Chapter 7: Seen and Heard

Author's Note: Hi guys! Thanks for bearing with me so far! I appreciate the feedback and followers I have gotten. This chapter is a Quinn chapter, and it is one where I am really proud of her. She has come so far (at least in my story) from the conceited teenager that she was in high school. So even if you don't like Quinn and are here for Finchel, please read this because I think you will both pity and admire her in this chapter. There is some Quick and mentions of Fuinn also.

Next chapter: Rachel's or Finn's and Puck's. If it is Rachel's, it will depict one of the most life-changing events in her life. If it is Finn's and Puck's it will be them (finally) embarking on a military campaign. Unfortunately, the Americans weren't really involved in WW2 in Europe until 1944.

Thanks and please REVIEW!

August 1943 - Lima, Ohio

Dear Quinn,

I can't believe Drizzle is one year old now! I can't wait to meet her! The picture you sent me of her in your last letter was adorable. She is going to be beautiful, just like you.

How are you both? Things are good over here. We might actually see some battle, finally! They are talking about having us fight in Italy in the next few weeks, so we are busy training for that so we know what to expect. The food sucks here. I really miss your cooking.

I love you!

Love,

Finn

—

Dear Quinn,

I really apreciate all of the letters you have been writing to me. They are so much better than the letters my mom writes me, criticizing me for not eating kosher over here (it's too hard, and the food is literally the worst ever) or not going to temple or not settling down with a nice Jewish girl. The girls here are so hot though. The nursing uniform adds a lot to their hotness in my opinion. Now I'm picturing you in a nursing uniform, especially a really short one…that would be the hottest thing ever.

I bet Lima is still a crappy cow town, so I won't ask how the people there are.

Except you. You were always different from them. How are you? No doubt you're still the most beautiful, smartest woman I've met, even though you've had a baby now. I'm surprised that you haven't gotten the hell out of there and gotten yourself an education, but I guess women aren't supposed to do that. Your daddy probably would disown you.

Wow, I sound like Kurt now, all sentimental. I gotta go.

Love, Puck

—

Quinn smiled as she set both letters down on the kitchen table beside the bills. She was so glad that Finn had told her to write Puck. His letters managed to sound just like him; when she read them it was almost as if he was standing there, talking to her. He was such a pervert but still managed to sound sweet. Quinn wondered if she was the only one he was like that with. Probably not, though. He has probably whispered things like what he writes to me into the ears of all of the exotic European girls he's sweet-talked into his bed, Quinn thought sadly.

"C'mon, Beth," Quinn said, scooping up her young daughter from her high chair and walking upstairs. "We've got to get you dressed to visit your grandparents."

Beth began to cry as Quinn dressed her in a pale blue and white sailor dress with anchors on the empire waist. "I know, baby girl. Trust me, I don't want to see them either," Quinn sighed. She really was not looking forward to eating dinner with her parents. She knew what she was going to tell them would not go over well. Puck was right - her father would disown her for doing something as revolutionary and modern as she was about to do.

Quinn offered Beth a bottle of milk as she quickly got dressed in a beautiful dark green dress with puffed sleeves, a v-neck, and buttons that went from the empire waist to the start of the flowing skirt. Her blonde hair was swept up into a simple yet elegant bun. She knew she would literally have to dress to impress, so she wanted to look fashionable and pretty while still looking classy and modest. If only Puck could see me now, she thought. That would totally make him think I was hot!

There was a knock on the door, and a frazzled Quinn answered it. It was Santana. "Hey, Q," she said. "You're telling your parents about the factory job tonight, right?" "Yes," Quinn answered. "I'm so nervous!"

"I brought something to take care of your nerves," Santana said, and she held up a bottle of whiskey. Quinn laughed. "You're such a bad influence!" "That's what I live to be, Quinn!" "I can't, San. They will despise me even more if I'm drunk." "Hypocrites," Santana said and poured a full glass for each of them. "Everyone in Lima knows your dad drinks a lot and your mother's no lightweight either."

Yes, Quinn knew that her parents both drank a lot, especially her father, even though he tried to keep up his image as the perfect Christian man. She had so many bad memories of that…

—

Quinn was fourteen years old in 1933. Judy was away helping one of Quinn's cousins with her newborn child. Russell had had a bad day at work due to the Great Depression and had gone out to the local bar, The Duck's Feathers, with his buddies. Quinn had just come home from going out with Finn, who was her new boyfriend at the time, and Santana and Puck to the movies. She was especially happy because Finn had kissed her for the second time that night after the movie. She had crushed on Finn for forever, so kissing him was a dream come true. And he was also a really, really good kisser! She had not wanted to stop kissing him, but her morals had made up her mind for her. Finn was so sweet - he'd held her hand throughout the scarier parts of the movie.

Quinn knew her parents probably wouldn't be happy if they knew about her kissing a boy - even a sweet, innocent one like Finn- but it wasn't the 1910s anymore. Of course, Frannie probably hadn't kissed a boy until her wedding night, but Frannie was a perfect angel. Quinn was definitely not, even though she prayed to Jesus every night that she would become an angel someday.

Quinn went to go brush her teeth and got up to go to the sink. She had made it as far as the hall outside her room when Russell confronted her. Quinn jumped back and tried to run back to her bedroom before he noticed her, since he was always meaner when he drank. "Hello, Lucy," he said, knowing full well that Quinn hated it when he called her by her real first name. "Hello, Daddy," Quinn replied uneasily."You were out with the Hudson boy tonight, weren't you?" Quinn nodded tentatively, wondering what her father was getting at. A nonverbal answer would be safer than a verbal one.

"What did you do, Lucy?" Quinn didn't even know if she should answer this question, because something in his voice told her that he already knew what she did. "I…saw a movie, Daddy," she whispered. Russell waved his hand away. "I already knew that, Lucy. I mean what did you do physically with the Hudson boy?" Quinn swallowed. "Nothing much." "Lucy Quinn, that's not what I heard from Mrs. Peabody."

Quinn groaned. Mrs. Peabody was their nosy, holier-than-thou neighbor who also attended the Holy Trinity Episcopalian Church of Lima with them. She had probably seen Quinn with Finn, Puck, and Santana at the restaurant they attended after the movie. Quinn had gone outside in the restaurant's garden with Finn and the two had made out. Mrs. Peabody loved Frannie but always tried to get Quinn into trouble since she hated her for whatever reason.

"Do you know what she said, Lucy?", Russell asked. Quinn shook her head. "The good lady said that you and the Hudson boy were practically sleeping together in public!", Russell spat. "What do you have to say to that?" Quinn gasped; what Mrs. Peabody had said was so far from the truth. "Th-that's not true, Daddy," Quinn stuttered. "Are you daring to say that a good Christian woman - which you are definitely not - is lying, and are you daring to deny your flagrant sexual act? I think you need to be taught a lesson on the morals we raised you with, Lucy!", Russell roared, whipping his belt over his head.

Quinn shrank back as he struck her in the side with the thick belt. She whimpered in pain and cried, "No, Daddy, please!" "Slut!" Russell cried as he hit Quinn extremely hard on her back with the belt. She knew her dad was a very strong man, but she didn't know he could injure another person like this - wasn't violence against their faith? But she must have done something wrong since Russell was a good man. "Whore!", he yelled, hitting Quinn harder with each blow. "Say you're a slut, Lucy, or I'll continue this!"

"I-I'm a slut," Quinn whispered almost imperceptibly. "Louder!", Russell said as he cracked the belt down again. Quinn had no choice but to give in. Judy was away, Frannie lived two towns over, the neighbors were either asleep or ignoring the spectacle. Some Christians they were. "I'm a slut, Daddy," Quinn said loudly as she felt her pride slipping away.

She had gone to bed that night in pain and she was crying profusely. As soon as she knew that Russell had fallen into a drunken stupor, she snuck away from Dudley Road clad in nothing but a thin nightgown and limped toward a poorer part of town to Puck's house. She rang the doorbell, and he answered, dressed in a tight tank top and some loose-fitting short pants. If Quinn had been in a better mental and physical state, then she would have noticed how handsome Puck looked.

"Quinn?", he said sleepily. "What happened to you?", Puck said, noticing the cuts and bruises all over Quinn's petite body. "Daddy…he…beat me," Quinn said shakily. "Son of a bitch," Puck swore. "Why?" He couldn't believe someone could do that to their own daughter, the pride of Lima.

"He said I'm a whore because one of the neighbors told him about Finn and me kissing," Quinn said. "What a cruel man! Does Finn know?", Puck asked. Quinn shook her head. "I didn't want him to worry about me, or not want to date me because of my messed-up family! I love him, Puck!", she said and began to cry.

Puck took the shivering, trembling blonde into his arms. "Shh, Q. It'll be okay. Do you want to stay tonight?" Quinn nodded and said, "This is why I came to you - because I know I can trust you, always. You're an amazing friend."

Quinn fell asleep safe next to Puck that night, and the whole time, he wished that one day, Quinn Fabray would speak about him the way she spoke about Finn Hudson - but what can you do when you're in love with your best friend's girl?

—

In the present, Quinn recalled that time, but that had only been a mild occurrence. As she and Finn grew more intimate with each other, Russell beat her more. Finn still didn't know about any of it, and Santana knew just a bit, but Quinn was sure her friend could guess. To spite her father, she and Santana slammed down a couple of glasses of whiskey each until both women were somewhat tipsy.

"I love this feeling!", Quinn gasped. "I promise, after I tell them, we can drink more!" Santana laughed. "Are you sure you'll be able to walk over to Dudley Road without falling on your skinny little ass?" Quinn waved that away. "See you when I'm officially a working woman!", she called and scooped up Beth. Santana left to go to a nightclub with one of her many paramours.

Quinn walked to Dudley just fine, against Santana's teasing expectations. She rang the doorbell and one of her parents' maids answered. The Fabray family was one of the only families in Lima who had made it through the Great Depression virtually unscathed due to Russell's job as a banker, and they loved to flaunt that fact whenever they could by having servants, fine wines, and furniture imported from Europe. This gave Russell status as one of the most respected citizens of Lima. He, of course, loved that and relished in others bowing down to him. He was even considering running for mayor in the next town election.

Russell and Judy rose from the living room to greet their youngest daughter and grandchild. "Hello, Quinnie!", Judy said as she and Russell hugged Quinn. Quinn couldn't help but stiffen a little when Russell touched her, but that was just habit. Beth kicked her tiny feet and cooed, not wanting to be ignored. "Gramma!", she called. Quinn's heart melted every time Beth did something like that. "And Beth, you get prettier every day - just like your mother!", Judy said.

Quinn smiled at the compliment. She had always loved her mother, even though her mother was exactly the kind of wife she didn't want to be: submissive and dependent and having no opinions of her own. Judy, like her daughter, was a smart woman but had given up any ambitions that weren't Russell's the moment she'd said "I do". On the other hand, Quinn had taught school for a few years before marrying Finn. Gosh, Quinn thought. I'm really lucky to have Finn as my husband. He constantly supports me in whatever I do, which Daddy certainly doesn't do for Mom.

Quinn and her parents made small talk about their daily lives and the war over Judy's mashed potatoes, green beans, and roast beef, which Quinn cut up into small pieces for Beth. Well, Russell mostly talked as Quinn and Judy nodded and smiled. It was just like Quinn's childhood, where the common family saying was "children are meant to be seen and not heard."

The peace lasted until dessert, which was cherry pie. Russell said," Have you heard about those women who are taking jobs in factories? Foolish, if you ask me. A woman's place is in the home, not the factory, and she would better serve her husband by being a good wife and mother. Those women are going straight to hell." "Yes dear, they are," Judy said meekly, her smile a little more strained. That was when Quinn couldn't take it anymore.

"You're wrong, Daddy," she said calmly, with growing confidence. "I am one of those women - I am taking a job with Santana as of tomorrow in a munitions factory. Beth is being cared for by the factory's free childcare system that they set up for mothers like me, who are helping their husbands win the war much faster. That's worth so much more to Finn than sitting home passively!"

Russell was shocked at Quinn's outburst. "Let's be reasonable here, Quinnie. You would be blackening your reputation - not to mention the Fabray name - by taking such a disrespectable job! Frannie would never do that! I raised you better than that!"

"No, you didn't!", Quinn exclaimed. "You beat me when I didn't live up to your ridiculous expectations of what being a good Christian woman is: demure, submissive, chaste, having no opinions of her own!" "Is that true, Russell?", Judy asked angrily. Russell shrank back in his seat. This was exactly what he had always feared - two women uniting and becoming strong together.

"And," Quinn said, "I have prayed to God about what being a good Christian. And He showed me that it was about being kind and living as one of Jesus's disciples, leading others to Christ, being accepting. None of which you are, Daddy!"

"Young lady, if you're going to ruin your life by taking this job, leave my house now. And don't ever think about coming back! You'll never get a penny from us!" Russell hollered. "Fine, I'll leave. Say goodbye to Beth. I'm cutting her out of your life, Russell. I don't want her around a monster!", Quinn said calmly, rising from her seat. "I don't want your money! I'm a strong, independent woman."

As Quinn left, Judy called after her. "Wait, Quinn! I'm really…proud of you for doing something I was always too afraid to do: standing up to your father." Quinn smiled. "Thanks, Mom! I believe you can do it one day too!" The two Fabray women hugged, with a promise from Judy that she would sort things out as best as she could with Russell.

The flying feeling that Quinn felt as she walked home with Beth could have been from the whiskey she and Santana had shared earlier, but Quinn knew it was from finally speaking up. From finally being seen and heard.

—

Dear Finn,

How are you? I have amazing news for you! I took a job at a munitions factory with Santana to support the war effort! Daddy didn't like it when I told him, so I told him exactly what I thought of him. He hated that and threw me out of the house. I did sow the seeds of rebellion in Mom, though. She promised to speak out against him.

I miss you so much. Why can't the Nazis surrender already? I think of you all the time.

Your loving, newly independent wife,

Quinn

—

Hello Puck,

I rebelled against Daddy Fabray. And yes, he disowned me. I just started working at a factory with Santana to produce bullets for you guys, so you're welcome. The work isn't hard, just tedious, and it feels good to be doing something good for you, Finn, Mike, and Matt.

I recently thought of how you comforted me after Daddy beat me for the first time. I really loved seeing that sweet side of Puck. Maybe he'll make a rare appearance again soon!

Lots of love,

Quinn

P.S. You spelled "appreciate" wrong in your most recent letter to me! Did you ever go to third grade?

Hope you liked it! Let me know what you thought of Quinn and of the flashback so I can know whether to include flashbacks later on for other characters. Below are what Quinn and Beth wore if you were curious. Bye!

Beth's dress:

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Quinn's dress:

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Quinn's hair:

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