A/N: It's a short chapter, I know, but I've had writer's block and I don't think I can really add anything into this chapter and actually have it make sense so I'm ending it now and hopefully it won't be so long before I update again.

Ch. 36: Hard Conversations

It's only been a few days since the Cheerios had left for camp and all Beth has been doing has been avoiding anyone and anything. She knew that her mothers were trying to know more about her, but she didn't want anything to do with that. She didn't want her mothers to know about her problems or the problems that she is dealing with each and every day. The main reason that Beth didn't want to tell Rachel or Quinn her past was because she didn't want to hurt them because her past was difficult.

If only she had other things to do, but alas she didn't so she knew the moment she walked downstairs for breakfast was that shortly after, her day was going to be filled with talking, talking, and more talking.

What made it even worse was the Quinn had taken the day off.

Once the kitchen was cleaned up and the dishes in the dishwasher the three females sat around the kitchen table in silence. Nobody really wanted to start talking, but someone had to. Quinn and Rachel were surprised when Beth started talking first.

"Here's the deal. There are things that I would talk about unless I have to, but I'd rather not because I don't want to relive it and I don't want to hurt you. We can talk about the easy stuff first because the moment I talk about the heavy stuff, I am not going to talk about anything else after." Beth looked around the kitchen in somewhat fear. This will be the first time that she has talked about her past in-depth since it happened. There were times when she told Amanda and Lucy and even Sara some things, but it was never in-depth. Beth was scared.

Quinn and Rachel locked eyes. They were really starting to worry about how much Beth had gone through in her life. They had to make sure that they were ready to hear it. Quinn nods her head and Rachel turns to Beth.

"We can agree to that. So, let's talk about college. Why don't you want to go?"

"I don't like school. I've never really liked school," Beth looks at Quinn. "I'm not you. I can't go to school for years and then work. It's a lot of work and I'd rather not do that besides college is expensive."

Quinn decides to take the reins on this conversation.

"If finances are what you are worried about you don't have to. We have money saved, a lot, actually. School shouldn't be a problem."

Beth closes her eyes and shakes her head.

"I have no idea what I am interested in. I don't have a plan. Give me some time and maybe I can figure out what I want to do with my life."

"We don't want to push you to the point that you are adamant that you aren't going to further your education so if time is what you need to figure out what you are going to do then we will give you time. Let's say we tackle this conversation before the end of next year, right before the start of senior year and see where we are at, or rather where you are at. How does that sound?"

Beth nodded her head with a small smile. It all seemed fine to her. That meant she had another year to figure out how to get out of going to college. Or possibly find something she is interested in studying.

"I can agree to that. Now we have the worst conversation you will probably ever hear. I just want to get it over with and please don't make me explain any more than I want to."

Rachel reached for her wife's hand and gave a gentle smile towards her daughter. She already knew she wasn't going to like what was about to be said. Holding her wife's hand was calming in a sense.

"You can start whenever you are ready," Rachel states gently.

Beth took a breath and closed her eyes. She really didn't want to talk about this. She had only spoken about her past a few times and each time it was hard, but this particular conversation was going to be the hardest.

"It started when I was six. I was just a little kid. It took me a little bit to figure out what was going on. I was scared all the time, so scared that I didn't tell anybody," tears start falling from Beth's eyes. "I was ten when it stopped, but that was because he was forced to stop. I finally told my caseworker. It hurt so b-bad, that I-I-I just wanted it to s-s-stop."

Quinn and Rachel kept a strong grip on each other's hands. There was nothing that they could do at the moment so they sat there and let the tears fall down their cheeks as Beth continued speaking.

"Fred Barrett was his name. He was my foster father who had his issues. He was arrested and unfortunately for me he had a really good lawyer. He got himself a deal which I think was stupid," Beth sniffles and wipes the tears out of her eyes. "Fred Barrett got six years and pleaded guilty. He got no early parole. Once he was out he couldn't find me and he had to register as a sex offender. I wasn't the same after that. I was moved a few different times and at those homes I was hit and beaten. I have the scars across my back to prove it. No matter what I did I couldn't get my thoughts together so I did everything I could to get rid of them, including drugs."

Beth locks eyes with her parents knowing she would see disgust, but was stunned to find out that she didn't see disgust in their eyes. All she saw was love and possibly a hint of understanding.

"It started out with weed when I was thirteen and weed let to other things that included my number one vice, heroin. I would shoot it between my toes. I was fourteen when my new case worker told me that I needed to get clean otherwise I wouldn't be able to get adopted. I was clean shortly after my fourteenth birthday. That brings me here as your troubled daughter."

Rachel lets go of her wife's hand and reaches for her daughter's. Beth grabs a hold of it and Rachel squeezes.

"What I see is a beautiful young woman who has faced a tremendous amount of pain in her life yet still manages a smile every now and then."

Quinn wipes at her eyes. She gets up from her chair and moves to sit next to her daughter.

"Your mom is right you know. Everything you have been through is horrible, but you survived it and because of that we got to reconnect and you managed to get clean. I can't even imagine the pain that you went through growing up and that wasn't what I wanted for you and I'm sorry for that, but I'm glad you told us and I will be here for you if you need anything, even if it is just to talk."

Beth wraps her arms around her mother and sighs softly. She was emotionally tired at this point and the hug with her mother made her emotional day a little bit better. Beth pulls away from her mom and gives a smile towards her other one.

"If you guys don't mind I'd really like to go lay down. I'm kind of tired."

"Sure baby. I'll wake you up in a few hours," Quinn said with a gentle smile.

Beth makes her way out of the room and upstairs.

*Friend to a Stranger*

"I had hoped it wasn't that bad," Rachel comments as she gets up from her chair. Hearing what her daughter had gone through was incredibly heartbreaking and something she couldn't understand, not really. There were times when Rachel would hear about these problems in the news and she couldn't understand it then. Now that she knows someone close to her has gone through it she just didn't know what else to say. "I don't know what to say."

Quinn sighs and wipes her face. She could agree with her wife. There was one problem with that though, Quinn felt like it was her fault. She was the one that gave Beth up for adoption and because of that Beth got hurt. Beth had told her it wasn't her fault, but it was. Had Quinn kept her than maybe Beth wouldn't have been through the things she went through?

"Beth tells me it's not my fault, but it is and like you, I don't know what to say."

Rachel shakes her head and sat closer to her wife. She grabs Quinn's hand.

"Beth's right, baby, it's not your fault. When you decided to give her up you thought just like everybody else, that she was going to be okay. She fell through the cracks of the system and it sucks and we can't change that, but she's here now and she won't be treated like that ever again."

Quinn turns her head and faces her wife with a gentle smile.

"How do you always do that?"

Rachel watched as wonderment passed through Quinn's eyes. Rachel raised an eyebrow with a small smile.

"Do what?"

"Make everything seem okay with only a few words."

"It's a hidden talent," Rachel said with a grin. "But also because I love you and I don't like seeing you hurt. I don't like seeing anybody hurt and I told myself that I was going to do everything that I can to fix it."

Quinn wrapped her arms around her wife and sighed contently. Rachel always had a way with words.