A/N: As I had mentioned before, this is the multi-chapter Quinntana fic I've been working on for a while. I can't seem to get enough of this pairing and the plot bunnies won't leave me alone about it. My heartfelt thanks to bleed4her and breath4her for being my sounding boards on this one. Not only are they a good support system, they are also great friends.

I'd love to know what you all think about this. The chapters will be short at first but will increase as the story progresses. The rating will probably increase as well.

Love me; that's All I Ask of You

Chapter One

She found herself heading down the hall that led to the football field instead of the one that led towards the parking lot and freedom. She was tired, a little grumpy and had just wanted to go home and crawl under her soft comforter to forget about her day. It had been grueling to begin with and was only made worse when Rachel and Finn had walked into Glee practice hand in hand. She had to sit there with Mercedes and Kurt and pretend like she didn't care. And care she did, but not for the reasons everyone thought. She couldn't care less that they had gotten back together – even when she was convinced Finn would only be a detriment for Rachel to reach her dreams if she chose to stay with him when they graduated. The thing that bothered her was finding herself alone once more.

It just felt like she couldn't keep anything she loved for long. The worse loss was, of course, her daughter Beth. Even though she knew that she had done the right thing for her little girl, it didn't make the loss easier, didn't fill the gaping hole in her heart. And while she never talked about it, while everyone thought she was a cold hearted bitch, she still cried for her little girl. But no one needed to know what a mess she really was when she found herself alone in her room, cradling the one picture she had of herself holding her daughter right after she was born. Surprisingly, it had been Puck who had taken the picture and given it to her after Shelby had adopted her and moved away. She'd be forever grateful to him for such a loving act.

Sighing as she pushed the door open, she shoved the depressing thoughts to the back of her head as her eyes adjusted to the brightness before heading over to the field. A frantic blonde had cornered her after Glee practice and sent her on an impossible mission – find one Santana Lopez and make sure she was alright. When she'd asked Brittany what the problem was, she had just told her Santana was a sad panda because of her and Quinn needed to fix it. Knowing the fiery Latina, it was a mission impossible indeed, but for Britt she would try. And who was she kidding? She'd try just as bad for Santana, because as messed up as their relationship had been as of late, she loved her and wanted her to be happy.

Shielding her eyes with her hand, she thought she spotted someone at the far end of the stands and headed that way. As much as they fought at times, they still knew each other well and had for years. Rivalries aside, she considered Santana one of her only friends and just as she knew the Latina would have her back if she ever needed her, she wanted to be there for her now. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what the problem was. She'd known for a long time how her friend felt about Brittany, even if she'd never said it out loud to her. All it took was a little observation to realize Santana was crazy in love with the blonde dancer. Now that Brittany was back with Artie, she knew Santana would be a mess, even if she pretended to be strong and even if she acted like it didn't bother her at all. Missing Glee, her favorite part of the day, was telling enough.

As she walked under the stands to the far end, she noticed Santana was sitting down with her legs drawn up, arms around her knees and her forehead resting on them. The one thing that worried Quinn was the shaking shoulders. Of course she would hide to cry alone. She'd never let anyone see she was vulnerable. She'd rather people feared her.

Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly as her steps slowed down when she reached her. Santana hadn't even notice she was there so she took a seat behind the dark haired girl and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her body closer. Santana stiffened and was about to pull away when she tightened her hold on her.

"Shh, S, it's just me," she whispered reassuringly.

She used her other hand to pull her back against her fully so Santana's head was resting against her shoulder. She ran her fingers softly over her forehead and kissed her temple in a rare show of affection. It was the first time she had seen her friend so broken and it pulled inexplicably at her heartstrings.

Letting her body weight rest fully against Quinn, Santana couldn't keep the tears at bay. Feeling the warm body behind her and the tender touches just broke a dam inside of her and she finally let go of the pain that was ripping her insides out. Silent tears turned into crying and crying into sobs that shook her body and made her temples pound. She wasn't sure why she was letting Quinn see her like this, but if anyone could understand her, if anyone knew her, it was the blonde.

As she sobbed, Quinn never ceased her hold on her. Instead she removed the band keeping her ponytail in place so she could run her fingers through her hair in a very soothing way while whispering comforting words into her ear. She never once asked what was wrong, never asked if she needed to talk, never pressured her – the blonde just held her and comforted her.

She wasn't sure how long they were there. By the time her tears had stopped the sun was beginning its slow descent. It was also getting colder and she knew they wouldn't be able to be there much longer. Every few minutes or so, she would take a shaky, hiccupy breath, her body spent and her head pounding by the onslaught of tears that had rocked it.

"It's getting late," she tried in a raspy voice. Clearing her throat, she took another breath but didn't make a move to stand up.

"It is, but no one is expecting me, so I'm okay," Quinn replied just as quietly. It was as if by unspoken agreement they had decided not to disturb the calm that surrounded them.

"How did you know I'd be here?" the Latina asked.

"Because as much as we've been fighting lately, I do know you, San. I knew exactly where to find you."

Santana found herself playing with the hem of Quinn's sundress right above her knees where it had ridden up when she sat down. She'd never done that before, but she needed something to do with her hands. The blonde was still playing with the strands of her hair and she couldn't remember the last time she had been this comfortable or at ease, even if she was nursing a broken heart. Thinking about the other blonde that completed the Unholy Trinity, as they were now known, made tears prick at her eyes again and she blinked them away.

"Did she send you?" she dared to ask. She knew she didn't have to actually say her name to make Quinn realize who she was talking about. She felt Quinn nod.

"She grabbed me as we were leaving Glee practice and told me you were upset, to go and 'fix it'," she answered as she tightened the arm securely wrapped around her slim waist. "She was really worried about you."

"I didn't mean to worry her; I just needed time to myself."

"I think she knows that. Which is why I'm here."

It was Santana's turn to nod. "You know I don't like to fall apart like that in front of anybody, Q. If you tell anyone about this I'll ends you," she tried, but her words lacked the usual sting that put fear in the hearts of the students of McKinley.

Quinn chuckled a little. "I have no doubt you will."

A few more minutes of silence passed by and neither said a word. Santana realized she liked their closeness and it had been what she needed to feel better. Looking out at the sky again, she noticed the sun was really low and it was definitely time to head home. Another shuddering breath when she realized she didn't want to go to her house. Going there meant she'd be alone.

"Why don't you spend the weekend with me?" Quinn suggested as if reading her mind. "We'll get a movie and a pizza tonight and figure out the rest tomorrow. It'd do us both good."

Her last comment made Santana curious. She had known something was different about Q, but she hadn't been a good enough friend to ask her about it. Knowing how prickly the blonde had been as of late, she would have probably bitten her head off and she hadn't wanted another fight with her. She'd already lost Britt to Stubbles McCripple Pants - she didn't want to lose Quinn as well. Not that she would ever admit that out loud, but still, she could accept it.

"Yeah, that sounds good," she surprised herself by saying. "I'll just go home first to pack a few things and then head to your place."

Getting up, she looked down at Quinn and extended her hand to her, helping her up as well. Only she didn't realize she had pulled so hard and Quinn's face ended up just inches away from hers, their warm breaths mixing as they both exhaled softly. Her eyes connected with bottomless pools of hazel and Santana felt lost in them for a moment. Neither could look away for several intense seconds until she was able to shake herself mentally by sheer force of will. She pulled back and felt her face heating up slightly.

What the fuck was that? she wondered desperately.

"Sorry," she mumbled while looking away.

What just happened? Quinn pondered as she tried to smile reassuringly at her. It had felt like Santana was piercing her with her gaze, looking deep into her very soul and it unsettled her. She didn't like feeling that way so she pushed it to the back of her mind.

"Let's just go before it gets any later. I'll pick up the pizza on the way home. We'll probably make it back around the same time."

"Yeah, sounds good."

They started walking towards the parking lot, bodies within touching distance and arms brushing every now and then. Nothing else was said as they reached their respective cars and got into them silently. A moment later, Quinn's pulled out of the parking space followed closely by Santana's and they headed in opposite directions, each lost in their thoughts.

Neither knew what to expect of the weekend, but both were secretly glad to spend it in the other's company.