So tell me...how twisted is it that I've been looking forward to this portion of the story ever since I first thought up the idea?

!WARNINGS!

This chapter contains:
-mentions of rape
-mentions of beating
-emotional turmoil
-Quinn freakout 2.0
-Quinn coming face to face with Jim

!WARNINGS!

There...can't say I didn't warn you all... This chapter is more or less the calm before the storm for the next chapter, which is Quinn's testimony. I was told not to spare any detail by two people...so I don't plan on sparing any detail...and it's going to get rather graphic.

I'm not going in depth with the ENTIRE testimony for everybody, because that would get overly boring, and besides, I don't know enough about the legal system to be able to come up with a whole witness questioning scene, like from start to finish lol I'm not going to be doing the cross-examination, because even though I'm sadistic enough to be able to write this about Quinn, I'm not sadistic enough to be able to write defense questions to try to free Jim. I'd rather not have to deal with all of that lol.

This chapter was looked over by Jennception.

The First 24
Chapter 24

March 17 – 8:00AM

Rachel reached out to run her fingers through Quinn's hair. It was something she'd learned very early on in their relationship that relaxed her wife. After all the fights with her parents, Rachel would simply play with Quinn's hair and she'd be asleep in minutes. Only this time was completely different. Quinn hadn't said a word since she woke up several hours prior because she couldn't sleep. Rachel knew better than to press her for anything. She knew Quinn was an emotional mess.

Quinn still hadn't said a word all morning. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth she'd start crying. She was about to be forced to relive everything. She was moments away from entering the courtroom and coming face to face with the man who tore her life apart. Quinn was barely aware of the three people surrounding her as she stood outside of room 2. The same room where she met him ten years ago. Everything from the first trial crashed back into her mind. Everything that happened to her was fresh. It all felt like it happened yesterday.

"We can go in now." Brittany spoke softly before opening the door to the court room.

Quinn let out a shaky breath as she made her way to the front row of seating. There were a mixture of reasons why she wanted to sit in the front. Mostly was so she could hear everything that was said. Another reason was that she wanted to show Jim she was there and he wasn't going to win over her for much longer. But on the flip side of that she was petrified to see him. She feared that the minute she saw him she'd be sick. She already felt sick from the nightmares the night before.

"We'll be right here Quinn." Rachel tightly gripped the blondes hand once they sat down on the bench seat.

Still, Quinn said nothing. Her eyes remained on the floor. Around her she knew everything that was going on from the number of times she'd been in court. Before the judge was presented, everybody used the final moments to get situated for the beginning of the day. The stenographer was busy making sure his stenotype was ready for the day. Off to the side the jury chatted softly with one another. Chatter surrounded her as the remaining seats became full of people who were viewing the trial. She could hear a few reporters preparing their cameras for the televised broadcast. Sarah had informed her during their meeting that the judge approved it to be televised, with the exception of Quinn's testimony due to the sensitive topic.

She felt her other hand be grabbed and knew it was by Santana. She needed all the support she could get. They all knew this would be hard for her, but they really had no idea. It was times like this when she wished she knew how to word everything that was going through her mind.

Her entire body flinched when she heard the door open. She knew what was happening. Through her years of trials, she knew the sound of that door. The sound was always the same. It was the door they brought whatever criminal through. Her head remained trained on the floor but her eyes glanced up and landed on him. The creator of all of her nightmares. The grip she had on Rachel and Santana's hands instantly tightened. She knew she was probably causing them pain, especially with the way she felt her own nails digging into the skin on the backs of their hands, but she didn't care. She didn't care at all. Neither did they. Neither of them said a word or made any attempt to pull away.

"Well if it isn't little Quinnie. It's wonderful to see you again." He smirked at her before pursing his lips and making a kissing sound.

"Sit down and shut up!" The bailiff pushed on his shoulders to get him to his chair.

Quinn forced her eyes closed and swallowed the bile that was rising in her throat. She instantly flashed back to all the times he forced his tongue into her mouth while she was trapped in his basement. Minutes passed before it was announced to rise for the judge. Quinn simply felt herself going through the motions. She didn't hear anything that was being said. She just waited for a gentle tug of her hand from either Rachel or Santana… or both. They knew she was off in her own little world and chose not to pry.

March 17 – 11:30AM

"At this time I'd like to break for an hour for lunch. We will reconvene here at 12:30." The judge hit his gavel on the block before he stood up to leave.

Quinn made no attempt to move until Jim was out of the room. Honestly, she was afraid that the slightest of movements would finally cause the bubble in her throat to rupture. She wasn't hungry. She knew the minute any food or liquid touched her mouth she'd spit it right back up.

"Let's get out of here for a little while Quinn." Rachel reluctantly stood up and looked down at her wife. She knew getting her out of the room for at least a few minutes, would help a little bit. After a few minutes of silence, Quinn finally allowed herself to be pulled to her feet and led out of the courtroom. "Do you want something to eat?" Quinn shook her head. "Something to drink?" She shook her head once more. "Why don't we sit outside for a bit? The car's right in the garage next door."

"No…" Quinn's voice was hoarse, it was the first time she'd used it all day.

"Come on Q, let's get out of here." Brittany looped her arm in Quinn's and led her out of the court room and down the hallway before anybody could object. "What's on your mind."

"Nothing B."

"You can talk to me." Brittany sat down on a bench at the end of the hallway with.

"I can't."

Brittany rested her head on Quinn's shoulder and let out a heavy sigh. "The first time I saw him after it happened, I hated everybody and everything. I couldn't speak, I couldn't eat." Quinn turned her head to look at her. "It got better though. It always gets better Q."

Quinn only shook her head before glancing down the hallway toward the courtroom. She just wanted this all to be over with. It felt as if it was taking an eternity. An eternity that was never going to fade away. "I just want to be by myself… please B."

"Quinn?" A male voice drew the attention of both the blondes. "It's nice to see you again."

Quinn couldn't help the smile that overtook her face as she looked up at the man that saved her life on that cold Christmas night. "Sam…" She stood up to greet him properly. She hadn't seen the man since the day before she was discharged from the hospital in Plattsburg. "It's good to see you again." She gently extended her hand to shake his.

Sam paused for a moment. The last time he'd seen the woman in front of him, she was a total train wreck. Now, the woman who could barely look at him, was talking to him and allowing him to touch her. "How have you been? I mean… ya know… other than the obvious."

"Enjoying life in Los Angeles now…" She took a heavy breath as she shook his hand. "How are… Lisa and Thomas?" She hesitated to remember the names of his wife and son. Honestly, she only cared about her own well-being at the moment, but she'd do anything to get her mind away from the trial for the remaining 35 minutes of their lunch.

A huge smile broke out on Sam's face. He was always one to love talking about his family. Quinn plastered a huge, fake smile onto her face as she pretended to listen to him go on and on about his wife and son. Nothing he said registered in her mind. It didn't matter though, the simple fact that he was talking meant that she didn't have to. She didn't have to answer any of his questions which made things easier for her. Quinn barely registered that Lisa and him were trying to have another baby and that Thomas could now count to 100.

Anything was better than listening to her friends telling her it would be okay. Even if it meant having to endure this man talk about the family that her and Rachel had longed for, for years. Every time Sam mentioned Thomas, she felt her heart ache a little bit more for the children her and Rachel had lost during their attempts. Perhaps asking him to talk about his family was a bad idea.

At least she wasn't thinking about Jim though…

March 17 – 2:00PM

"Can you state your full legal name for the record?"

"Samuel Alexander Evans." He spoke clearly into the microphone in front of him.

"Alright, Mr. Evans. What is your occupation?"

"Guard at the Plattsburg County Jail."

Sarah paused for a moment before continuing her questioning. "What were you doing out on the night of December 25th?"

Sam let out a heavy breath before answering the question. "I was driving home from an extra shift I'd picked up from a co-worker at the jail."

"Alright, why were you on Fuller Road so late at night? Isn't it dangerous to drive back roads when it's snowing?"

"I always get off the interstate at Bear Swamp Road and go on Fuller Road to get home from the jail. It's a route I'm very familiar with and it leads me right to where my family and I live."

"What time were you on Fuller Road?"

"About 8:45… 9 maybe? I don't remember exactly." He lifted his hand to run his fingers through his hair. "I know I clocked out from my shift at 8:30 though."

"How long does it usually take you to get home? Approximately."

"20 minutes, 30 at the most, depending on the traffic or weather."

"Alright Mr. Evans…" Sarah dared to glance up from where she stood and met Quinn. The blonde's head was slumped down – eyes most likely locked with the floor. She wasn't looking at anybody. Sarah couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of pain this was all bringing back to her. "Tell the court what happened while you were driving home."

"I remember singing along to my radio in my truck. I remember turning a corner on the road when it started snowing. So I slowed down some because, like you said, it was a back road, with a lot of hills and curves in it. I must have been driving for 5 or so minutes on Fuller when I came around another bend in the road. I spotted a mound of something in the middle of the road. So I started to like, slow down some more until I could see what it was. I thought it was just a snow drift, it was snowing pretty hard by then, and the wind was whipping."

"What did you do when you saw the mound in the road?"

"Well I slowed down. The closer I got to it, the more I could tell it wasn't just snow ya know. I could see red and brown mixed in. I stopped completely, put my truck in park and got out to check it out. I kind of thought it was just a dear that had been hit in the road, because of the colors, and the size of it."

"What was it?"

Quinn's eyes slammed shut at the memory. She may have slipped out of consciousness, but some things she could still recall in her mind. She vaguely remembered Sam calling her name now. She remembered the burn of his headlights in her eyes. She remembered trying to open her eyes and speak to him when he talked to her. At first she was terrified that it was Jim finding her, but she remembered the voice being different – more comforting. That was when she finally let herself go. In the depths of her mind she knew she'd be safe with him.

"I saw it was a woman. A woman who I later found out was Quinn."

"What kind of condition was she in?"

Sam felt his heart rate spike at the question. Sure, as a guard he'd seen his fair share of injuries, but they paled in comparison to what he saw that night. "There was blood everywhere… on her, on the ground… soaking through the torn coat she wore. I could barely tell her hair was blonde it was so dirty…" He allowed himself to trail off, waiting for the next question.

Sarah let out her own shaky breath. Now they were getting into the sensitive topics for Quinn and her family. She remembered Quinn not sharing this with them, and knew this would be the first time they'd hear it. "You said there was blood everywhere… did you see where it was coming from by chance?"

He shook his head. "I only had a flashlight, plus the headlights of my truck. It was everywhere. To the point I couldn't see where it stopped and started. I couldn't make out the difference between open wounds and running blood."

"You also stated her hair was dirty. Was that the only part of her that was?"

Quinn's jaw clenched at the question. She knew what Sam's answer would be, but she didn't want to hear it. Her fingers dug in deeper into Rachel and Santana's hands as she just sat there, having no other choice but to relive everything from her kidnapping.

"Her face and what I could see of her chest were also covered in dirt and grime. I didn't want it to be what I thought it was… but everything about her smelled like ammonia."

"Can you elaborate for the court please?"

"I work in a jail. I know the smell of ammonia… like… urine, feces. That's what I smelled on her."

Sarah paused for a minute to compose herself. It was something she knew she'd hear out of Sam, based on a meeting with him prior to her meeting with Quinn. It hit her hard the first time, but she felt it digging further into her emotional stability, knowing Quinn was also hearing it. "What did you do after that?"

"I acted on instinct. I didn't even hesitate in picking her up and taking her back to my truck. How could I leave a helpless woman in the middle of a snow storm?"

"Tell us what happened when you got to the hospital."

"Most of it was a blur. I pulled out front, parked, got her out and ran into the ER with her. A nurse saw me and got a wheelchair for her. I spent an hour being questioned by police, until they could prove that I wasn't involved in anything other than finding her. Then I just waited around."

"Why did you wait around? You didn't even know Mrs. Berry-Fabray."

"I kept thinking… That woman was somebody's wife… or girlfriend… or mother. That woman had something horrible happen to her. I wanted to make sure she was alright. I stayed around until the doctor told me that she'd called Quinn's wife. Even then I was reluctant to leave her alone. I couldn't imagine what she was feeling. I wouldn't wish that upon anybody."

"So you stayed out of the kindness of your heart?"

"In a way. I kept thinking to my own wife. If she was hours from home and something like that happened to her, I don't think she'd want to be alone either. Even though she didn't know I was there at first… I don't know, it's hard to explain. I wanted to provide some kind of sense of security for her."

Rachel smiled softly when she felt the grip on her hand relax some at hearing Sam's words. She glanced at her wife – her heart breaking every time she did so. Then she glanced up at Sam, her smile growing some when their eyes met. She took a moment to mouth a 'thank you' to him before trapping Quinn's hand with her free one, effectively trapping it. If it wasn't for the man at the witness stand, her wife would be dead.

Sam was the definition of a true man to her. A true man would put his own feelings aside to care for someone else. A true man would help others as long as it was within his power. It made Rachel's heart ache some that there weren't more men like him in the world.

March 17 – 5:15PM

"You need to eat something Q."

Quinn kept her eyes locked with the floor of the elevator. She was vaguely aware of the three women near her. It sounded like they were talking about food for dinner. But she didn't care. She knew she wouldn't be able to eat anything. Hell, she was already feeling the bile rise in her throat from the day's events. It wouldn't stay under control much longer and she knew that. Just a few more steps and they'd be back in Brittany and Santana's apartment. A place she knew she could find a spot to be alone. The minute Brittany pushed open the door, the bubble in her throat ruptured and she pushed past her friends – locking herself in the bathroom in the process.

"Quinn?" Rachel felt herself tear up when her wife pushed by all of them. "Honey, talk to us, please." There was still no response. She winced when she heard the very familiar sound of her wife retching in the bathroom. "Baby?" Her voice was barely above a whisper when she stood near the door. "Quinn please, we're all here for you."

The blonde simply remained on her knees in front of the toilet, throwing up nothing but liquid. Her stomach felt as if it was starting to eat itself. She was just that hungry, but the simple thought of eating anything just brought on more waves of nausea. All she could remember was his face staring at her. The face that pursed his lips together to blow her a kiss. That's all she could focus on. No matter how many times Rachel pounded on the door, it didn't help. She was lost in her thoughts. Quinn knew that Rachel was crying and she hated that. But honestly, she wasn't sure what she was crying about. Rachel should have known that she'd slip back into her 'safe zone' after seeing him. They all should have known. Why couldn't they just leave her alone like she wanted.

"Let me in Quinn." Rachel's pleading voice came through the door.

"Just leave me alone, please." Quinn's voice trembled with unshed tears.. Deep down she knew that Rachel just wanted to help her. They all just wanted to help her. But she didn't want help. She was thankful when she didn't hear anything on the other side of the door. For a few brief moments, she'd thought Rachel had finally left her alone, as she'd wished for. Until she heard two more pounds, followed by sobbing. Quinn had pieced it together enough to know Rachel's head came to rest on the door, then her knees came to rest on the floor.

It was a horrible mixture of emotions. Worse than what she felt under Jim's control. Worse than anything she'd ever felt in her life. Not even realizing she was pregnant had this effect on her. Her stomach retched one last time before she sank back against the wall, her own tears overwhelming her. She allowed her eyes to close as she tried to calm herself. Staying in the bathroom all night long wasn't an option she wanted to have. But walking through that door would lead her into the arms of her best friends. An option she didn't want to have to deal with either. But it was a better option than sitting on the cold tile all evening.

She stood from her spot on the floor and raided the cabinets until she found a bottle of mouth wash to get rid of the bile taste that coated her throat. After a silent prayer and counting to ten to mentally prepare herself, she unlocked the door to find herself face to face with a pissed off looking Latina.

"Don't even start with me." Quinn shot at her before attempting to push by.

"Start what Q? Start that you've been quiet all day? That you didn't eat a thing, or drink, or anything. We're worried about you. Rachel's in hysterics right now because she doesn't know how to help you."

"Just leave me alone." Quinn squeezed past her best friend to begin the short walk to the spare bedroom where her and Rachel were crashing for the few days they were there.

"We're not going to leave you alone Quinn. Why don't you see that?"

Quinn's eyes fell on Brittany, who was sitting on the bed with her arms around Rachel's shaking form. She turned around to try to go back through the door, only to see Santana standing there, blocking her escape. There were too many people around her. She suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe. "Leave me alone." She whispered in a dangerous tone. She couldn't handle people. Not after spending all day being surrounded by them. By being surrounded by those strangers who were listening to everything that had happened to her. She felt exposed… violated. Even more so than anything Jim ever did to her.

"No." Santana stepped closer, freezing only when Quinn stumbled back. She reached out to catch her before she fell backwards onto the bed, but the smallest contact caused the blonde to scream and scamper away. "Q?" The Latina's angered voice quickly faded away. Her heart leapt into her chest and the shrill sound of her best friend's panic. "It's okay, it's just us here."

"Then leave me alone!" She just wanted the people gone. All eyes were on her and she couldn't handle it. It was almost as if she could hear the inner laughter of those people in the courtroom. Laughing at the things she'd gotten herself into… the things she had to endure. "I just wanna be alone." She closed her eyes and pulled her knees to her chest – hugging them tightly. So tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Quinn felt arms wrap tightly around her, she didn't know who it was, nor did she care… she pushed. She pushed herself away from the body those arms belonged too. She felt filthy… Her eyes never opened as she slowly began rocking herself on the carpeted floor. "Get away from me!" She screamed, her eyes snapping open as she pushed an offending hand off of her shoulder. Her eyes landed on Rachel and for a mere split second she regretted her action. She saw the fear flash through her wife's eyes. "All of you get away!"

"Sweetie, look at me." Rachel knelt on the floor and tried to look into Quinn's eyes only to be pushed back again.

"Don't look at me. Don't touch me!" Quinn rushed to pull her knees back to her chest in a failed attempt at hiding herself from their gazes. Santana leaned down to whisper something into Rachel's ear. The smaller brunette reluctantly nodded before shifting further away from Quinn. "Whatever you're doing… don't." Hazel eyes snapped to Santana as she sat on the floor right in front of her.

The Latina tilted her head back to look at the ceiling for a moment. The entire time her fingers marked the Sign of the Cross while she whispered a prayer in Spanish.

"Praying for me won't help Santana!"

"I'm not praying for you. I'm praying for me." Santana's movements were quick as she wrapped her arms tightly around Quinn's body. The prayer was one for strength and overcoming. She knew what she was getting herself into the moment she told Rachel to move. Her eyes closed as she winced every time Quinn's fists pounded into her back, or her nails dug into her side. Her grip never faltered as she whispered softly into the blonde's ear. "Quinn, Te amo. Calmarse, por favor. No te vamos a dejar." Santana paused for a minute to regain her composure. She felt the blonde in her arms start to relax. The beating on her back was starting to calm down. Her words were working. "Te amamos Quinn. Todos te queremos."

"I hate your Spanish…" Quinn allowed her head to rest on Santana's shoulder as tears overtook her once again. Instead of her nails digging into Santana's sides to push her away, they dug into the back of her shirt – bringing her closer as she cried on her shoulder.

"My Spanish relaxes you. It always has…" Santana let out a heavy breath, her grip finally relaxing around Quinn's body. "Every since we were little." The blonde nodded between sobs. Santana flicked her head to the side, motioning for Rachel to join them.

"Rach, I'm s-sorry."

Rachel didn't say anything right away. All she did was tightly grip Quinn's hand. She lifted it into her view and forced her to look at the bracelet around her wrist. "You're not as weak as you think you are Quinn." Even though the blonde nodded, at that particular moment in time, she didn't feel it. "Santana just told you in English and Spanish that we're not leaving you. What will it take for you to believe it?" Rachel carefully placed her hands on Quinn's cheeks, forcing their eyes to lock together. Rachel hated the broken, distant look in Quinn's eyes, but knew she really couldn't do much of anything about it.

"Time…"

"None of us are going anywhere. We promise you."

Quinn wiggled herself out of Santana's grasp to collapse against Rachel. She didn't say another word for the rest of the evening. Even when she'd finally relaxed enough to fall asleep, they helped her into the bed… Rachel never left her side throughout the evening.

March 18 – 12:30PM

"What time was she brought into the hospital?"

That was about the time Quinn finally started to pay attention. She didn't much care for the doctor's credentials, or how long she'd practiced, or where she went to school. None of that mattered to Quinn. What did matter though, was hearing how bad her injuries actually were when she got to the hospital. She knew they'd told her after she woke up, but for the life of her… she just couldn't remember.

"She arrived shortly after 9PM. That's when Mr. Evans brought her in."

"What was your initial diagnosis upon seeing the victim." Quinn's body tensed at the wording, but she knew Sarah was only doing her job.

"She was unconscious when she was brought in… My initial thought was to stop the bleeding. She had several open wounds scattered all over her body. That was my top priority. The exam came after the bleeding was under control."

"What kind of open wounds did she have that you treated immediately?"

Quinn dared to raise her gaze from the floor at her feet to look at the doctor who played a part in saving her life. "There were deep lacerations along her thighs and stomach, as well as some minor ones on her back. What troubled me the most was the hole on her right clavicle."

"What kind of a hole was it?"

"It looked like someone, or some… thing had ripped out a part of her skin."

Sarah gave a mournful look back to Quinn before moving to an easel near the doctor. "I believe we have pictures of those wounds that I'd like to submit to evidence." The attorney let out a sad sigh when she saw Quinn's head duck back down. She could only imagine how hard it was for her friend to have to relive everything. "These pictures were taken the day after she was admitted to Plattsburgh General Hospital by the Plattsburgh Police Department."

Quinn's lower lip trembled as she felt Santana's hand shaking, as well as Rachel's. She never wanted them to see this. It was her at her weakest. She knew the first picture was of her collar bone. The subsequent pictures were of her other wounds, which were soon followed by the doctor's description of how bad they were and what she did to treat them.

"These on her thigh troubled me as well." Doctor Sanford stated. "The surrounding area was red and swollen. They weren't clean cuts. They were already showing signs of infection."

"What did you do to treat those wounds?"

"Covered them in an antibiotic paste before wrapping them. We can't stitch infected wounds, because that would effectively trap the infection under the skin and cause more problems for the patient."

Sarah nodded before lifting the enlarged picture to show the one behind it. It was of the insides of Quinn's thighs. "Can you explain the extent of these injuries to the court."

Rachel gasped softly at the sight of the deep purple bruising and minor cuts that covered her wife's normally pale, smooth skin. She forced her own eyes closed and leaned closer to Quinn, trying to offer some kind of comfort to her. "I'm here…" She whispered against Quinn's ear. She bit her lip and pulled away when the grip on her hand tightened in warning and Quinn shifted uncomfortably. "Sorry…" Rachel turned her attention back to the doctor on the stand, as well as the pictures.

"This is how I suspected foul play. The patterns here…" Dr. Sanford motioned to the picture, specifically the outline of a hand, before continuing. "Appear to be hand prints. The bruising shows that the patient struggled. These here…" she pointed to the scratches, "appear to be fingernail markings."

"What foul play was suspected?"

"Rape. With the amount of blood and bruising, it appeared very obviously to me that she'd been raped… but, since she was still unconscious, we could not perform any tests to prove or disprove my theory of rape."

"A rape kit was eventually performed, is that correct?"

"Yes, it was done the day after. After Mrs. Berry-Fabray spoke with police. It proved my initial theory of rape. Multiple times based on the amount of vaginal tearing that was found."

"What other injuries did the victim sustain?" Again Quinn cringed. She hated being treated like a victim, when in reality, that's all she was. She was the victim of Jim's heinous crimes.

"I checked for internal bleeding while she was still unconscious, thankfully there was none. While examining her ribcage, I found two broken ribs on her left side, and one on her right. X-rays also confirmed that."

Sarah finally decided to take a seat. Her own stomach was starting to twist and turn at hearing all of Quinn's injuries yet again. "Is there anything else you'd like to share?"

"She was severely dehydrated. But that could be attributed to the weather itself. She didn't talk to anybody much once she woke up. The only thing she asked for was her wife, and for somebody to call her wife for her." She paused for a moment to regain her thoughts to continue. "When Mr. Evans brought her in, she was covered in urine and feces… as he suspected" Dr. Sanford took a deep breath. "Tests proved though… i-it wasn't just her own…"

Again! You've been warned, don't bother flaming for anything, because you knew from the get go that it would be bad, it's only going to be worse next chapter... as for the Spanish from Santana, I apologize if it's absolutely horrible, I don't speak more than about a dozen words of Spanish myself, and I used Google translator for common phrases "I love you" "we love you" "we're not leaving" so mistakes come from the translator :)

See you around next time...with heftier warnings ;)