Fallen

Quinn Fabray had loved winter for as long as she could remember. For years her greatest joy had involved competitions with her older sister over the formation of the perfect snow angel, even her uptight mother getting into the spirit of the season to judge the figures in the snow. As Puck's truck pulled into the McKinley parking lot on that fateful March day, however, Quinn was painfully aware of a new sensation at the sight of her peers occasionally skidding in their haste to get to class: fear. Quinn had never had problems with her balance, graceful cheerleader that she was, but a five-month-old baby bump would throw anyone off, right?

"Don't you dare wander off, Puckerman! Look at that ice," she snapped, infusing the authority associated with her name with great difficulty. The Jewish boy was luckily too unobservant to pick up on the tremor when she grabbed his hand demandingly, the patches of ice scaring her more than she cared to admit. He was in fact already gazing appreciatively after a group of shivering Cheerios, jogging past the truck window, and Quinn realized he probably hadn't even heard her.

"See you in glee rehearsal, Q," he said, absently waving off her grip and exiting the truck to pursue the under-dressed girls. Quinn swore under her breath, a veil of panic preventing the angry glare she would usually have aimed at Puck's nerve in a situation like this. Slowly, she cracked open the truck's passenger door before Puck could lock her in and disappear. Late-comers were still slipping across the icy lot and Quinn pressed her gloved hands against the cold exterior of her transport, feeling utterly helpless.

Finn Hudson was rarely on time, an occupational hazard of having a working mother who trusted him with an alarm clock. He would blame the ice of course; it was bad enough that he was just getting into driving again after the accident with the mailman. Anyway, he was really late and not even sure what made him glance around the parking lot as he approached the front entrance of the school that morning. Then he saw her, leaning against Puck's beaten old truck visibly trembling even from this distance: Quinn.

Three weeks ago, all hell had broken loose just in time for Sectionals; Puck was the father of the baby growing inside her, not him. As heavy as the responsibility of a pregnant girlfriend had been, Finn had often found himself thinking recently that it would have been easier to bear than the weight of betrayal. Without a bigger reason to do well in school well than his own pathetic future, motivation was at an all-time low for him. The past month had made a difference to his outlook for sure. From not being able to look his ex-girlfriend in the eye when she quietly packed up her few possessions and left his house, now he often watched her surreptitiously from a distance. Quinn Fabray was very brave; he would grant her that without hesitation. Even on the few occasions she'd broken down while they were together, pride was a huge deal, and she usually blamed pregnancy hormones. The same hormones which could just as easily send her into full-on bitch mode, he'd sometimes thought back then.

Panic was an unfamiliar sensation to Quinn Fabray, it bubbled up from the pit of her stomach, a lot like the morning sickness which had only recently eased up. In the past few months, Quinn had tumbled from the top of the social ladder, her good grades becoming a redeeming factor while everything else spiraled out of control. And now she was going to be late for class because of ice of all things, pathetic. She was building up the nerve to break physical contact with the stupid truck when she noticed Finn approaching her, parting a group of straggling freshmen with ease. Her breath hitched at the steely resolve on his face, a significant change from furiously denying eye contact for the past month. In no time he was towering right in front of her and Quinn wondered if she could have managed her way across the lot after all, too late.

"What's the problem, Q? You're gonna be late!"

"I can't…the ice is a problem," she mumbled feebly. Finn had never been particularly smart, but right now she's the one who can't figure out why the hell he's smiling, so understanding of her predicament. A severe sense of awkwardness at this situation mingled with a burst of anger at Puck for abandoning her in the first place; either emotion could have been down to hormones, she could never really tell.

"Puck saw the cheerleaders arrive, didn't he?" Finn said knowingly. A mute nod is self-explanatory, even after the biggest falling out they've ever had, these boys know each other better than anyone. This was why she had tried to keep Finn on her side from the start; Noah Puckerman had always been notoriously unreliable. Even with a helping hand right in front of her, Quinn's irrational fear wasn't settling down. She shivered, the fact that they were both going to be horribly late for first period suddenly barely important. Her eyes slid shut, missing the look of concern settle on Finn's face, as she tried to calm herself by removing the frozen over parking lot from view. She could feel his hands, big and ridiculously warm for this weather, pressing down on her shoulders. "Deep breath," he said softly, and the tone transported her to the last time she had felt this way, over two months earlier.

Quinn had first joined glee club for the same reason as her fellow Cheerios; Santana and Brittany had. The three of them were merely spies for Sue Sylvester, to help tear the club apart from the inside. Even when she became pregnant, Quinn had naively scoffed at Rachel Berry's warnings that Sue would destroy her cheerleader status in a heartbeat, until it actually happened. To perform Keep Holding On in the wake of Sue exposing her pregnancy to the entire school had been Rachel's idea. A lot about that day was a blur through the absolute devastation of losing her social status overnight. After the performance, she had stood apart from the supportive New Directions, just trying to breathe instead of break down in tears. The rest of the club abandoned the auditorium to give her space; only Finn had stayed. She could sense him right beside her, hesitant but all she desperately needed right then. The hope that he wouldn't touch her was just forming when he grabbed her trembling hand, and her resolve cracked.

"I'm finished," she choked, struggling to breathe through the sobs. Finn just held her head close to his chest, the thudding of his heart was strangely calming.

"You're not," he said, the promise ringing in her ears in unison with his heartbeat. "I won't let anyone hurt you, okay? If you do lose the Cheerios, it will suck, but I am not letting you go Q, never!" Still holding on to her hand, he stepped away from her trembling frame. "Spin," he whispered when her lips parted, quivering as a sign of the tears still just below the surface. So spun she had, twirling safely into his arms, a lot like the choreography the club had just performed. Finn lifted her up when she collided with him and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips, where he could still taste the salt of her tears. "I'll never let you fall," he insisted firmly and alone in the massive auditorium, Quinn had let herself believe him.

"Quinn? We really need to get going!" Just like that, the urgency in Finn's voice right in front of her shattered the memory. Her pale green eyes shot open to find that Finn had already draped her schoolbag over his shoulder, helpful as ever. Quinn swallowed, the realization hitting her hard how dramatic and ridiculous this whole thing was. Keeping her eyes on him, she took a hesitant step away from the truck, reluctant to show how much she needed the support. Whether unfortunately or not, Finn could still read her like a book, probably better than he could read books even. "So stubborn," he smirked. Quinn focused on the school building's front entrance with all her might to fight the warmth which spread through her whole body when his arm slipped around her waist. It didn't mean anything, not anymore.

They took a few steps in silence, the relentless curiosity building until Quinn couldn't hold it in anymore. "Finn…can I ask why you're helping me? You're supposed to hate me right now."

Instead of answering her, Finn averted his gaze to the ground, solemnly focusing on maneuvering around the patches of ice. His next words came very abruptly, also a question; "What the hell is with those shoes, Fabray?"

The blonde glanced down at her sneakers and flushed, they really weren't ideal for this weather, hopeless grip. "What?" she snapped defensively, then more quietly; "They're the only ones that fit anymore, my feet swell all the time."

"Right," he nodded, there was no need to point out that the shoes were half her problem with the ice everywhere. It was a diversion really, to avoid answering her first question. Quinn didn't need to know about the nights he spent staring at her first sonogram on his laptop, the ghost of a future trapped in the pulsating blob. Dwelling on the image of the baby he couldn't forget, Finn overlooked a patch of ice right by the school steps and crashed to his knees half-way up. Startled, Quinn toppled against him, cushioned by her own schoolbag which he had quickly plopped down in her path. "Shit," he groaned, "You okay, Q?"

Her slightly grazed hands were stinging, but Quinn smiled. "You still won't let me fall, huh?" He was giving that confused look she used to find so frustrating when they were dating, a new cuteness about it suddenly. Quinn pushed herself upright before he could get up and pressed her lips against his, pouring her desperate need for him expressively into the kiss.

When she pulled back, Finn was staring numbly at her, his warm hazel eyes unbelievably wide. At a loss for words, he pulled her to her feet, and they climbed the last few steps to the school's entrance. With the ice behind them, Finn shoved his hands firmly in his pockets and avoided her gaze. Holding the front door open for her, he finally said; "You fell a long time ago Quinn, I was trying to stop Drizzle from getting hurt. Get new shoes, please!" Then he walked away, every step echoing the recent past; "I'm done with you!"

"It's not Drizzle," she whispered into the deserted hallway, a lump swelling in her throat. The first period she was already late for completely forgotten, she dashed for the nearest bathroom. Because Finn cared and didn't at the same time, all she was left with was the baby she'd have to let go eventually, fallen.

A / N Wow, this is exciting, my first completed Glee story! Fuinn shippers like me have to create our own OTP joy because canon for us dried up two years ago. The ending is more angsty than I was planning, but on the whole, this was amazing for me. Thank you to my besties Allie and Ruth for being encouraging even though one is on Team Finchel, love you, girls! Enjoy everyone xx