Quinn fluttered her eyes open, the morning sun, that poured in through the white drapes, made its presence known and awoke the girl from her less than peaceful slumber.

While a part of her was relieved that she no longer had to hide the truth from her older sister, she still couldn't help but feel a great sense of regret and immense fear.

The reality of her possible pregnancy fell from her lips the night before and the words even surprised herself. The quiet of the night coaxed the confession out of her but now that daylight had come, she couldn't help but wonder if she did the right thing.

Even so, she was quite relieved that Paloma let her go to bed without having, what she was certain would be, a lengthy conversation after such a draining night.

Her eyelids remained heavy, her cheeks still stained with the previous day's tears, the bags under her eyes accompanied her messy hair that resulted from a full eight hours of restlessly tossing and turning in her bed.

As much as she wanted to remain in her bedroom and hide from the rest of the world, Siberia was still missing and she knew that if she ever wanted to have another peaceful night's sleep, she'd have to find the husky as soon as possible.

Quinn roughly tangled her fingers in her hair and let out a heavy sigh before gripping her comforter and ripping the warm covers off of her body.

Her eyes instantly darted down to the dark color that stained the front of her plaid pajama bottoms. She blinked rapidly and let out a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding.

Quinn quickly grabbed her glasses off of her bedside table and frantically slid them onto her face. The corners of her lips curved upwards and for the first time in what felt like forever, she wore a truly sincere smile. Never before had the teenager been so grateful for the sight of blood.

After quickly taking care of her situation, changing her stained sheets, and getting dressed, the redhead grabbed her keys and tiptoed down the staircase.

Even in the mist of her hurried state, she traveled down the steps as quietly as she could. Although it wasn't even eight am, she knew that if her sister's night went anything like her own, the brunette would be easily awoken, the events of the previous day keeping her alert.

Quinn nearly made it to the front door when a soft voice disrupted the quiet of the morning.

"Hey."

It wasn't until she turned around that she saw Paloma sitting at the dinette table, her hands clasping a steaming cup of coffee. The woman's warm and inviting smile immediately reminded Quinn of their late mother, even so, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"Uh...hey."

Paloma's soft eyes narrowed as she looked to girl up and down. "Where are you off to?"

The teenager gripped her keys, her white knuckles reddened as she did so. She let out a soft sigh before motioning to the front door. "To look for Siberia."

Paloma cocked her eyebrow, her appearance was austere yet filled with concern. "Without telling me?"

Quinn shifted restlessly on her feet once the woman's gaze grew to be too much. "I figured you were asleep, I didn't wanna wake you."

The brunette let out a faint laugh, "Couldn't sleep. I just put on a fresh pot of coffee. Why don't you join me?"

At first, the redhead opened her mouth to object but once she noted the earnestness Paloma's expression held, she nodded her head and made her way into the kitchen. After grabbing a clean mug from the cabinet, she slowly released the hot coffee from the pot and into her cup.

She tore her gaze from the steaming mug once Paloma pulled out the chair next to her and granted her a small smile. "Have a seat."

Quinn shook her head. "I can't. I have to find Siberia. You were wrong, she didn't come home last night, remember?"

Paloma nodded. "I know."

"I can't just sit around while she's out there all alone."

"We'll look for her later, I promise."

Quinn scoffed, "This can't wait 'til later. I have to—"

"Quinn," Paloma's stern voice silenced the girl entirely. The brunette inhaled deeply and shrugged her shoulders, her smile dwindled down to one that had a somberness about it. "We have to talk."

The teenager sank in defeat, gripped her mug tightly, and reluctantly heeded her sister's request by occupying the seat next to the woman.

Despite Paloma's assertion, silence lingered between them. Quinn stared mindlessly into the black coffee while Paloma watched the girl, studying her carefully.

"So," the brunette coaxed, "do you wanna tell me what last night was about? What you said?"

Quinn could feel her sister's intense gaze boring into her and she couldn't help but fidget. "It was a false alarm."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not pregnant. I thought I was but apparently I'm not."

Paloma drew her silk robe snugly to her body and leaned in. "Are you sure? How do you know?"

"I just found out like twenty minutes ago."

The woman let out a shaky relief filled sigh.

"I've never been that late before." Quinn rested her eyes for a moment before finally meeting her sister's gaze and taking a sip of her coffee. "Sorry I scared you."

"How long have you thought you were pregnant?"

The redhead lifted the French vanilla creamer from the table and poured it into her coffee, effectively lightening the steaming cup of Joe. She shrugged her shoulders, her words coming out as a mumble, "A few weeks."

"A few weeks?" the woman chided. "Quinn, why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I did." The second the confession came out, she regretted it. She winced and awaited Paloma's inevitable next question.

"Who?" After a moment, her eyes darkened. "Charlie? Is that why you guys split? Because he thought he knocked you up?"

Quinn noted the rising anger that was prevalent in the woman's appearance, she quickly shook her head in attempts to appease her sister. "No, not him."

Paloma's strained expression relaxed, but only momentarily. "...Then who?"

The redhead bit her lip and grimaced. "...Ross."

Paloma lifted her eyebrows, her lips parting ever so slightly. "Ross?"

"Yeah."

"Ross," she muttered once more as of saying his name again would alter the girl's confession. The oldest Sullivan shifted in her seat and chuckled humorlessly, "I don't get it. You told him and not me? I mean, don't get me wrong, technically he's your father and you guys have some sort of a relationship, I understand that, but...it's me. You could've told me."

Quinn settled her gaze on her hands as she searched for something—anything—to say. "I know, I'm sorry. But if it's any consolation, I didn't exactly tell him, he just...found out."

"How?" Paloma queried.

"It was weeks ago, the day I got fired. I went to get a pregnancy test from the convenience store and he was there. He caught me."

"And he didn't do anything?" the woman scoffed.

"Well..." Quinn started cautiously, "he took me to the doctor, you know, to get an accurate result but that didn't help. The test came out inconclusive so I figured, I probably was pregnant but...I was too scared to go back for a retest." She met her sister's gaze. "But it doesn't matter now. I don't know how but I'm not pregnant, so everything's fine." The small smile that formed on her lips slowly dwindled away as the events that took place over the last few weeks reminded her that she was wrong. "Well...not everything but..."

Quinn merely shrugged her shoulders and attempted to leave the table, however, Paloma's grip kept her stationary.

"Wait," the woman commanded. Quinn frowned at the seriousness that was prevalent in her expression. "We're not done here. I know you hate talking about this and trust me, having this kinda conversation with you isn't exactly my cup of tea, but...I thought you and Charlie were being safe."

"We were," the girl assured.

Paloma gave her a pointed look. "Every time?"

Quinn groaned and restlessly ran her fingers through her hair. "Yes."

"Are you sure?" Paloma cut the teenager off before she could bark yes one final time. "Look, for the most part, I was pretty cool about letting you and Charlie do...whatever it is that you do," the brunette mustered out. "Or did," she corrected. "But please tell me you guys didn't do anything stupid. He didn't feed you any bullshit about protection not being necessary did he?"

"No, Paloma, he didn't. He's not like that and even if he was, I'm not stupid. Ava taught me everything I needed to know, remember?"

For a moment, Paloma was silenced by Quinn's declaration. Despite the bad blood that remained between her and Ava, she knew that she'd be forever grateful for all the things the other woman did for her little sister.

The brunette studied Quinn closely and pursed her lips. "So...you were taking the birth control like you were supposed to? As directed?"

"Yes," the redhead assured. "I was, I swear. I don't know what happened."

Quinn cocked her brow once a smirk formed on Paloma's lips. It wasn't long before the corners of her mouth curved upwards and an eruption of laughter fell from her lips.

"What?" the girl pondered. Her question was met with more laughter and Quinn frowned as a result. She hated being out of the loop when a joke lingered in the air, it reminded her too much of when they were both much younger. "Why are you laughing?"

Paloma used her digits to rid the tears from the corners of her eyes, her giggling finally dwindling down. "God, you're adorable."

The teenager narrowed her eyes, her patience wearing thin.

"Quinn, when you're on the pill, it affects your hormones and sometimes when you're on it, you don't get your period at all," Paloma snorted. "Did you stop taking it?"

Quinn nodded, her face still contorted as she attempted to grasp an understanding.

"Then there you go," the woman chuckled. "That's why you got it. You were never pregnant."

"But I was on it for months, it wasn't like that before."

"Yeah but you've got that whole late bloomer thing going for you, remember?" she chuckled as she teasingly pinched the girl's fair skinned cheeks, her hands too quick for Quinn to swat them away. "My guess is, since you haven't even had your period a year, pretty much everything's irregular for you. Plus stress can be a factor too. I wish you came to me sooner, I could've put your mind at ease."

"What? Are you serious?" Quinn bellowed. She ran her fingers through her hair in disbelief.

"Yeah, I guess Ava must've left that part out. And...so did I," she sighed. "I probably should've talked to you, made sure you understood everything."

Quinn planted her elbows on the table and rested her face in her hands.

Paloma nudged her gently. "You didn't know. Don't be so hard on yourself, it's okay."

"It's not okay!" Quinn snapped. "You don't understand," she whined. "If what you're saying is true, then I broke up with Charlie for nothing."

The woman attempted to maintain her unbothered state in fear of alarming the girl even further. "Wait, that's why you broke up with him? Because you thought you were pregnant? Quinn...you didn't have to do that."

"Of course I did. I really thought I was..." she allowed her voice to trail off before finally continuing, "We already talked about that kinda thing, me and him, months ago. Before we even started having sex. He said he didn't want to have a kid right now, obviously no one our age would, but that's what he said and neither did I. But you know how Charlie is, he's a good guy. I thought I was pregnant and I knew if Charlie found out he'd try to do the right thing, he'd want me to have it, to raise and you and I both know I couldn't do that. I didn't wanna ruin his future or mine but..."

Quinn finally looked up at her sister, tearing her mindless gaze from the mahogany table. "If I did what I thought I had to...got rid of it, and he found out, I couldn't deal with that. How he'd look at me...it'd be like how you're looking at me right now." Despite Paloma's efforts, Quinn could see straight through the woman's nonchalant expression.

"I'm not looking at you any differently," the brunette asserted. Quinn expunged a sigh and slouched down in her seat, obviously unconvinced. "Hey, seriously, I'm not. You don't have to explain yourself to me or feel guilty about anything. Trust me...I get it."

Quinn's eyes flashed to Paloma's as they pleaded for an explanation. But as much as the girl longed to hear the words that threatened to fall form Paloma's lips, despite the woman's efforts, she failed to hide the obvious reluctance on her face.

"You don't have to tell me if you if you don't want to."

"No," Paloma countered. "...I do. It's not exactly fair of me to ask you to tell me stuff when I've got a few skeletons in the closet myself." Her stern look returned as she eyed her sister earnestly. "But if I tell you this, you better start telling me shit too, got it?"

Quinn simply nodded her head in compliance, as a result, Paloma cleared her throat as she searched for the right words. Her voice lowered substantially, the glossy look in the woman's eyes were unfamiliar Quinn, even so, the feature alone told her that the words she was about to say, whatever they were, were important. "Okay, um, I've never told anyone this...not even Ava."

Quinn matched her quiet tone, "Okay."

Paloma inhaled soundlessly through her nose and took the plunge, "About four years ago, I met a guy. I liked him, we dated for a little while and he was a good person." She shook her head, careful not to get too caught in the past. "But, eventually, I uh...I got pregnant."

Quinn's eyebrows jumped in surprise, but still, she remained silent, allowing her sister to continue.

"I told him about my, well, our situation because I felt like he deserved to know, you know? But, uh...he was freaked out, just like I was. But, after a couple weeks he came around and started making all these plans, all these promises. He talked about us getting married and I just, I couldn't. I felt terrible but I didn't want a kid, I didn't want a husband, a family, I didn't want to be a mother. Even if I wanted to...I couldn't." She swallowed thickly. "Around that time I started to realize I wasn't only attracted to guys, which scared the hell outta me obviously. At that time, I was too afraid to tell him or mom or dad or you because, in all honesty, I couldn't even admit it to myself. Plus I was still immature, me being a mom with responsibilities and shit, it never would've worked out."

"So...what'd you do?" Quinn's soft voice made Paloma meet her gaze.

"Well, at first I tried to go along with it, I was too scared to do anything else. But then, one day...I got my period, found out I'd lost it, the baby. Another grand outcome of having endometriosis," she snarked, the sarcasm didn't go unnoticed by either Sullivan.

"Anyway, as bad as the situation was I felt...relieved," Paloma admitted. "Me and that guy, we no longer had an obligation to each other and I didn't have to be scared anymore because I wasn't pregnant and I wasn't getting married and I could finally...breathe. But, I also felt really, really guilty. Then I was told it'd be highly unlikely that I'd ever be able to carry a baby to its full term, there'd be too many complications. And about a year later I ended up having to get my uterus removed and I felt like shit, you know? Because now I can't have kids...ever and it sucks."

For a moment, only the ticking of the kitchen clock could be heard in the home. The quiet wasn't torturous, but instead quite necessary. They allowed the weight of the words to linger between them, the brunette only continued when the time was right, "My point is, I get it and I'm the last person that'd judge you for that kind of thing."

Quinn looked towards the woman who granted her a modest smile.

"For someone who feels like I never tell them anything, there's a lot I still don't know about you," the girl chuckled lightly in attempts to lighten the heavy mood.

She smiled once Paloma joined in on the laughter.

"Yeah," the brunette mused, "I kinda like being a mystery." Her light-hearted expression dispersed once the somberness returned to the girl's eyes. "Look, all of this, it was a misunderstanding. You didn't know any better, don't beat yourself up. What happened with that guy and I, it was different. I didn't love him and he didn't love me. The way things happened, as screwed up as it is, they happened like they were supposed to. But our relationship was nothing like it was with you and Charlie.

"Paloma—"

"I saw it, okay? How happy he made you, how you lit up you'd get every time you saw him." Quinn playfully rolled her eyes at the teasing tone in Paloma's voice. "Don't act like you don't care or I didn't matter. Don't try to convince yourself that you'll get over it because you won't. Not if you leave it like this...a misunderstanding. You have to tell him, clear this up. If you don't, you'll regret it. You will."

Quinn drew her bottom lip into her mouth and swallowed thickly. "I don't know, Paloma, I messed that up pretty good," she chuckled dryly. "The things I said to him...he wouldn't want me back."

"You won't know unless you try," Paloma soothed.

The teenager gritted her teeth, annoyed that Paloma made it all seem so easy. She knew she'd be a fool to the think the boy would welcome her with open arms, no matter how much he loved her. Because that was before, before after all those vile words fell from her lips those weeks ago. She wouldn't be surprised if Charlie would refuse to be in her presence at all let alone stick around long enough to listen to her desperate pleas.

"...What if he rejects me?" she whispered.

"Then I'll be here." Paloma wore a sincere expression as she gingerly tucked a piece of hair behind the girl's ear. "Ready to pick up the pieces."

Thank Y'all so much for 4k reads, it truly means a lot! I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, thanks for reading! 🤗