AN: First off, I would like to sincerely and deeply apologize for not updating in a millennium. With school and life and stress I just lost interest in writing. Fanfiction anyways. Since my major and minor involve writing that's all I've been doing the whole semester, but unfortunately it's not necessarily the writing I would prefer. But excuses aside, I want to say I'm sorry for being a horrible person. Second, I would also like to say that this story will be wrapping up in a chapter or two. I intended this to be a much longer fic, but since I've been unable to write, I'd rather get it finished so that I don't take another five years to update. I'm currently working on another faberry fic that I'm very excited about and will also be participating in Faberry Week part 2 if anyone cares. Third, thank you to the three people that may read this. I really appreciate it and would definitely appreciate feedback. I realize my lack of updating probably lost me a lot of followers and I don't blame you. I'd get fed up with me too. Other than that, I hope you enjoy. As you can tell, I'm setting up some sexy times. So let's see how that goes. Enjoy!

19.

Quinn adjusted the bag of frozen broccoli that say awkwardly on her face. Her mom didn't have any frozen peas but she insisted Quinn put something frozen and vegetable like on her face. So now she had broccoli on her face. Her mother had fussed over her just as she imagined, checking her temperature and putting a bandaid on her finger (Quinn wasn't sure why that was necessary but it made her mother feel better).

Judy hadn't brought anything up about walking in on her and Rachel in a more than compromising position. But did make them wash their hands twice before eating. And she seemed to have a hard time looking either of them in the eyes for more than a couple of seconds.

Quinn adjusted the bag, the stalk of some broccoli poking her face uncomfortably, and looked at her mother who was walking back from the kitchen with plates of sauteed vegetables and rice in hand. Quinn had convinced her mother to feed Rachel more than just shredded lettuce and helped her cook something vegan while Rachel looked on in embarrassment that they were fretting over her. The Fabrays just gave her identical scoffs before continuing their work.

The two girls gave Judy a soft thank you as she sat the plates in front of them before taking her own seat at the end of the table. They ate in silence for a few moments before Judy finally spoke up.

"So, Quinnie," she said nonchalantly, "who gave you the black eye?"

Quinn choked on a piece of cauliflower and shook her head at Rachel whose mouth was already open to answer.

"It's not a big deal, Mom," Quinn said setting down the bag of partially frozen broccoli.

Judy blinked at her, "Not a big deal? Lucy, you've been assaulted!"

Quinn cringed at the use of her given name and she shook her head, "It's fine."

The sound of Judy's hand hitting the table made Quinn jumped and she looked at her mother in shock.

"It is not okay," Judy said, tears obviously choking her throat, "Quinn, you were-...my baby was assaulted. You're lucky it was just a black eye and not anything worse. What would I do if I lost you? Because of some stupid boy's ignorance no less! I will not stand for it! Now I insist on knowing who did this horrible thing to you."

Quinn looked up at Rachel who was looking down at her plate and biting her lip. She knew the other girl was trying to stop herself from blurting the whole story out and figured if she didn't tell her mother Rachel surely would. If they could look at a sex book together, Rachel would have no problem relaying the whole beat down story to her.

"It was this kid, Karofsky. He slushied Rachel-"

"And you," Rachel interjected.

Quinn sighed, "And me. So I went after him and he said if I wanted to be guy he would treat me like one. Then he punched me."

Judy blinked, "Why does he think you want to be a guy?"

"Because I'm...you know...gay," Quinn said looking down at her food, a blush falling on her cheeks. She still wasn't quite used to saying that out loud yet.

"Lucy, you look at me right now."

Quinn looked up at her mother, her eyes wide. Judy was holding her fork in a death grip and she pointed it at Quinn in an almost threatening manner, "Don't you dare hang your head in shame when you say that! You are a Fabray and Fabrays may be a lot of things but they are not ashamed of who they are. So you hold your head high and own who you are, Lucy Quinn Fabray. And don't let anyone ever make you feel less than for your feelings. Do you hear me?"

Quinn nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

"Good," Judy said with a nod, straightening out her shirt and turning back to her food. Quinn turned her eyes to Rachel who was looking at Judy with an admiring smile. She looked at the pink haired girl and smiled even wider, digging back into her meal with a new enthusiasm.

"Now, I intend to go to the school tomorrow and discuss this with the principal," Judy said.

"Mom, that's not necessary."

Judy gave Quinn a look and the younger Fabray just looked back down at her plate. "That's what I thought. We can't have this hooligan running around the school. He's a threat. Not only to you but to Rachel as well. Do you really want this boy to hurt Rachel?"

Quinn shook her head. She had honestly never thought about the possibility of Karofsky taking his anger out on Rachel. Her blood boiled just thinking about it. They finished the rest of their dinner in relative silence. The silence broken only when Rachel tried to take the dishes to wash them and Judy batted her away.

"You girls just enjoy each other's company. With the door open," Judy said giving a pointed look to the two of them. Quinn just blushed and grabbed Rachel's hand, pulling her up the stairs. She made sure the door was open before flopping on the bed and pulling Rachel with her. The brunette giggled and buried her face in Quinn's neck.

"That was a pretty intense dinner. Sorry about that," Quinn said running a hand through Rachel's hair.

Rachel hummed, "Don't be sorry. It was easy to appreciate the drama of the whole thing. With your mother calling you Lucy and all."

Quinn smiled and kissed the top of Rachel's head. Leave it to her to appreciate the situation for the drama. She guessed you couldn't expect much less when you're dating Rachel Berry. They lay in silence for a while before Rachel had to go, leaving the other girl with a kiss and a smile, saying she would pick her up for school tomorrow since Quinn's car was still in the parking lot.

For the rest of the night, Quinn let her mother dote over her but fluffing her pillows and bringing her water and ice cream. Because...why not? Quinn missed having her mother around. Sure she was around these few years since her father had been out of the picture but not...around. She still drank more than Quinn might like but she wasn't drinking herself numb to the point that she would pass out on the couch watching infomercials (usually resulting in the Fabrays becoming the owners of many unnecessary products like a family pack of Snuggies that included one for a dog they did not own). So maybe Quinn was a little too old to be tucked into bed but she missed her mother.

"Thanks, Mommy," she said through a yawn before she drifted off the sleep, missing Judy's watery smile as she retreated from her daughter's room.

The next day, Quinn was awakened by the feel of soft lips along her face. She hummed and wriggled a little under the light weight of a body on top of hers.

"Quinnie, wake up," Rachel cooed softly before continuing her kisses. Quinn squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, " 'm sleepy."

Rachel kissed the tip of Quinn's nose before tapping it lightly. "You have to wake up. We have to go do school," Rachel insisted in a whisper, "Now come on. I'll make it worth your while, I promise." Rachel's voice had dipped to almost a purr and Quinn opened her eyes immediately. She was a little disappointed to see that the brunette was fully clothes but didn't think anything of it when she dipped down to kiss Quinn fully on the mouth. Quinn hummed against her lips, smiling when she pulled away.

"Are you sure we can't just stay in bed all day? My eye hurts and I think only your kisses will make it better," Quinn pouted. Rachel rolled her eyes with a teasing smile and got up off of Quinn, pulling her from the bed.

"Come on, my sleepy lion. Time to get dressed."

Quinn got up, dragging her feet in protest but obliging as Rachel pulled clothes from her drawers for her to wear. Soon she was dressed and ready to go, still dragging her feet down the stairs. Judy looked up at the two in surprise from the living room couch as the two descended the stairs.

"Well, well," Judy said with a quirked eyebrow, "it seems, Rachel, that you have done the impossible and made Quinn get out of bed."

The pink haired girl rolled her eyes (well, her non swollen eye) and adjusted the bag on her shoulder. "It's not like I'm impossible to get out of bed."

"One time you barricaded yourself in your room with your bookshelf so I wouldn't come in to wake you up. All in your sleep, might I add."

Quinn blushed and Rachel giggled, pulling a little on the taller girl's sleeve. "I knew you were strong, but I didn't know you were that strong."

Quinn smirked at the look in Rachel's eye before the petite girl looked away and pulled her back into the foyer.

"Bye, girls," Judy called from the living room, "I'll see you later. Remember I'm coming by the school later." Quinn frowned but Rachel gave her a look and she didn't say anything. They made it outside where Rachel insisted on opening the door for Quinn which made her frown, trying to hide her smile.

"I'm supposed to be the chivalrous one, Berry," Quinn teased.

"Well while you're injured and unable to perform your duties, I, Rachel Berry, will take on these duties as my own," Rachel said with a small curtsy before closing the door and going around to the drivers side. Quinn rolled her eyes playfully and tool Rachel's hand across the middle console. "You're ridiculous," Quinn said fondly, turning to look out the window, "absolutely ridiculous."

"I know," Rachel said squeezing Quinn's hand, pulling out of the driveway and driving towards school. When they got there, Quinn took a little more time to get out of the car than normal so that Rachel could rush over and open the door for her. Quinn kissed her cheek as she stood up, grabbing her bag and Rachel's. They walked into the school, Rachel reaching for Quinn's hand and squeezing lightly.

Quinn couldn't lie, she was a little scared. She was sure news of what had happened the day before had spread and her black eye wasn't exactly subtle. Honestly, she wasn't sure what to expect. She knew that the whole school knew about her and Rachel now, so she didn't know if she should be expecting more of what had happened the day before, or if that had been the end of it. All she knew was that keeping Rachel safe was still her first priority.

Everything seemed fine until about halfway through the day. She was sitting in class, taking notes and hoping that no one realized that she was actually paying attention, when she was called to the principal's office. With a huff, she stood up from her seat and dragged her feet out of the classroom and down the hall. She tried to wrack her brain, thinking of something that she did wrong. She hadn't done anything today!

When she got to Figgin's office, she saw Karofsky sitting in a chair, arms crossed over his chest with someone she assumed was his father. He was (somehow) even bigger that his son, shoulders broad enough that he looked like he could crush someone with just a shoulder check. He was so broad Quinn didn't even see her mother sitting next to him until she leaned back in her chair and motioned for Quinn to come sit in the seat next to her.

Quinn frowned, shooting a glare at Karofsky before maneuvering around them to her mother. She plopped herself in the chair, her eyes never leaving Karofsky who refused to look at her. Principal Figgins cleared his throat and looked around at the group assembled before him.

"I'm assuming you all know why I called you here," he said leaning back in his chair. Everyone nodded silently, not saying anything.

"Principal Figgins, I request that Mr. Karofsky be expelled," Just said calmly, folding her hands in her lap. Quinn's eyes got wide, head whipping to look at her mother in disbelief.

"Excuse me," Karofsky's father spoke up, "but that's unnecessary."

"Unnecessary?" Judy said with a bark, "Excuse me, but have you seen my daughter? You're son assaulted her! You're lucky I'm not pressing charges!"

"I'm sure it was all a misunderstanding," Mr. Karofsky said without even looking at Judy, "Isn't that right son?"

Karofsky nodded stiffly, looking down at his lap. Judy let out another harsh laugh and Figgins shook his head.

"I'm afraid Ms. Fabray is right," Figgins said, "Dave assaulted another student and that's unacceptable. I will not have my students brawling in the halls."

Judy smiled smugly and sat a little straighter in her chair while Mr. Karofsky shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Principal Figgins, listen, I'm sure we can figure something out that wouldn't involve expulsion."

"I'm not going to expel Dave, but he will be suspended. Quinn as well."

Quinn frowned and stood up from her seat at the same time as her mother. "That's bullshit!"

Judy put a hand on Quinn's shoulder and pushed her back down into the chair before speaking up. "What my daughter is trying to say, is that isn't quite fair since it's clear that Dave had the upper hand-"

"It doesn't matter who had the upper hand, Ms. Fabray. Quinn attacked Dave-"

"I did not! I barely touched him and he shoved me!" Quinn protested, her hands curling around the arm rests of the chair.

"And it's cleat that Dave here doesn't have the same kind of injuries my Quinn does," Judy said, "I don't see why suspending her in necessary."

"Mr. Karofsky said that Quinn attacked his son-"

"She didn't," Karofsky mumbled. Everyone paused, a little shocked by the sound of his voice, "She didn't attack me."

Everyone blinked, looking over at the football player.

"David, listen-" his father began.

"No, Dad, I'm tired of this. I just want to go home. Quinn didn't attack me," Dave looked around the room for the first time since they sat down, his eyes determined.

"Well, if that's the case, I will have to just suspend Dave and Quinn is off the hook," Figgins said grabbing a tablet and writing something down. He ripped out a paper and handed it to the football player. "One week's suspension. Starting today."

David took the paper from Figgins and stood up, walking out of the office while his father stalked after him, obviously not happy. Quinn and Judy remained sitting in shock, both not sure what had just happened. Principal Figgins cleared his throat and the two women looked at him.

"Quinn, you are free to go. Thank you for coming, Ms. Fabray," Figgins said standing up and taking Judy's hand. Quinn followed her mother out of the Principal's office and turned to talk to her but wasn't given the chance when she was attacked by a wave of brunette hair. Her arms automatically circled Rachel's waist when she burrowed into Quinn's neck.

"Um, Rach," Quinn said, somewhat confused, "Not that I don't enjoy this but...why did you attack me?"

The petite girl pulled away and held Quinn at arms length. "I was worried. Did you get suspended? Expelled? Forced to move to a different town where we would have to continue our ever budding romance long distance?"

Quinn rolled her eyes playfully and shook her head, "Always so dramatic."

Rachel let out a huff and crossed her arms over her chest. "Let's see if I ever show concern for you again."

Quinn smirked and leaned forward, "Like you could resist me." She was about to connect their lips when Judy cleared her throat behind them. Quinn blushed deeply and Rachel just turned around with a huge smile on her face.

"Hello, Ms-...Judy. Sorry, it was incredibly rude of me to ignore you. I would like to thank you for accompanying Quinn to the principal's office."

Judy smiled, looking at the girl adoringly before switching her focus back to Quinn. "Well, it's my job. You girls have a good day now. I have go run a few errands. I'll actually probably be out until later today," she smiled. The older Fabray winked at Quinn who only blushed harder and put her hand over her face.

"Christ, Mom."

Rachel just giggled and tucked herself under Quinn's chin. "Bye, Mrs. Fabray."

Judy left with a wave and Rachel leaned up to kiss Quinn softly. "So...since your mother will be out, I feel it's only necessary that I stay with you until she comes back. You shouldn't be alone without assistance. Not in your condition."

Quinn snorted and brushed some hair from Rachel's face, "Whatever you say, Princess."

Rachel blushed at the nickname and grabbed the blonde's hand, dragging her back to class in some attempt to make the school day go by faster.

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I have a tumblr if you're interested: melissabenoitits. I'm also currently involved in two faberry rps (both g!p so don't go if that's not your cup of tea): quinniefaaabray and rachel-in-light