Too Late

1. The Return

Quinn POV

Entering the arena nervous was an understatement, I was terrified mainly becuase I had a good idea of what was going to happen, but I had to try, I had to for his sake and mine.

The first person I see as I make my way through the backstage area is Rhea and if anything she looks shocked to see me. I give her a nervous smile with every intention of continuing straight past her but she has other ideas.

"Quinn what are you doing here.......oh my god you weren't joking were you" she says "listen now is not a good time, come to the hotel tomorrow morning he'll have cooled down by then"

"No.....I have to do this now" I say "I can't spend another second with him believing that I didn't love him"

"What was he supposed to think? He asked you to marry him and not only said no but you left him, no explanation" she says "it's been a year there is no guarantee he'll even listen to you"

"I have to try.....he has to know that I did.......I do love him" I sigh "I had no choice, I'm going to explain everything I just hope he understands"

"Well good luck, he's had a bad night and he is not in the best of humour" she says "but it's really good to see you" she says giving me a hug before I go on my way.

Pretty soon the sound of metal music fills my ears and I know I'm going in the right direction. I find him with his back to me talking to Finn, Austin and Matt. As soon as the guys see me their smiles fade, Finn motions for Damian to turn around and as soon as he sees me I see nothing but hurt and anger in his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" He growls as I walk towards him

"I'm hoping we can talk, I owe you an explanation" I say quietly

"Your a year too late" he snaps "I needed an explanation then not a year later. You hurt me Quinn, I loved you, I wanted to marry you and you......you ripped out my heart and destroyed me and never said why"

"If you give me the chance I will tell you why" I say as I notice the other guys walking away

"Do you know how it feels to be completely in love with some one and find out they never loved you?" He says "you said you did but now I know you were lying..........you......you were everything to me"

"I did.......I do love you D" I say fighting back tears "I've never not loved you, it wasn't that I didn't want to marry you.......I couldn't, I had to say no I had no choice"

"Like I said you're too late, I don't love you anymore Quinn" he says "I feel nothing when I look at you, please just leave.......I don't want to see you again"

"Damian please" I plead but he just walks away from me down the corridor and out of my line of sight. I lean against a crate as the sobs rock my body, he was right I was too late, I waited too long.

I head back the way I came and when Rhea sees me she rushes up to me and wraps me in her arms. I sob on her shoulder the pain in my heart becoming unbearable.

"I told you it wasn't a good time" she says rubbing my back "try again tomorrow, don't give up.......hey why do you and me go get a drink.....maybe you could fill me in and I could help you get him to listen"

"You'd really do that for me?" I ask and she nods

"Of course I would, he has every right to he hurt, but you have every right to be heard" she says " we'll get him to listen don't worry"

"Thank you" I say "I hope you have no where else to be becuase it's a bit of a long story"

"I have all night" she smiles "come on there's a bar down the road and there is a tequila sunrise with your name on it"

As we head to the bar I start to feel nervous about getting this out in the open, there is only one person who knows why I did what I did and thats the person that caused all this.

I let them ruin my life, ruin everything and hurt the man I loved beyond comprehension becuase I was afraid.....afraid of the consequences of their threat. I know now that what I was afraid of losing then would have hurt far less then losing Damian.

I can still remember the proposal vividly, all the trouble he had gone to to make the moment romantic, the sweet loving things he had said, how badly I wanted to say yes and how I let my fear make me doing something I have regretted ever since.

"Alright, drinks up" Rhea says placing our drinks on the table "so fill me in and let's figure out how to make him listen"

"You know you'll be the first person I've told" I say taking a big gulp of my drink "I have no idea where to start, but I guess I should start with the day everything changed"