Endgame for this story is Quinntana, with heavy Rachel friendship thrown in.

This is a continuation from a chapter I had written in my "Love and Affection" Quinntana one-shot collection. People had asked for me to carry on with the story, so here it is! For those of you who have already read this chapter, feel free to read it again lol or you can just skip on over to chapter 2.

Enjoy!

The Second Time Around

Chapter 1

Santana stumbled down the street, Whisky bottle in one hand, phone in the other. It was really stupid of her too since it was hitting midnight and she was in New York City.

She fumbled through the numbers on her phone, her vision blurry as she tried to find the person she needed to call, but no matter how much she squinted or how close she brought the phone to her face, she still couldn't make out the names or numbers, so she opted to try the voice activation method.

"Call, Berry." Santana slurred into the phone, although it did nothing, since Santana was too drunk to even function, the ability to properly use her phone was highly unlikely, which in hindsight was probably a good thing, because it stopped her from drunk texting or calling Brittany several times. Thankfully though through a happy accident her thumb slipped and she hit Rachel's number, unknowingly calling the petite brunette, "Call. Berry." She yelled again, not realizing Rachel had indeed already answered.

"Santana?" Rachel questioned hearing a few curse words in Spanish before another, "Berry!?" was yelled through the phone causing her to pull it away from her ear.

"M-hello?" Santana hiccupped, "Hello?"

"Santana?" Rachel asked again looking at the time as she crawled out of her bed to peer out the window a crack of thunder signaling for the rain to start, prompting Santana to swear some more.

"I-I'm close to your apartment." Santana said picking up her pace to try and get out of the rain, "Berry, I need you." She pleaded missing a step to the stoop of Rachel's apartment, slamming her shoulder into the door, the glass bottle smashing in her hand. "What number are you? I'm just going to press all the buttons until you hear the buzz, kay?"

"Santana, no! You'll wake everyone." Rachel quickly responded, "I'm coming down to get you."

Santana's finger hovered over the first button, her face pressed against the brick wall, "Hurry up cuz imma bout to wake up everyone in this building. If I can't sleep, no one can."

"For goodness sake, just hang on." Rachel said quickly finding her coat and dashing out of her apartment and to the elevator, furiously pressing the button as if it would make it move faster. When Rachel did finally make it outside, she found her friend slumped on the first step staring at her hands, the rain pouring down on her. "Santana?"

"Yeah?" Santana asked not realizing the shivers overtaking her body and apparently the rain was no bother either.

Rachel opened her umbrella, carefully approaching her, "Let's go inside." She said crouching down next to her, resting a hand on her shoulder, "Your hand is bleeding."

"The Whisky bottle smashed in my hand when I fell up the stairs." Santana said her voice holding zero emotions.

"Let me help you." Rachel said, sliding her hand around her bicep and gently tugging.

Santana only nodded, defeated enough to allow Rachel to guide her inside the building. She stumbled to Rachel's for a reason, she needed comfort, wanted comfort and she knew without a doubt Rachel would give it to her. They took the elevator, both silent on the way up, Santana holding her injured hand while Rachel looped her arm through the taller girl's, on guard in case her intoxicated friend stumbled.

After the ding echoed, Rachel carefully led Santana out of the elevator and down the hall, quickly entering her apartment and going straight for the bathroom.

"Take your clothes off." Rachel softly said, the demand probably the most unadulterated way anyone had ever asked Santana to remove her clothing in her entire life. It was endearing and her voice was soft, everything Santana didn't know she had been craving and it made her want to cry and so she did.

They were silent tears that streamed down her face as Rachel tenderly helped her out of her wet attire, sniffling a few times, but every time she tried to fight it more tears betrayed her and poured out resembling the likes of a waterfall.

Rachel, one who was usually full of words stayed silent and simply sat Santana who was now clad in only her bra and underwear, on the toilet seat and gently took her face in her hands, doing her best to wipe the tears from under her eyes as she stared into them, "I'm going to take care of you." she promised, the warmth of her voice wrapping around her, making Santana felt at ease. She sniffled and nodded, using her shaking hands to wipe at her face not trusting her voice to speak just yet.

"Let me see your hand." Rachel said as she knelt in front of her, cradling Santana's hand in her own, relieved that the bleeding had almost stopped on its own, but it still needed to be bandaged up.

"It hurts." Santana groaned her voice hoarse and tired and on some higher level of instinct, Rachel had the feeling that she wasn't talking about the injury.

Rachel chewed her bottom lip with thought, feeling nothing but sympathy, knowing all too well the emotional pain Santana was going through. "It's going to take time, Santana, but you'll start to feel better."

Santana sat motionless, watching as Rachel poured rubbing alcohol over her hand, ready to pull her hand away, but she didn't even flinch when the sting registered with her brain. She preferred this kind of pain, it was physical and she knew it wouldn't last long, while the emotional pain that was burning inside her felt like it was going to last a life time.

Rachel tenderly wrapped a white bandage around the palm of Santana's hand when realization finally set in, it was her left and her eyebrows knitted together with gloom when she noticed her naked ring finger.

"I threw it in the harbor." Santana stated knowing exactly what Rachel was looking at.

Rachel sucked in a sharp breath, Santana's voice was so emotionless, she was worried before, but that feeling only increased when the confession was made with nothing but detachment.

Rachel reached up, combing her fingers through Santana's messy damp hair, her delicate fingers settling gently on her cheeks, using her thumbs to brush the fresh new tears away. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

"I'm not tired."

Rachel stood up and let out a breath, taking Santana's hand to give her a tug of encouragement, "Well how about I get you some warm clothes then? You were out in the rain you have to be absolutely freezing."

"Okay." Santana answered quietly. There was no wit to her reply and no resistance, which Rachel was grateful for, but also concerned about. She stood up following Rachel out of the bathroom and into her bedroom, waiting and watching as Rachel rummaged through her dresser.

After a few minutes of searching, Rachel finally turned around to face her, holding up an oversized black t-shirt, the logo so worn and faded Santana couldn't even make out the saying on it, "It's one of my dad's." she said walking over to hand it to her.

"Thanks." Santana said taking it from her and pulling it over her head.

"I can stay up with you if you want to talk about it?" Rachel kindly offered, "Or you can watch television in the living room? What do you need, Santana?"

Santana stood there, a shiver running through her, the t-shirt was warm and clean, but her hair was still wet and the alcohol was wearing off and not only was she cold, she was miserable and sad. She didn't want to talk or watch TV, she knew exactly what she did want though she just wasn't sure how to ask and she really wished Rachel would realize it and offer it instead of making her feel even more pathetic by having to ask.

"Rachel I..." Santana stammered, her fingers coming together to play nervously together, not realizing how close Rachel was until she felt a supportive hand on her bicep, a hand so reassuring as it slid up her arm and rested on her shoulder causing her to let out a grateful sigh when Rachel had seemed to figure out on her own exactly what Santana wanted and soon two small arms were wrapped around her neck and the petite brunette was pulling her into a hug. Santana's arms eagerly pulled her close another round of tears crashing through her as she drank in the comfort she had been longing for. "Thank you." she whispered, hiding her face in her neck, pretty certain that when she pulled back Rachel's shirt was going to be drenched, but she couldn't control it and every time Rachel whispered "It's okay." It only made the tears fall even harder.

After several minutes Rachel pulled back, ignoring the groan of protest from the taller girl, simply guiding her over to the bed. She pulled the covers back motioning for Santana to crawl in, Rachel lying down next to her, opening her arms and letting Santana once again seek out the comfort she was so desperate for.

Santana curled into the smaller girl, feeling her arm wrap around her and fingers brush through her hair. They were intimately close and as Santana's hand slowly slid across Rachel's stomach to seek out her free hand to hold it only caused them to shift closer, but there was nothing sexual emitting from either of them. It was Rachel consoling Santana and for the first time in a long time there in that bed lying in Rachel's arms, Santana felt relaxed. Her ear was on her chest, so she chose to focus on the rhythm of her heartbeat and soon her tears subsided and her body stopped trembling and finally her eyes slowly slipped shut and she fell asleep.

QSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQS

It was almost 3am when Rachel texted Quinn and at around 6:45am the blonde was climbing out of a taxi in the front of Rachel's apartment building.

The elevator dinged and Quinn didn't waste a beat, stepping off and heading down the hallway, pulling the spare key out that Rachel had given her, if ever she were in the city and needed a place to stay and Rachel weren't around. She unlocked the door and barged in setting her stuff down and shrugging her coat off heading straight into the bedroom.

"Hi." Rachel whispered watching as Quinn carefully manoeuvred around the bedroom and then climbed onto the bed on the other side of Santana. "She's in and out..." she informed her, stiffening when the girl in her arms stirred.

Santana was only lightly sleeping, so when the bed shifted indicating there was another person present, curiosity had her glancing over her shoulder to see who it was, the morning rise of the sun coming in through the window revealing Quinn.

"Hey." Quinn greeted with a sad smile.

Santana's bottom lip began to tremble upon seeing her face, Quinn especially, even though she didn't live in the city they had kept in contact and became much better friends than when they were in high school. It didn't take her long to roll out of Rachel's embrace and turn to face the blonde, "I-I-" her breath hitched in her throat, swallowing back a sob that was ready to rip through any second, so she hurried as she informed her, "I signed the divorce papers yesterday."

"Rachel told me." Quinn whispered, reaching out to cup her cheek.

"So you took a three hour train ride to come here?" Santana asked the genuineness of the action causing a whole new wave of emotions to wash over her.

"Well yeah." Quinn answered, her thumb brushing back and forth on her tearstained face, "You weren't answering my calls or texts. I knew what was going on, I was worried." She explained sliding her hand over her shoulder and down her arm until it reached her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I want to be here for you."

With a raspy voice and a fresh new round of tears to follow, Santana managed to grunt out a "Thank you."

"Anytime." Quinn promised, pulling on Santana's hand and opening her arms, allowing her to settle in and get comfortable before enclosing Santana in an embrace. She kissed the top of her head, running soothing circles on her back until eventually she had fallen asleep once again.

Rachel lifted her head up, resting it on her elbow, her and Quinn locking eyes, "That was really sweet of you to rush over here."

Quinn nodded and couldn't help put press another kiss to Santana's temple, "She needs us."

Rachel gave her a warm smile and then laid back down, the night finally catching up to her and her body begging her for sleep.

Quinn relaxed into the bed, Santana wrapping her fingers around her shirt, pressing her forehead against her chest, whimpering, proving that the sleep she was having was anything but peaceful.

"It's okay, San. I'm here for you." she said, pulling her closer and running her fingers through her hair, "I'm here." She repeated until her eyes slowly fluttered shut, her arms keeping their protective hold the entire time.