.
Quinn buries her head against Santana's chest while she sobs. "He-he kil-killed you. Y-you we're dea-dead in my ar-arms."
Santana runs her fingers through the nest of blonde hair. "He didn't kill me Q, it's okay, I'm right here, you're safe."
She begins to calm down when the Latina moves the other girls head slightly, so that she can hear her heartbeat knowing it calms Quinn down.
"You stay here okay, I'm going to go get you some water and I'll get you some more clothes to change into, you're sweating."
"NO! Please Tana, don't go, please don't go." She whimpers, needing to see and feel the Latina is okay.
Just then there's a small knock on the door and Blaine pops his head in to see if everything's okay, Santana nods and asks him if he can get some water, to which he returns quickly and bids goodnight again.
After a little while, Quinn speaks up again, "I saw him do it. He hit you so much that he killed you. There was blood everywhere and you were lifeless, Blaine didn't get there in time, you were already dead." She explains clinging onto Santana more.
"It's okay pretty girl, you're okay, I've got you." She says kissing the top of her head.
"How long have the nightmares been going on?" Santana asks now piecing together why Quinn has been so restless.
"How did you know?"
"You haven't been sleeping too well."
"If you know that, then you haven't been either." She quips, trying to get off the topic.
"This isn't about me now Lucy Q. No more secrets remember?" Santana says tilting Quinn's head up so that they can maintain eye contact.
"From the first night mama told us. I used to get them when I first moved in, in fact, I probably had them at home too." She whispers.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to burden you. You have done so much for me, I didn't want you to worry."
"Baby.." Santana sighs, "you, are my number one priority. You always have been, even when I wasn't here, you were always on my mind. I love you with everything I am Lucy Q and we're going to get through this together, but you have to tell me when somethings wrong, you will never, ever, be a burden to me mi amor."
Quinn leans in for a kiss and when she pulls back, leans their foreheads together, "I love you so much."
"Come on, let's go back to sleep, we can talk more in the morning, okay? If you need anything, you wake me up?" Santana says shifting so that she's lying down but with Quinn still on top of her.
"Can I lay here or do you want me to move?" The blonde asks shyly.
"If you feel better lying there, then that's where you'll stay pretty girl." She says kissing the crown of the head below her chin.
"Goodnight lovebug."
"Night baby love. I will always protect you." She replies as Quinn squeezes her tighter and Santana wraps her arms across the blondes back, squeezing back just as much.
The next morning, Santana is extremely tired when she wakes. She looks down to find Quinn still in the same position, lying completely on top of her, with her shirt still in a death grip, within a pale fist.
The Latina runs her fingers the blonde hair in an attempt to wake her. She stirs slightly but then nestles down further.
She decides that kissing her face repeatedly may work, so she begins peppering Quinn's face with kisses, to which her eyes begin to flutter open and she smiles softly.
"Good morning mi princesa." Santana says placing a gentle kiss to the other girls lips.
"Good morning baby. Did you sleep okay?" She murmurs tiredly.
"I'm fine, did you sleep better?"
"I did, I think I always feel safer in your arms."
"I will always make sure you're safe when I'm there mi amor. Do you want to talk more about the nightmares today?"
Quinn looks hesitant but decides she said she wouldn't hide anything from Santana anymore, so she nods.
"Okay. Get up and dressed pretty girl. I'll go make us some breakfast and then we're going out. I'm going to take you somewhere I haven't been for a really long time." Santana says smacking Quinn's butt lightly.
Santana gets changed and runs downstairs to start on breakfast. She makes Quinn's favourite, scrambled eggs with avocado as Blaine walks into the kitchen.
"Morning bro, want some breakfast? I've made too much for the two of us."
"Yeah, I'm making some coffee, want some?"
"I definitely need that." Santana says laughing, "And hey, thank you for last night. She wouldn't even let me get out of the bed to get her a change of clothes. I don't know what we're going to do when the trial starts next week."
"I've heard her weeping in her sleep a couple times and I've wanted to ask but I figured if she wanted to talk about it, she would." Blaine says whilst pouring water into the mugs.
"I don't know what I'm gonna do man." Santana sighs.
"You just need to be there for her right now, all of us do. I've told Mami that I'll take the stand, so will she and one of the police officers from that night. They have your doctor reports too and photos of yours and her injuries, I think, so hopefully we'll have enough and he'll stay inside." He explains.
Santana just nods as she spots Quinn coming through the door in a pair of shorts, a white v-neck with one of her flannel shirts covering it.
She walks over to Santana and wraps her arms around her waist. The Latina kisses the top of her head and gestures towards the plate, "Eat up baby love."
The three of them sit down and eat and as soon as they're done, Santana ushers Quinn out to the car.
They aren't driving long before Santana pulls up and moves around the car to get the door for Quinn.
"We're going to the park?" The blonde says with a bright smile.
Santana just interlaces their hands and drags her through the park until she reaches where she wants to be.
She climbs under the small space and gestures for Quinn to do the same. There isn't half as much room as when they were younger. So Quinn sits between Santana's legs and leans back.
"Do you remember what we called this?" Santana asks.
"It's our safe place." Quinn smiles at the memory, "I can't believe you remember this."
"Of course I do. Actually, I fell in love with you right here, under this jungle gym."
Quinn turns around so that she can cup Santana's cheeks, "You've loved me all this time?" She asks with tears brimming.
"Lucy Q, I'm pretty sure I loved you from the second I laid eyes on you and therefore after. I never stopped."
"I've loved you all this time too. I'm more than certain that's why I never did anything with Finn. I think that subconsciously, I was wishing that it was you and that you'd come back for me." She says, letting the tears fall.
"There's no need to cry baby love, I'm here now." She replies and Quinn turns back around to snuggle in.
"If you're ever sad, we could always come here, actually you haven't said that it made you feel better. You could come here on your own too if you don't feel like-"
Santana's rambling is cut off by a delicate finger to the lips, "Yes, being here, it's cheered me up a little but baby, my safe place is wherever you are. You are the safest I have ever felt."
Santana leans in for a soft kiss but doesn't say anything, she just pulls Quinn closer to her. "Are you going to tell me now?"
Quinn takes a deep breath before beginning, "They vary. In some of them, you die, he either beats you, shoots you or stabs you, anything along them lines.
In some of them, you beat him to near death but always say the same thing, 'I can't kill him because at the end of the day, he's still your father.' Some of them, I think, are flashbacks from when he would hit me, they're scary because I can almost feel them.
And some I aren't sure about what they are, they could be memories but I'm not aware of them, I'm pretty sure they aren't though." She finishes.
Santana yet again, pulls her closer and kisses her temple, "What are they mi amor?"
"I'm asleep and when I wake up, he's either hovering over me with this wickedly terrifying smile or he's sitting on the bed beside me." She stops as she begins to sob.
Santana feels her own tears falling and hopes to god that there is no more to that and that's where they stop. She nestles her head into Quinn's neck so that she can whisper to her, "It's okay, he can't hurt you now. It's okay, you'll be okay, I promise."
They aren't sure how long they sit in their safe space but it's a few hours, Quinn had even had a nap.
Santana takes them home and Quinn goes to lie down, with Santana promising she'll be up after she's worked out a little because she's extremely angry right now.
She goes into the shed to punch the punchbag as Blaine is out and they can't train together.
The Latina seems to loose all control of her body as she's throwing hard and wild punches at the bag, with no guards at all on her hands.
She's been doing this for half an hour or so before strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her back. Santana looks down and instantly recognises that it's Blaine.
He sits down, pulling Santana on his knee and she begins to sob into his shoulder. Her hands are bleeding again, as they hadn't properly healed, and she's got her head buried in his shoulder.
Blaine is whispering calming words and asks if she wants him to get Quinn, to which she instantly straightens up and tells him she's never to hear of this.
He looks taken back but she explains everything that had happened this afternoon and when she's finished, Blaine also has tears in his eyes.
They try and discuss a helpful way forward but don't really come up with anything, apart from one thing.
Therapy.
Santana knows that that definitely wouldn't be easy for Quinn to agree to but essentially, they put a pin in the conversation and they both make their way in to shower.
Once Santana is done, Blaine cleans and bandages her hands.
She creeps towards Quinn's bedroom and sees her lying on her side, facing the wall, squeezing the smaller of the teddies Santana won for her at the fair.
Quinn's shifts when she hears Santana and beckons her over. The Latina slips into the bed and spoons her blonde from behind, holding her closely.
The hazel-eyed girl instantly notices the bandages and runs her thumb over them. "I wish you would stop doing this to yourself, lovebug."
"I'm sorry, I'll be more careful. Don't worry about it. Let's take a nap." She shrugs off the conversation.
Quinn lets it go for tonight and shuffles further back into her girlfriend, "I love you."
"I love you too baby."