Hey everyone! Thanks so much for reviewing last chapter! They were all amazing. This stories really heating up so i hope youve been enjoying it :)

Thanks, as always, to my beta Scarlett88 for taking time out of her busy day to help with this story. And for you all to take time out of your busy day to read it.

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Chapter Eleven

Once Quinn and Rachel left Beth and Shelby alone to talk, Shelby felt like she needed to get to the bottom of this.

"Beth, why did you wait so long to tell me?" Shelby asked.

"You were so happy," Beth answered. "I can remember, before Jim came along, you would get so lonely. I would hear you crying in your room and I didn't want to see you like that again."

"Oh Beth," Shelby said, giving her daughter a gentle squeeze. "Nothing makes me happier than seeing you happy. Seeing you like this is killing me."

"I'm sorry," Beth said putting her head down in shame.

Shelby put her finger under Beth's chin and brought it up so they were eye-level. "Beth, you never need to apologize for what he did to you, you hear me?" Beth nodded. "Nothing that happened to you is your fault. If anything, it's mine."

"But you didn't know," Beth reassured her.

"Yea, but I should have known something was up, the way Jim and you acted around each other," Shelby sighed. "I guess I wanted so badly for you to have a father and me a husband I just overlooked it."

"I don't blame you mom," Beth said.

"I know you don't," Shelby said hugging her close. Now, more than ever, Shelby never wanted to let go of her little girl. When she adopted Beth from Quinn, she had promised the blonde she would do anything she could to protect their daughter from harm. Not only had she brought harm to their home unknowingly but she had let harm live there for seven years. What kind of mother doesn't notice this sort of thing has been going on for so long? Sure, she was out of town each time it happened, but that doesn't mean there weren't signs she didn't pay attention to. Shelby was just thankful Rachel was more observant than her. Rachel had only known Beth and Jim for one night when she noticed something was up! Shelby didn't know whether she never noticed because it she lived with the two and saw them every day or the fact that she didn't want to believe anything was wrong in her family.

"I promise I will never let anything like this happen to you again, okay?" Shelby said and Beth nodded. "And if, for some strange reason it does, you have to tell me next time."

"I promise, I'll tell you everything from now on," Beth agreed. Shelby began to play with Beth's blonde hair as she usually did and the two sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, each woman digesting the conversation they had just had.

Beth thought about how happy she was to finally have everything out in the open and how free she felt. She was mad at herself for waiting so many years to tell, but she was proud she had even told at all. It was, without a doubt, the hardest thing she had ever had to do, but it was worth it in the end. She knew things from here could only get better, although she was a little worried how her mom would act the next time she saw Jim. She knew her mom would want her to press charges on her step-dad, but Beth honestly just wanted to move on with her life and leave all this behind. She didn't know if her mom would agree, but it's what she wanted.

Shelby was thinking about what she would do to Jim the next time she saw him. It would take all her strength not to kill him right then and there. The only thing that would keep her from doing it is Beth because she knew she would be useless to Beth if she was sitting in jail for the rest of her life.

Both girls were broken from their thoughts by the sound of yelling and crying from the other room.

"Maybe we should go see what's going on in there," Beth suggested.

"If you want to," Shelby said. She stood up and then helped Beth up. She gave Beth a gentle kiss on the forehead before they walked into the kitchen together.

X-X-X-X-X

Noah Puckerman was sitting in his crappy one-bedroom apartment attempting, and failing, to write a new song when his cell phone rang. He sighed, thinking it was going to be work telling him they needed him, but when he looked on the caller ID he was surprised to find Rachel's name blared across his screen.

"Hello," he answered.

"Hello, Noah, this is Rachel. I think you need to come to Cincinnati. As fast as you can," she said.

Noah's stomach dropped. First of all what why was Rachel in Cincinnati when she was supposed to be in Lima? And second of all what would be in Cinci that was so important that he needed to get there right away?

"Why?" he asked.

"I can't explain it right now," Rachel answered. "Just, please, trust me." There was something about Rachel's voice that was desperate, yet truthful, and it made Puck feel even worse.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," he answered.

"I'll text you the address," Rachel said.

"Okay, see you as soon as I can," Puck said before hanging up the phone. Puck looked around the room trying to decide what to pack. He wasn't sure how long he was going to be gone or even where he was going exactly. He took out his duffle bag and began throwing his jeans, undershirts, t-shirts, and underwear into it, then went to the bathroom and collected his toothbrush and toothpaste

Once he was out the door he ran to the bus stop. He was lucky there was a bus route going towards JFK airport within two minutes. While he was standing outside waiting for the bus he took out his phone and called work. He told them it was a family emergency and even though he could tell his boss wasn't very happy about him calling so late he reluctantly agreed to give him the night off.

He rode the bus to the airport and when he was there he practically ran to the ticket counter. He could tell he was getting weird stares, but he paid no mind.

"Are there any planes going to Cincinnati soon?" Puck asked.

"Let me check," the woman said and she pressed some buttons on her computer. Puck impatiently tapped his foot while he was waiting. "There's one in thirty minutes."

Puck let out a sigh of relief. "One ticket, then."

"Okay, that'll be one hundred and fifty dollars," she said.

This better be important, Rachel, he thought, because that's all the money I make in two nights at work. He took his credit card out of his pocket and handed it to her. He decided he would just carry his duffle bag as a carry-on because he couldn't afford to spend any more money. When she gave him his card back he took it out of her hands and ran to security.

Once he had made it through security and everything there was only five minutes before the flight was to leave. He checked his phone and saw Rachel had texted him the address. Soon enough it was time to board the plane.

Puck wasn't shocked by the fact he had a middle seat or that he was sitting between a fifty-something year old women who kept staring at him with dirty eyes (he felt he was too old for cougars now) and a morbidly obese old man.

Puck didn't have anything to do on the plane ride there besides think of possible reasons Rachel would need him to come to Cincinnati so fast. He knew it probably had something to do with Beth considering he knew Rachel would see her while in Lima. He prayed Beth wasn't sick or dying, but those were the only two things he could think of and it worried him sick.

Although it felt like eternity, the plane ride finally ended and after waiting impatiently for his luggage to arrive, Puck jumped into the first cab he could find. He gave the driver the address and was happy to find the driver was not slow, but actually a pretty aggressive driver. Within twenty minutes they were at the address, and Puck was a bit surprised it was a small mansion. He paid the cab driver (more money he would make Rachel pay him back if this wasn't important) and walked to the front steps with his duffle bag in tow.

Puck didn't know exactly what he expected to find when the door opened but it definitely wasn't what he found.

"Puck?" the most beautiful woman in the world asked. Puck was in such shock that it took him a few seconds before he slowly nodded.

"Puck," she repeated as tears formed in her eyes. His heart began to race seeing those big hazel eyes again and butterflies began to take flight in his stomach. Before he knew it she collapsed into his arms. He made sure to hold on tight because he never wanted to let go.

It wasn't until he looked up that he saw Rachel was also standing in the doorway. She looked at him and smiled and he smiled back at her.

"I'm sorry," Quinn finally said as she leaned out of his arms and began to wipe her eyes. "I was just surprised to see you."

"It's okay," he shrugged.

"What…what are you doing here?" she wondered.

"Rachel called me," he nodded to where the brunette was standing in the doorway. Quinn gave her a look.

"What? I thought if you knew, he had a right to know, too," Rachel explained.

Quinn nodded, "I guess what's fair. Do you want to come in?"

"Please."

The three made their way into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Quinn got each some water. She figured it was past

dinnertime by now, but she was in no condition to eat and she figured no one else was either, so she didn't even bother to ask.

"So what was so important that I rush all the way from New York to Cincinnati?" Puck asked.

Both girls looked at each other and Quinn finally nodded for Rachel to tell him. "It's Beth," Rachel said.

"Is there something wrong with her? Where is she?" Puck asked, worried.

"She's in the living room with Shelby," Rachel answered. She could tell he was still confused so she decided it was best to just come out and say it.

When Puck heard the news his body became so enraged he didn't know what to do. "I'll kill him!" Puck yelled while standing up. "I'll tear his heart right out of his chest and burn it!" He was now pacing back and forth.

"Puck, please calm down," Quinn pleaded.

"Calm down!" he yelled. "How can you be so calm about this in the first place?"

"I wasn't calm earlier!" Quinn retorted. "I've just had time to think about it and I know getting so worked up about this in front of Beth is not going to help her one bit."

"I guess you're right," Puck said, slowly unclenching his fists. "But that's not going to stop me from killing him when she's not around." Neither girl said anything, not knowing whether he was kidding or not, but too scared to ask.

"Dad?" They all heard a tiny voice from the other side of the kitchen say. The three adults turned around to see Beth and Shelby standing in the kitchen doorway, both with shock etched across their faces.

Suddenly all the hatred and anger that was inside Puck fell away when he set eyes on his daughter for the first time in sixteen years. He was amazed at how alike she and Quinn were, but she had his eyes. At that moment nothing else in the world mattered, but seeing his little girl. He had waited so long for this moment he thought would never come. He had planned out in his head so many times what he would say if he ever got to meet her, but now that it was actually happening- his mind went blank.

"Beth," was all he could get out as the two of them walked closer to each other, neither taking their eyes of the other for a second, scared that if they did the other would disappear and they would find it was all just a dream.

Finally he enveloped her in his arms and she fell easily into his chest. She began to lightly cry, not because she was sad but because she was so happy to meet him, and just when she thought she couldn't cry anymore. Beth noticed it was the first time in seven years that an older man had touched her and she hadn't freaked out in some sort of way. There was just something about her dad that told her that there was nothing to worry about; that he was not going to hurt her. Just like Quinn, she felt safe inside his arms and it was hard to leave.

Finally they let go. "You're so beautiful," he said as he gently rubbed his thumb over her porcelain cheeks.

"Thanks," Beth blushed.

There was another couple seconds of silence while the two just stared at each other. "So I guess you heard?" Beth asked.

Puck nodded. "I swear I'll do anything I can to make him pay for what he did to you."

"I know," she nodded.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Quinn looked at the clock and noticed how late it is. "Well, there's no use in you all driving back this late. Why don't you all just stay the night? Ayden and Ella are with their dad for the night, which means you all can use their rooms and I also have a guest bedroom."

Everyone nodded, in no condition to drive the hour and a half back to Lima. Quinn gave the guest room to Shelby and Beth, Ella's room to Rachel, and Ayden's room to Puck. She made sure she showed Puck to his bedroom last because she wanted to talk to him.

"I hope this is okay," Quinn said. "I know his bed might be a little small for you, but hopefully you can manage for one night." She giggled when she saw his face when he noticed how small Ayden's twin bed was.

"Yea, I'll be fine," he said. There was a moment of silence, where neither really knew what to say. Finally Puck decided just to go for it. "So you're kids are staying with their dad; that means he doesn't live here?"

Quinn smirked. "I knew you would ask sooner or later. It's kind of a long story," she sighed, "But no, at the moment he is not living here."

"Poor guy," Puck said.

"Why 'poor guy?'" Quinn wondered.

"Because I know what it's like to lose you and I know it hurts like hell," Puck answered. Quinn couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for the way she left things with Puck.

"It's nice to see you again," Quinn said, still leaning against the doorframe while Puck was seated on the bed. "I know we didn't exactly end things on the best note before I went away."

"Whatever," Puck shrugged.

"No, it's not whatever," Quinn shook her head. "I can tell I really hurt you and you should know I regretted the way I left every day, but I was still too hurt to call you or contact you at all. I'm sorry," she said, her gaze fixated on the floor, "I was childish back then."

"No, you weren't," he said, "You were hurt and confused, as was I. We both wanted and needed different things at that time, but we've grown up now and I think we both know what we want." He got up and made his way over to where she was standing. He took her petite hand into his oversized one and was instantly reminded of how perfect they fit together. Slowly, he leaned in and right when their lips were about to touch Quinn turned away, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this," she said as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm technically still married and I'm not going to be like my cheating, good-for-nothing husband. I just, I can't do this." He watched helplessly as she quickly turned around and walked to her room, breaking his heart all over again. The only difference was this time he knew he had a chance of winning her back.