We Might Fall Fast. We Might Fall Hard (23/?)
Title: We might fall fast. We might fall hard (20/?)
Author: appleswithin
Rating: PG-13 (For swears)
Spoilers: None. Set in Season One
Summary: How one slushy changed everything for Quinn and Rachel.
I don’t own Glee, and other things I reference in here.
Chapter Twenty Three
“What do you think would happen if a zombie bit a vampire?”
“Really?” Santana growled; drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, and staring at the doors to Carmel High auditorium. “You’re gonna do this now?”
They had been sitting in Puck’s pick-up for fifteen minutes, and so far no one had come or gone. They’d checked Jesse’s home and no one was there, so they figured that the Vocal Adrenaline crowd would come back to school. No such luck.
“Y’know, they probably went out to celebrate or something.”
“You say another negative word, and I’m going to punch you in the face.”
“Hmm.” Puck shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and she could see from the corner of her eye that he was looking at her. “Minus.”
Santana frowned and finally took her eyes off her target to glare at him. “Very funny.” She told him sarcastically.
“I thought it was.” He grinned.
“Yeah, not so much that you actually laughed at your own stupid joke though.” She smiled; feeling herself relaxing slightly.
“I’m not an idiot. You’re fucking scary when you’re angry.”
She raised her brow and shook her head. “Then don’t piss me off.” She said as she went back to watching the door.
“What about if a vampire bit a zombie?” He asked as he put his phone on the dash.
“That’s retarded. A vampire wouldn’t bite a zombie - there’s no blood to drink.”
“So if there were vampires around when the zom-pocalypse started, do you think they would team up with humans?”
“Of course they would. They’d need to eradicate the threat of their food source being turned into the walking dead.”
“Psh. That sucks. What about werewolves?”
“Enough now.”
“Fine.” Puck sulked.
Santana looked at her watch then went back to drumming her fingers. They didn’t really have a plan, she shouldn’t have been so gung-ho about this. Revenge is a dish best served cold - that’s what they say isn’t it? That was the problem though; she never thought clearly when she was angry. She’d calmed down considerably, but she knew that would go right out the window as soon as she saw that son-of-a-bitch. They were all going to pay, but Jesse St. James was her primary objective.
There were so few people she felt protective of. A month ago Rachel Berry was an annoying fly - buzzing around and getting on her nerves. Now, it was like she’d been friends with the girl for as long as Brittany and Quinn. The little singer had actually made their group happier - if not a little crazier - but that was all the more fun!
She turned on the air-con in the truck, and the familiar smell of Juicy Fruit took over the smell of teenage boy. “Hand me a stick of that gum.” She ordered.
Puck handed it over, and then picked up his phone when it started ringing, and held it out; putting it on speaker.
‘What’s going on?’
“Nothing, Juno.” Santana replied.
‘Nothing? Does that mean you’ve done something, and now you’re doing nothing? Or, that nothing’s happened?’
“You’re too paranoid.”
‘Not when it comes to you, Santana.’ They heard a muffled sound; then the unmistakable voice of Rachel. ‘You will not do anything that will jeopardize your academic future. Do you hear me? I refuse to be the reason you get expelled, or worse - arrested. Are you listening to me Santana Lopez?’
“Rachel. What they did to you was assault.”
‘Then we’ll go to the police. That is what they are there for!’
“Can anyone else hear me right now?”
‘No.’
She snatched the phone out of Puck’s hands, got out of the truck and walked far enough away from the boys’ earshot, but not so far that she couldn’t see the doors. “We could do that, yes. But what will happen when the police find out who their Director is; specifically - who she is to you?”
‘I… I don’t know.’ The singer mumbled.
“I am not going after your Mom if that’s what you’re worried about.”
‘It isn’t. I’m worried that you’re going to do something stupid.’
“I probably will. But I can tell you I won’t get caught.”
‘Santana.’ Rachel chided.
“Listen to me - They planned this. They planned it as an attack on our club, because they’re scared shitless that we’re gonna beat them. But what they planned, and what I saw, are not the same.”
‘What does that mean?’
“It means - you trusted Jesse and he hurt you. I can’t let that happen. I won’t let it happen.”
“It probably wasn’t all him.” The singer said; sounding unsure.
“I don’t care if it was or not.” Santana snapped. “He hurt my friend! That’s what I care about!”
“Santana…”
“No! Don’t defend him. Don’t try and talk me out of it.”
“There’s a diner on Vine street that they go to sometimes.”
Santana sighed. “Thanks.”
‘You aren’t going to hurt them are you? I don’t want that.’
“Then I won’t.” She awkwardly kicked at a stone that was by her foot. “So - How are you doing now?”
“I’m clean.”
“Not what I asked, but, that’s good to know. Has Quinn kissed you better?”
“Stop it.” Rachel whispered.
Santana snorted. “I will not. Not until you two finally get together, and there is nothing stopping you now.”
“I… I need to talk to you.” Rachel paused. “It’s not urgent or anything.”
“Okay, Berry. I’m always here.”
“Thank you. Do you want to talk to Quinn? She’s pacing quite a bit.”
“Yeah sure. Hand her over.”
“Murder him! Murder him painfully!”
“That all you wanted to say?”
“Yes.” And then the blonde hung up.
Santana rolled her eyes, got back in the truck and started the engine. “We got a location.”
“Sweet!” Puck slapped his legs and pointed out the window. “Let’s go.”
“I should be with them!” Quinn ranted as she put her phone down, and the rest of the club stared at her in varying states of fear. All except Rachel and Brittany.
“Perhaps you should take a seat?” Mr. Schuester asked cautiously, and the pregnant girl turned to glare at him. “Perhaps not.”
“It would be a really bad idea for you to be with them, Q.” Brittany said. “Think about Baby-Lily-Beth.” The taller blonde leaned into Rachel and said quietly - “I don’t know what name she’s got. I’m so confused.”
Rachel patted Brittany’s hand gently and smiled. “You call her what you want.”
Even though Rachel really liked the name Lily, Puck did have a right as to what his child should be called. Quinn told her that she had agreed to Beth, and that Lily would be her middle name, and that was good enough for the singer.
For now.
She watched Quinn stomping back and forth for a few seconds, before she stood up, and got in the pregnant girls path. “Let’s go for a walk.” She said when Quinn stopped abruptly in front of her.
“Why?” The blonde asked grumpily.
“Because you’re scaring everyone.” She whispered.
The blonde scanned the faces of her fellow gleeks and then her gaze fell back onto Rachel. “Okay.” She nodded.
“We’ll be back.” The singer told the group; and she linked her arm into her friends and walked out of the choir room.
“Can we go to the vending machine?” Quinn asked once they’d made it in to the hall.
“We can go wherever you like.” Rachel said as she rubbed the blonde’s back.
“This feels a hell of a lot like you’re comforting me, Rach. When really, I should be the one comforting you.”
“Not true. Maybe, if this was another time - and me - and you - and Santana and Brittany, had never become friends, I might be wallowing in self pity right now. But, we are friends, and I can shake this kind of stuff off now.”
“How does us being friends mean you aren’t pissed right now?” Quinn asked confused.
“Oh, I am very annoyed. Don’t get me wrong about that. And I’m almost certain I can never look at another egg again - But - I don’t know, it’s hard to describe.” She said, looking up at the ceiling.
“Come on, Rach.” The pregnant girl grabbed her hand. “Try and describe. For me.”
She looked up at the puppy dog pout Quinn was pulling, and shook her head with a smile. “I’ve never had friends before. I never thought I needed them - I’d convinced myself of this so entirely that I even fooled myself into thinking it was true. Then suddenly - One day - I have this ridiculous urge to protect a heavily pregnant girl - who I am pretty sure wanted to throttle before that moment - from being attacked by a cold beverage. And you were nice to me, then you were kind to me, and sweet and charming and very, very dorky, and the need to keep you safe became very important to me. You are very important to me. And I don’t just have you. I have one of the fiercest young women I know on my side. And she definitely wanted to throttle me, and now she’s out there looking for the person that hurt me, and wants to hurt them back. Which, saying out loud seems really bad, but I don’t care. And Brittany… Brittany has a way of knowing exactly when you need a hug, and gives you one - That’s her way of protecting people - she envelopes them in her arms. She also has a way of making you see the wonder in things. I haven’t a clue if she wanted to throttle me before. But she’s certainly less aggressive than you two.”
There were a few moments of silence as Rachel realized she was starting to go off topic. “What I’m trying to say is - friends make everything better, they make everything hurt less. It’s like they see this pain you have, and they say ‘Hey, let me take some of that for you, because I’d rather have a little hurt, than you have all of the hurt’ And I have three of the best friends in the entire world. I don’t even notice the hurt anymore, there’s all this love and laughter, and those things defeat the hurt. If this had happened in another time, where we weren’t friends, then I would be a mess right now.” She looked over to Quinn, and panicked when she saw her crying. “Oh my God.” She said as she searched her pockets for a tissue. When she failed to find one, she offered the other girl her sleeve.
Quinn pushed the offered arm away with a laugh. “You’ve had enough mess for today.” The blonde spluttered; using her own sleeve instead. “I think I want a Snickers.” The blonde said when they’d got to the vending machine.
“Then that is what you shall have.” Rachel smiled, and dropped some money into the machine and waited for the thud of the confection. “Here.” She gave Quinn her chocolate and pulled her towards the nearby bench.
As soon as they sat down, the pregnant girl attacked her food, and Rachel looked around. They’d been here before; just before Sectionals, when she’d apologised for telling Finn about the baby. It seemed so long ago now. So much change in such a short space of time. Back then, the best she could hope for was not being punched in the nose by the girl sitting next to her, and now she was making plan - life plans - that involved Quinn and her and Baby.
She had to talk about this. She couldn’t chicken out - not this time.
Maybe she would wait until Quinn finished eating. And that wouldn’t take long.
“Quinn?”
“Mmm?” The blonde looked at her with her mouth full. She looked a bit like a hamster.
“Uh… Do you think… I should… wear my hair up for Regionals?” Ah, damn it.
The blonde shrugged; still chewing on her Snickers.
“Have you, uh, thought about… where… uh.”
Quinn frowned at her, and swallowed. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m just trying to form a question. But I seem to be failing.” She laughed nervously.
“What about?”
“I…” She leaned forward and looked passed the blonde, down the hallway, when she heard high heels clicking against the floor. “Miss looks perplexed.” She said when she saw Santana’s sister staring at her phone.
Quinn turned her attention to where she was looking, and nodded. “Howdy.” She flicked off a salute to the woman.
“Do you know why my sister is asking about paint, a pressure washer and Saran Wrap?”
“I thought you always wanted deniability.” Quinn smirked.
“I do. And I got my answer. What are you two doing out here for? I thought there was Glee today.” Izzy asked as she typed out a message on her phone.
“There is.” Quinn said. “I got stressed out, and my back is killing me.”
“It is?” Rachel asked with concern. “Why didn’t you say?”
“I dunno. I was too busy plotting a death, then crying a little, then I wanted chocolate. There’s not really much you can do about it anyway.”
“Massage.” Izzy said distractedly; still on her cell. “My cousin always made me massage her lower back when she was pregnant. Every time she was pregnant. And in the two years I lived with my aunt, my cousin was pregnant for, about, ninety nine percent of the time. I was so happy when I left for university.” She looked up at them and smiled. “That made it sound like it was a terrible experience. It wasn’t really; just when she was heavily pregnant and had terrible bouts of slapping when she got annoyed. Anyway, I apparently have to call my ex and get his pressure washer, then get him to go to Maria’s diner.” Izzy sighed. “Deniability always eludes me.” She shrugged, and waved her goodbye.
The two girls watched her walk away, and then leaned back when she was out of sight. “I could give it a try, if you’d like.” Rachel said awkwardly. “The woman in the birthing class said it would probably help, and I have watched some videos on massaging.” Quinn let out a laugh. “What?”
“Nothing. Just thinking about you watching massaging videos. It’s not funny. Sorry.”
“Obviously, I’m not going to force you or anything.” She squirmed a little in her seat. There were several long seconds of quiet, and Rachel began to worry; the knots in her stomach were back. “Nevermind.” She said; breaking the silence.
“No, no! Sorry, I was lost in thought. A massage would be nice. If you really don’t mind.”
“Yeah, no, it’s okay. Hang on a second.” Rachel said as she stood up. “I’ll be back in two ticks.” Then she ran off in the direction that Santana’s sister went, and caught up with her just as she was about to leave the building. “Miss!” She shouted, and the woman stopped abruptly.
“Rachel, it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, how are you?” The woman grinned.
“I’m sorry, Miss.”
“Will you ever call me by my name?”
“Possibly, when I’ve left school.”
The woman looked at her watch, and raised a brow. “It’s not school hours now you know.”
“No, I meant after we’ve graduated.” Rachel gave the woman a timid smile.
“Okay then.” The woman laughed. “I’ll hold you to that. What was it you needed?”
“This may seem like I’m taking liberties, but do you have the key to the nurse’s office? Quinn would like a massage, and there really isn’t anywhere else to go. I’d rather not use the bathroom.”
The teacher sucked at her teeth, and pushed her glasses up her nose. “Are you taking advantage of the fact that you are my favourite student?”
“Gosh, no! I would never do that Miss.”
“I was kidding, Rachel.” The woman said as she went into her bag and pulled out the large bunch of keys Rachel was already familiar with, and unhooked the key from the link. “I’ll need it back tonight.” She said as she handed it over. “Why don’t you two just go home?”
“We’re waiting for Santana.”
“Ah, okay. I should probably hurry up then.”
“Thank you for this.” Rachel held up the key.
“No problem. Try not to get into any mischief.”
Rachel gave the woman a nod, and ran back up the corridor to Quinn. When she reached her, the other girl was throwing M&M’S up in the air, and catching them in her mouth. “I have the key!” She announced.
The blonde cocked her head. “But do you have the secret? The key to what?”
“Nurse’s room. There’s a bed in there, and it’ll be more private.”
Quinn held out both of her hands, and Rachel pulled her up. “Awesome.” The pregnant girl grinned, and began walking down the hall.
Rachel followed closely behind, and began gnawing on her bottom lip. She was nervous, and she tried telling herself not to be, because this wasn’t about her attraction for the other girl, this was simply about making her friend feel less pain, but it didn’t seem to work. There was going to be touching, and she needed to keep control at all times.
“How the Hell do you think this is going to work?” Puck asked incredulously.
“Look, it’s the best I can do on short notice. Okay?” Santana snarled as she dialed the number.
‘Hello, Maria’s Diner. How may I help you?’ The slightly faded Spanish accent Maria had, along with the woman’s musical tone made Santana smile, every time.
“It’s Ana.”
“Who is Ana?” Puck whispered, and she slapped him on the head.
‘Ana, Sweetpea! You want your usual order?’
“No thanks. There’s a group of kids in with you right now -” She looked out of the pickup window, and into the diner. She could see them all, laughing - and could hear them on the phone.
‘Oh, yes. They come in here often.’ The woman began whispering. ‘They upset my regular customers; they are very snooty.’
Santana snorted. “Maria, I need to ask a favour.”
‘Anything for you, Florecita.’
“They did something to my friend earlier; something horrible. Can you see if you can stall them from coming out. I’m waiting for my sister’s ex-boyfriend to show up.”
‘Oh, which ex-boyfriend?’
“Ash. The painter/decorator guy.”
‘The one with the hole in his ear?’
“Yeah.”
‘He was nice. Chatty, but nice.’
“Yeah. Could you do that thing for me?” As much as she loved Maria, there was always the danger that you could accidently engage her in an inescapable conversation.
‘Oh yes. You want me to spit in their Diet Coca-Cola? I would be happy to do that for you.’
“If you feel like that’s something you’d like to do - I won’t try and talk you out of it.” Santana laughed.
‘Your friend? She’s a good one?’
“Yes.”
‘Then I feel that’s it’s something I should do.’
“Thanks Maria. I gotta go.” She told the woman when she saw Ash pull up.
‘Okay, bye, bye. Come by soon!’
She and Puck got out of the truck, and sidle up to the white van. “Hey.” She nodded her greeting the man.
“What the Hell are you wearing?” Ash asked as he left his vehicle.
She looked down at her clothes, and then back up at him. She and Puck had stopped by his house to pick up some disguises. She was wearing a bright red Beanie, and a black Trench coat. While Puck was wearing a baseball cap and a sweater that his grandmother had knitted him - with the impression that he was about a hundred pounds heavier than he actually was - And a five year old girl. “We’re blending in.” She answered.
“Blending into what? The Willy Wonka factory?” Ash asked as he rolled his eyes, and made his way to the back of the van.
“We don’t want to be recognised, alright?” She snapped.
“Alright!” He held up his hands in defence. “I’m only here because Iz asked me to be. I don’t care about details; just tell me what to do.”
“We got a crap load of stuff to do, in a stupidly short amount of time.” Puck told him as he followed the man to help get the items Santana had ordered.
“You got the Saran Wrap?” She asked; ignoring the boys’ grumbling.
“Yeah.” Ash threw her the industrial sized wrap, and she quickly began work on the Vocal Adrenaline bus. It wasn’t that big, and it basically involved her running around it as fast as she could.
“Park your van in front of the diner, and get the pressure thingy out, and put that whitewash stuff in.”
“This is gonna screw with my washer.” The man huffed.
“You brought the crappy one though, right?” She asked as she did another circuit around the bus.
“Not the point, Santana.”
“Sure it is. Stop complaining and I’ll tell my sister how awesome you are.”
“I’m not into Iz anymore. We’re just friends.”
“Dude.” Puck hit Ash on the arm with a laugh. “That why you came out here on short notice, with a ton of expensive gear to waste on a bunch of rich Glee kids?”
“Man, I hate teenagers.” Ash shook his head, and got back into his van.
When Santana ran out of Saran Wrap, she was disappointed; it had been kinda fun. “This is going to work.” She told Puck as she stood next to him; watching her sister’s ex park up where she’d told him to.
“I’m surprised you’re not just going in there, and releasing your inner Hulk.”
“I promised Rachel I wouldn’t.”
“And you’re actually keeping the promise?” He asked surprised.
“Yeah. I am.” She told him.
“I gotta ask you something.”
“Ask me what?” She frowned. She was trying to keep an eye on the door to the diner, and make sure Ash managed to set up the washer in time.
“Is something going on with Quinn and Rachel? I mean - They’re acting weird, and Quinn is acting like Rachel is more important than me, when it comes to Beth. She’s my kid.”
“Okay, first, I don’t know. And second, you’re an irresponsible shit.”
“That was uncalled for.”
“No.” She turned to look at him. “It wasn’t. Now, get ready. Ash is almost set up.”
“Right, what am I doing?” The man asked; clapping his hands together.
“Puck is going to lure them out; I am going to spray them. Once they’re sprayed sufficiently, you can leave. Although… Quick question - Is that white wash stuff dangerous to people?”
“You’re asking this now ? What if I said no? What would you do then?”
“Is it ‘no’?”
“No.”
“Well then. Shut up you smartass.”
Ash grinned and patted her on the head. “Ready?”
“Born ready, Blue.” She said as she slapped his hand away.
As the man went back into his vehicle, she positioned herself by the open back door of the van, and turned on the washer. She gave the signal to Puck, and he strolled casually into the diner.
She took in some deep breaths; trying to regulate her heartbeat. This was more intense than her recent - entering without breaking - she’d been getting in to. Maybe it was because Rachel wasn’t here. The little singer had become quite the partner-in-crime.
When Puck walked out of the building, he was being trailed by the entire Vocal Adrenaline club, and she stepped out with the hose in her hand and a snarly grin on her face.
It wasn’t the payback she wanted, but it would do.
Quinn was straddling the bed in the nurse’s office; leaning forward with her dress up over her shoulders, and moaning as Rachel rubbed her back. The noise she was making was doing things to the singer that she had never felt before.
And it was getting harder to do any actual massaging - as her hands were unbelievably clammy.
This had been one of those ideas that had seemed like terrible at the time, and it turned out to be much worse than she’d imagined. Except that it wasn’t.
But it was.
“Quinn, do you mind if we take a small break? My hands are starting to cramp.” She lied, and she felt bad about it.
The blonde groaned her displeasure, but said - “Okay.” She flipped her dress down, leaned back into Rachel and lifted her right leg over to join her left. After a bit of effort, and some help from the singer, the blonde was sitting cross legged on the bed and facing Rachel. “Hey.” She smiled.
“Hey back. I can only assume that my massaging skills were acceptable for you.”
Quinn took hold of her fingers and rubbed them gently. “You could say that, yes. I think this is the first time, in a long time, that I haven’t felt any discomfort.”
“Happy to help.” She had meant to say it playfully, but there was something about the situation that caused her to say it softly and quietly. She was losing her breath, and she had to focus on Quinn’s hands. She was afraid to look at her.
She closed her eyes when the blonde brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Rach?” There was a hint of worry in the other girls’ voice.
“I’m fine.” She whispered. Control was slipping.
“Look at me.”
“I can’t.”
Quinn moved her hand down to her chin, and lifted her face up. “Open your eyes.” The request was tender, but she still couldn’t comply, and she shook her head. “Please.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?” The blonde’s hand had moved again, and now rested on her neck.
“I’m afraid to.”
“You’re afraid of me?”
“No. I’m afraid of myself.”
“Why? Rach, please look at me.”
She swallowed, and opened her eyes. Quinn was so close to her - and it wasn’t the first time they’d been in this position - but she’d had her emotions in check then.
She stared into pretty eyes. And the pretty eyes stared back.
She didn’t resist when Quinn pulled her in closer, and when their lips met, she let go of her control completely.
Author: appleswithin
Rating: PG-13 (For swears)
Spoilers: None. Set in Season One
Summary: How one slushy changed everything for Quinn and Rachel.
I don’t own Glee, and other things I reference in here.
Chapter Twenty Three
“What do you think would happen if a zombie bit a vampire?”
“Really?” Santana growled; drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, and staring at the doors to Carmel High auditorium. “You’re gonna do this now?”
They had been sitting in Puck’s pick-up for fifteen minutes, and so far no one had come or gone. They’d checked Jesse’s home and no one was there, so they figured that the Vocal Adrenaline crowd would come back to school. No such luck.
“Y’know, they probably went out to celebrate or something.”
“You say another negative word, and I’m going to punch you in the face.”
“Hmm.” Puck shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and she could see from the corner of her eye that he was looking at her. “Minus.”
Santana frowned and finally took her eyes off her target to glare at him. “Very funny.” She told him sarcastically.
“I thought it was.” He grinned.
“Yeah, not so much that you actually laughed at your own stupid joke though.” She smiled; feeling herself relaxing slightly.
“I’m not an idiot. You’re fucking scary when you’re angry.”
She raised her brow and shook her head. “Then don’t piss me off.” She said as she went back to watching the door.
“What about if a vampire bit a zombie?” He asked as he put his phone on the dash.
“That’s retarded. A vampire wouldn’t bite a zombie - there’s no blood to drink.”
“So if there were vampires around when the zom-pocalypse started, do you think they would team up with humans?”
“Of course they would. They’d need to eradicate the threat of their food source being turned into the walking dead.”
“Psh. That sucks. What about werewolves?”
“Enough now.”
“Fine.” Puck sulked.
Santana looked at her watch then went back to drumming her fingers. They didn’t really have a plan, she shouldn’t have been so gung-ho about this. Revenge is a dish best served cold - that’s what they say isn’t it? That was the problem though; she never thought clearly when she was angry. She’d calmed down considerably, but she knew that would go right out the window as soon as she saw that son-of-a-bitch. They were all going to pay, but Jesse St. James was her primary objective.
There were so few people she felt protective of. A month ago Rachel Berry was an annoying fly - buzzing around and getting on her nerves. Now, it was like she’d been friends with the girl for as long as Brittany and Quinn. The little singer had actually made their group happier - if not a little crazier - but that was all the more fun!
She turned on the air-con in the truck, and the familiar smell of Juicy Fruit took over the smell of teenage boy. “Hand me a stick of that gum.” She ordered.
Puck handed it over, and then picked up his phone when it started ringing, and held it out; putting it on speaker.
‘What’s going on?’
“Nothing, Juno.” Santana replied.
‘Nothing? Does that mean you’ve done something, and now you’re doing nothing? Or, that nothing’s happened?’
“You’re too paranoid.”
‘Not when it comes to you, Santana.’ They heard a muffled sound; then the unmistakable voice of Rachel. ‘You will not do anything that will jeopardize your academic future. Do you hear me? I refuse to be the reason you get expelled, or worse - arrested. Are you listening to me Santana Lopez?’
“Rachel. What they did to you was assault.”
‘Then we’ll go to the police. That is what they are there for!’
“Can anyone else hear me right now?”
‘No.’
She snatched the phone out of Puck’s hands, got out of the truck and walked far enough away from the boys’ earshot, but not so far that she couldn’t see the doors. “We could do that, yes. But what will happen when the police find out who their Director is; specifically - who she is to you?”
‘I… I don’t know.’ The singer mumbled.
“I am not going after your Mom if that’s what you’re worried about.”
‘It isn’t. I’m worried that you’re going to do something stupid.’
“I probably will. But I can tell you I won’t get caught.”
‘Santana.’ Rachel chided.
“Listen to me - They planned this. They planned it as an attack on our club, because they’re scared shitless that we’re gonna beat them. But what they planned, and what I saw, are not the same.”
‘What does that mean?’
“It means - you trusted Jesse and he hurt you. I can’t let that happen. I won’t let it happen.”
“It probably wasn’t all him.” The singer said; sounding unsure.
“I don’t care if it was or not.” Santana snapped. “He hurt my friend! That’s what I care about!”
“Santana…”
“No! Don’t defend him. Don’t try and talk me out of it.”
“There’s a diner on Vine street that they go to sometimes.”
Santana sighed. “Thanks.”
‘You aren’t going to hurt them are you? I don’t want that.’
“Then I won’t.” She awkwardly kicked at a stone that was by her foot. “So - How are you doing now?”
“I’m clean.”
“Not what I asked, but, that’s good to know. Has Quinn kissed you better?”
“Stop it.” Rachel whispered.
Santana snorted. “I will not. Not until you two finally get together, and there is nothing stopping you now.”
“I… I need to talk to you.” Rachel paused. “It’s not urgent or anything.”
“Okay, Berry. I’m always here.”
“Thank you. Do you want to talk to Quinn? She’s pacing quite a bit.”
“Yeah sure. Hand her over.”
“Murder him! Murder him painfully!”
“That all you wanted to say?”
“Yes.” And then the blonde hung up.
Santana rolled her eyes, got back in the truck and started the engine. “We got a location.”
“Sweet!” Puck slapped his legs and pointed out the window. “Let’s go.”
“I should be with them!” Quinn ranted as she put her phone down, and the rest of the club stared at her in varying states of fear. All except Rachel and Brittany.
“Perhaps you should take a seat?” Mr. Schuester asked cautiously, and the pregnant girl turned to glare at him. “Perhaps not.”
“It would be a really bad idea for you to be with them, Q.” Brittany said. “Think about Baby-Lily-Beth.” The taller blonde leaned into Rachel and said quietly - “I don’t know what name she’s got. I’m so confused.”
Rachel patted Brittany’s hand gently and smiled. “You call her what you want.”
Even though Rachel really liked the name Lily, Puck did have a right as to what his child should be called. Quinn told her that she had agreed to Beth, and that Lily would be her middle name, and that was good enough for the singer.
For now.
She watched Quinn stomping back and forth for a few seconds, before she stood up, and got in the pregnant girls path. “Let’s go for a walk.” She said when Quinn stopped abruptly in front of her.
“Why?” The blonde asked grumpily.
“Because you’re scaring everyone.” She whispered.
The blonde scanned the faces of her fellow gleeks and then her gaze fell back onto Rachel. “Okay.” She nodded.
“We’ll be back.” The singer told the group; and she linked her arm into her friends and walked out of the choir room.
“Can we go to the vending machine?” Quinn asked once they’d made it in to the hall.
“We can go wherever you like.” Rachel said as she rubbed the blonde’s back.
“This feels a hell of a lot like you’re comforting me, Rach. When really, I should be the one comforting you.”
“Not true. Maybe, if this was another time - and me - and you - and Santana and Brittany, had never become friends, I might be wallowing in self pity right now. But, we are friends, and I can shake this kind of stuff off now.”
“How does us being friends mean you aren’t pissed right now?” Quinn asked confused.
“Oh, I am very annoyed. Don’t get me wrong about that. And I’m almost certain I can never look at another egg again - But - I don’t know, it’s hard to describe.” She said, looking up at the ceiling.
“Come on, Rach.” The pregnant girl grabbed her hand. “Try and describe. For me.”
She looked up at the puppy dog pout Quinn was pulling, and shook her head with a smile. “I’ve never had friends before. I never thought I needed them - I’d convinced myself of this so entirely that I even fooled myself into thinking it was true. Then suddenly - One day - I have this ridiculous urge to protect a heavily pregnant girl - who I am pretty sure wanted to throttle before that moment - from being attacked by a cold beverage. And you were nice to me, then you were kind to me, and sweet and charming and very, very dorky, and the need to keep you safe became very important to me. You are very important to me. And I don’t just have you. I have one of the fiercest young women I know on my side. And she definitely wanted to throttle me, and now she’s out there looking for the person that hurt me, and wants to hurt them back. Which, saying out loud seems really bad, but I don’t care. And Brittany… Brittany has a way of knowing exactly when you need a hug, and gives you one - That’s her way of protecting people - she envelopes them in her arms. She also has a way of making you see the wonder in things. I haven’t a clue if she wanted to throttle me before. But she’s certainly less aggressive than you two.”
There were a few moments of silence as Rachel realized she was starting to go off topic. “What I’m trying to say is - friends make everything better, they make everything hurt less. It’s like they see this pain you have, and they say ‘Hey, let me take some of that for you, because I’d rather have a little hurt, than you have all of the hurt’ And I have three of the best friends in the entire world. I don’t even notice the hurt anymore, there’s all this love and laughter, and those things defeat the hurt. If this had happened in another time, where we weren’t friends, then I would be a mess right now.” She looked over to Quinn, and panicked when she saw her crying. “Oh my God.” She said as she searched her pockets for a tissue. When she failed to find one, she offered the other girl her sleeve.
Quinn pushed the offered arm away with a laugh. “You’ve had enough mess for today.” The blonde spluttered; using her own sleeve instead. “I think I want a Snickers.” The blonde said when they’d got to the vending machine.
“Then that is what you shall have.” Rachel smiled, and dropped some money into the machine and waited for the thud of the confection. “Here.” She gave Quinn her chocolate and pulled her towards the nearby bench.
As soon as they sat down, the pregnant girl attacked her food, and Rachel looked around. They’d been here before; just before Sectionals, when she’d apologised for telling Finn about the baby. It seemed so long ago now. So much change in such a short space of time. Back then, the best she could hope for was not being punched in the nose by the girl sitting next to her, and now she was making plan - life plans - that involved Quinn and her and Baby.
She had to talk about this. She couldn’t chicken out - not this time.
Maybe she would wait until Quinn finished eating. And that wouldn’t take long.
“Quinn?”
“Mmm?” The blonde looked at her with her mouth full. She looked a bit like a hamster.
“Uh… Do you think… I should… wear my hair up for Regionals?” Ah, damn it.
The blonde shrugged; still chewing on her Snickers.
“Have you, uh, thought about… where… uh.”
Quinn frowned at her, and swallowed. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m just trying to form a question. But I seem to be failing.” She laughed nervously.
“What about?”
“I…” She leaned forward and looked passed the blonde, down the hallway, when she heard high heels clicking against the floor. “Miss looks perplexed.” She said when she saw Santana’s sister staring at her phone.
Quinn turned her attention to where she was looking, and nodded. “Howdy.” She flicked off a salute to the woman.
“Do you know why my sister is asking about paint, a pressure washer and Saran Wrap?”
“I thought you always wanted deniability.” Quinn smirked.
“I do. And I got my answer. What are you two doing out here for? I thought there was Glee today.” Izzy asked as she typed out a message on her phone.
“There is.” Quinn said. “I got stressed out, and my back is killing me.”
“It is?” Rachel asked with concern. “Why didn’t you say?”
“I dunno. I was too busy plotting a death, then crying a little, then I wanted chocolate. There’s not really much you can do about it anyway.”
“Massage.” Izzy said distractedly; still on her cell. “My cousin always made me massage her lower back when she was pregnant. Every time she was pregnant. And in the two years I lived with my aunt, my cousin was pregnant for, about, ninety nine percent of the time. I was so happy when I left for university.” She looked up at them and smiled. “That made it sound like it was a terrible experience. It wasn’t really; just when she was heavily pregnant and had terrible bouts of slapping when she got annoyed. Anyway, I apparently have to call my ex and get his pressure washer, then get him to go to Maria’s diner.” Izzy sighed. “Deniability always eludes me.” She shrugged, and waved her goodbye.
The two girls watched her walk away, and then leaned back when she was out of sight. “I could give it a try, if you’d like.” Rachel said awkwardly. “The woman in the birthing class said it would probably help, and I have watched some videos on massaging.” Quinn let out a laugh. “What?”
“Nothing. Just thinking about you watching massaging videos. It’s not funny. Sorry.”
“Obviously, I’m not going to force you or anything.” She squirmed a little in her seat. There were several long seconds of quiet, and Rachel began to worry; the knots in her stomach were back. “Nevermind.” She said; breaking the silence.
“No, no! Sorry, I was lost in thought. A massage would be nice. If you really don’t mind.”
“Yeah, no, it’s okay. Hang on a second.” Rachel said as she stood up. “I’ll be back in two ticks.” Then she ran off in the direction that Santana’s sister went, and caught up with her just as she was about to leave the building. “Miss!” She shouted, and the woman stopped abruptly.
“Rachel, it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, how are you?” The woman grinned.
“I’m sorry, Miss.”
“Will you ever call me by my name?”
“Possibly, when I’ve left school.”
The woman looked at her watch, and raised a brow. “It’s not school hours now you know.”
“No, I meant after we’ve graduated.” Rachel gave the woman a timid smile.
“Okay then.” The woman laughed. “I’ll hold you to that. What was it you needed?”
“This may seem like I’m taking liberties, but do you have the key to the nurse’s office? Quinn would like a massage, and there really isn’t anywhere else to go. I’d rather not use the bathroom.”
The teacher sucked at her teeth, and pushed her glasses up her nose. “Are you taking advantage of the fact that you are my favourite student?”
“Gosh, no! I would never do that Miss.”
“I was kidding, Rachel.” The woman said as she went into her bag and pulled out the large bunch of keys Rachel was already familiar with, and unhooked the key from the link. “I’ll need it back tonight.” She said as she handed it over. “Why don’t you two just go home?”
“We’re waiting for Santana.”
“Ah, okay. I should probably hurry up then.”
“Thank you for this.” Rachel held up the key.
“No problem. Try not to get into any mischief.”
Rachel gave the woman a nod, and ran back up the corridor to Quinn. When she reached her, the other girl was throwing M&M’S up in the air, and catching them in her mouth. “I have the key!” She announced.
The blonde cocked her head. “But do you have the secret? The key to what?”
“Nurse’s room. There’s a bed in there, and it’ll be more private.”
Quinn held out both of her hands, and Rachel pulled her up. “Awesome.” The pregnant girl grinned, and began walking down the hall.
Rachel followed closely behind, and began gnawing on her bottom lip. She was nervous, and she tried telling herself not to be, because this wasn’t about her attraction for the other girl, this was simply about making her friend feel less pain, but it didn’t seem to work. There was going to be touching, and she needed to keep control at all times.
“How the Hell do you think this is going to work?” Puck asked incredulously.
“Look, it’s the best I can do on short notice. Okay?” Santana snarled as she dialed the number.
‘Hello, Maria’s Diner. How may I help you?’ The slightly faded Spanish accent Maria had, along with the woman’s musical tone made Santana smile, every time.
“It’s Ana.”
“Who is Ana?” Puck whispered, and she slapped him on the head.
‘Ana, Sweetpea! You want your usual order?’
“No thanks. There’s a group of kids in with you right now -” She looked out of the pickup window, and into the diner. She could see them all, laughing - and could hear them on the phone.
‘Oh, yes. They come in here often.’ The woman began whispering. ‘They upset my regular customers; they are very snooty.’
Santana snorted. “Maria, I need to ask a favour.”
‘Anything for you, Florecita.’
“They did something to my friend earlier; something horrible. Can you see if you can stall them from coming out. I’m waiting for my sister’s ex-boyfriend to show up.”
‘Oh, which ex-boyfriend?’
“Ash. The painter/decorator guy.”
‘The one with the hole in his ear?’
“Yeah.”
‘He was nice. Chatty, but nice.’
“Yeah. Could you do that thing for me?” As much as she loved Maria, there was always the danger that you could accidently engage her in an inescapable conversation.
‘Oh yes. You want me to spit in their Diet Coca-Cola? I would be happy to do that for you.’
“If you feel like that’s something you’d like to do - I won’t try and talk you out of it.” Santana laughed.
‘Your friend? She’s a good one?’
“Yes.”
‘Then I feel that’s it’s something I should do.’
“Thanks Maria. I gotta go.” She told the woman when she saw Ash pull up.
‘Okay, bye, bye. Come by soon!’
She and Puck got out of the truck, and sidle up to the white van. “Hey.” She nodded her greeting the man.
“What the Hell are you wearing?” Ash asked as he left his vehicle.
She looked down at her clothes, and then back up at him. She and Puck had stopped by his house to pick up some disguises. She was wearing a bright red Beanie, and a black Trench coat. While Puck was wearing a baseball cap and a sweater that his grandmother had knitted him - with the impression that he was about a hundred pounds heavier than he actually was - And a five year old girl. “We’re blending in.” She answered.
“Blending into what? The Willy Wonka factory?” Ash asked as he rolled his eyes, and made his way to the back of the van.
“We don’t want to be recognised, alright?” She snapped.
“Alright!” He held up his hands in defence. “I’m only here because Iz asked me to be. I don’t care about details; just tell me what to do.”
“We got a crap load of stuff to do, in a stupidly short amount of time.” Puck told him as he followed the man to help get the items Santana had ordered.
“You got the Saran Wrap?” She asked; ignoring the boys’ grumbling.
“Yeah.” Ash threw her the industrial sized wrap, and she quickly began work on the Vocal Adrenaline bus. It wasn’t that big, and it basically involved her running around it as fast as she could.
“Park your van in front of the diner, and get the pressure thingy out, and put that whitewash stuff in.”
“This is gonna screw with my washer.” The man huffed.
“You brought the crappy one though, right?” She asked as she did another circuit around the bus.
“Not the point, Santana.”
“Sure it is. Stop complaining and I’ll tell my sister how awesome you are.”
“I’m not into Iz anymore. We’re just friends.”
“Dude.” Puck hit Ash on the arm with a laugh. “That why you came out here on short notice, with a ton of expensive gear to waste on a bunch of rich Glee kids?”
“Man, I hate teenagers.” Ash shook his head, and got back into his van.
When Santana ran out of Saran Wrap, she was disappointed; it had been kinda fun. “This is going to work.” She told Puck as she stood next to him; watching her sister’s ex park up where she’d told him to.
“I’m surprised you’re not just going in there, and releasing your inner Hulk.”
“I promised Rachel I wouldn’t.”
“And you’re actually keeping the promise?” He asked surprised.
“Yeah. I am.” She told him.
“I gotta ask you something.”
“Ask me what?” She frowned. She was trying to keep an eye on the door to the diner, and make sure Ash managed to set up the washer in time.
“Is something going on with Quinn and Rachel? I mean - They’re acting weird, and Quinn is acting like Rachel is more important than me, when it comes to Beth. She’s my kid.”
“Okay, first, I don’t know. And second, you’re an irresponsible shit.”
“That was uncalled for.”
“No.” She turned to look at him. “It wasn’t. Now, get ready. Ash is almost set up.”
“Right, what am I doing?” The man asked; clapping his hands together.
“Puck is going to lure them out; I am going to spray them. Once they’re sprayed sufficiently, you can leave. Although… Quick question - Is that white wash stuff dangerous to people?”
“You’re asking this now ? What if I said no? What would you do then?”
“Is it ‘no’?”
“No.”
“Well then. Shut up you smartass.”
Ash grinned and patted her on the head. “Ready?”
“Born ready, Blue.” She said as she slapped his hand away.
As the man went back into his vehicle, she positioned herself by the open back door of the van, and turned on the washer. She gave the signal to Puck, and he strolled casually into the diner.
She took in some deep breaths; trying to regulate her heartbeat. This was more intense than her recent - entering without breaking - she’d been getting in to. Maybe it was because Rachel wasn’t here. The little singer had become quite the partner-in-crime.
When Puck walked out of the building, he was being trailed by the entire Vocal Adrenaline club, and she stepped out with the hose in her hand and a snarly grin on her face.
It wasn’t the payback she wanted, but it would do.
Quinn was straddling the bed in the nurse’s office; leaning forward with her dress up over her shoulders, and moaning as Rachel rubbed her back. The noise she was making was doing things to the singer that she had never felt before.
And it was getting harder to do any actual massaging - as her hands were unbelievably clammy.
This had been one of those ideas that had seemed like terrible at the time, and it turned out to be much worse than she’d imagined. Except that it wasn’t.
But it was.
“Quinn, do you mind if we take a small break? My hands are starting to cramp.” She lied, and she felt bad about it.
The blonde groaned her displeasure, but said - “Okay.” She flipped her dress down, leaned back into Rachel and lifted her right leg over to join her left. After a bit of effort, and some help from the singer, the blonde was sitting cross legged on the bed and facing Rachel. “Hey.” She smiled.
“Hey back. I can only assume that my massaging skills were acceptable for you.”
Quinn took hold of her fingers and rubbed them gently. “You could say that, yes. I think this is the first time, in a long time, that I haven’t felt any discomfort.”
“Happy to help.” She had meant to say it playfully, but there was something about the situation that caused her to say it softly and quietly. She was losing her breath, and she had to focus on Quinn’s hands. She was afraid to look at her.
She closed her eyes when the blonde brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Rach?” There was a hint of worry in the other girls’ voice.
“I’m fine.” She whispered. Control was slipping.
“Look at me.”
“I can’t.”
Quinn moved her hand down to her chin, and lifted her face up. “Open your eyes.” The request was tender, but she still couldn’t comply, and she shook her head. “Please.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?” The blonde’s hand had moved again, and now rested on her neck.
“I’m afraid to.”
“You’re afraid of me?”
“No. I’m afraid of myself.”
“Why? Rach, please look at me.”
She swallowed, and opened her eyes. Quinn was so close to her - and it wasn’t the first time they’d been in this position - but she’d had her emotions in check then.
She stared into pretty eyes. And the pretty eyes stared back.
She didn’t resist when Quinn pulled her in closer, and when their lips met, she let go of her control completely.