I am SOOO sorry I didn't get this posted yesterday. I ended up spending most of my day out and then once I got home my internet didn't work so I couldn't get this posted. Which is nothing new, sadly, our internet likes to go out at night. Basically every day after dinner time it doesn't work. Which fucking sucks. Pardon my language but it's been going on for over a month now.

So, hopefully this long chapter will make up for the fact that it's a day late.

Thanks to Jennception for looking this over for me. Hope you all enjoy. You'll find out what happened to Brittany in this chapter.

The First 24
Chapter 12

January 15 – 5:45 AM

"Are you sure we have everything in the cars? I don't want to get to the hotel tonight only to realize that we've left something behind." Rachel had been running around Brittany and Santana's condo since she woke up at five.

Santana simply leaned against the counter in the kitchen nursing her third cup of coffee. Her eyes were focused entirely on the small diva that ran around her condo like a mad woman. Like a person who wasn't up until midnight packing, unpacking, and repacking every one of their bags. Santana started to feel like she was at a tennis match with the way her eyes darted back and forth.

"Good morning." Quinn greeted her best friend when she entered the kitchen. When she only received a groan in response, she chuckled. "Just think of yourself being up for work." She had to bite her bottom lip to hide her smile when Santana just flipped her off and went back to watching Rachel.

"She's always like this Q." Brittany spoke between bites of her pancakes that Rachel had made for everybody. "She should be good when she's finished that cup of coffee though."

Before Brittany had the opportunity to continue, Rachel finally stopped running around to take a seat in the kitchen. "Alright, I've spent the better part of the week planning this entire trip-"

"-No surprise there." Santana smirked when her fellow brunette gave her a death glare.

"As I was saying… Santana… I've planned everything. Brittany and I will be the first set of drivers. Quinn, for today, you'll ride with Brittany, and Santana will ride with me."

"You sure that's a good idea Rach?" Quinn found herself looking between her wife and her best friend. Leaving them alone in a car for nearly 12 hours couldn't have been a good idea.

Rachel placed a reassuring hand on Quinn's arm. "I have some things I need to discuss with Santana. And Brittany said something about wanting to talk to you. Though, she would not inform me of anything beyond that. And we should leave soon for it's a very long drive and I do not want to get to our first hotel too terribly late."

Santana pointed a finger down at Rachel, "you're not talking to me about anything until at least 9. Bad enough I had to listen to you tear this place apart at midnight."

Quinn and Brittany just looked at each other before laughing softly. The attorney stood from her chair and made her way to the bathroom – her mind running wild the whole time. It was finally happening. After more than three months of planning, multiple trips back and forth in November and early December for paperwork signing and contract approvals, they were finally moving.

Yes, they're belongings were already on their way via the moving company they'd hired. But now, as they parted to two vehicles, it was all becoming a reality.

"Drive carefully." Quinn whispered against her wife's ear before giving her a soft kiss. "And try not to piss off Santana. Let her sleep some more."

"I know how she is without enough sleep. I promise not to upset her." Rachel leaned up to press her lips to Quinn's one more time before pulling away. "See you in about four hours."

"I love you."

Rachel smiled, as she has every single time she heard the blonde utter those words over the last three weeks. "I love you too." She blew her wife a kiss before climbing into the driver's seat of her own car.

January 15 – 9:15AM

"How's Quinn been?" Santana pulled her gaze away from the passing trees and occasional passing car to look at Rachel. The Latina was rather shocked when Rachel had done nothing but sing for the first 3 hours of their drive. She wasn't expecting her friend to actually abide by her wishes of waiting until she was fully awake to try talking to her.

Rachel just sighed before she reached out to turn down the volume on the radio. That was exactly what she needed to speak with Santana about. "Things have been going… well." She dared to glance at the Latina and saw that she wasn't impressed with her answer. "Alright, it's been hell. One second she's perfectly fine, then the next she's screaming and telling me to get away from her. Then she's crying and taking an hour long shower saying she needs to get him off of her."

"It will get better." The Latina tossed Rachel a comforting smile. "You just have to take baby steps.

The diva took a moment to think about everything over the past two weeks. It had been a roller coaster ride. A tug of war so to speak. "Quinn has been taking one step forward and two steps back Santana. Last week she pushed me up against the wall and started to kiss me. Then the moment I reached out to touch her she pulled away, looked at me like a deer in headlights and ran off mumbling something about a shower even though she'd already taken two showers that day." Rachel blindly reached up to wipe at her eyes, trying to keep herself from crying, especially since she was driving. "I don't know what to do San. It's so much worse than last time. She won't even stay in the same room with me for more than an hour. I was lucky that I was able to get her to let me hold her while we watched a movie the other night. We fell asleep sometime during that movie, and when I woke up she was gone. I found her curled up in the center of the bed shaking. And she wasn't cold either, she was shaking from fear.

Santana let out a sigh. "She's going to have to go back into therapy Rach."

"I know. But every time I attempt to bring it up she shuts down. Remember last time?" The Latina just nodded before Rachel continued. "When the men came to get the last of our furniture yesterday… she just stayed on the deck starring out at nothing. When she's around others she puts on her 'I'm alright' mask. But when it's just her and I… God Santana I don't know what to do." Rachel hated nothing more than being lost. She was lost when nobody could find Quinn, but now, she was even more lost having a broken woman for a wife.

The passenger turned her attention away from Rachel as she became lost in her own thoughts. Ten years ago Quinn was a mess after the Jim Fields trial. Santana was also highly disturbed by it. At the time, she was Quinn's paralegal, leaving her to obtain most of the information for the attorney to study. "We need to do something before she gets too bad again."

July 27, 2022

-3 Weeks Post Trial-

Rachel was at her wits end. The trial had ended almost a month ago and Quinn was still beyond paranoid. The slightest of noises or smallest of shadows would cause the blonde to nearly jump out of her skin. What had scared Rachel the most was when Quinn started staying awake all night to keep an eye out on everything.

"Baby, will you please come to bed, it's almost 4 in the morning." Rachel leaned against the doorframe of the attorney's home office.

"Can't."

It was exactly the same as it always was. Conversations with Quinn never progressed very far because she never seemed willing to put forth more than a word or two. "Why not? You haven't slept in days."

The blonde cowered away – hunching further over her desk as if to hide something – as Rachel stepped closer. "I can't get rid of him."

"What do you mean?" There was no immediate response, only Quinn shifting further away. "Quinn, baby, talk to me."

"Why?"

"I hate seeing you like this. Quinn, he didn't do anything to you why is this bothering you so much?"

"You didn't have to deal with the pictures of dismembered, mutilated bodies. You didn't have to listen to him tell you and the jury that he did nothing wrong even though his prints were all over the last body. You didn't have to listen to a 13 year old girl tell how she was raped and beaten and left for dead in the middle of nowhere." Quinn finally sat up to look at her wife. "Her name was Elizabeth, Rachel. She told us to call her Beth."

By then, Rachel already had tears pouring down her face. She didn't know a lot of details from the trial. And she definitely didn't know about the teenager. But now that she knew, she understood completely why Quinn was so upset. The girl was the same age that Quinn's daughter would have been. She even had blonde hair and hazel eyes. It tore her apart to basically have to look at a carbon copy of herself each day in the courtroom.

"I don't want her to get that bad again. I don't think I could handle it again Santana. I can't watch her beat herself up and blame herself."

The Latina reached out to give her friend's hand a gentle squeeze. "That's exactly what she's doing isn't it? Thinking everything is her fault?" Rachel only nodded. The worst memory in the depths of Santana's mind – other than the car accident – decided to make itself known. Instead of saying anything, the Latina just stared out the window.

August 4, 2022

-4 Weeks Post Trial-

Santana whistled to herself as she walked up the driveway from her car. She had planned a day of shopping but Brittany's ever-demanding schedule had put a quick end to that plan. And she also knew with Rachel's still blossoming Broadway career that she would be stuck in rehearsals all day. So, since it was a nice summer day, Santana wanted to do what she was best at – annoy her best friend.

"Quinnie, you home?" The Latina announced as she walked through the front door. She wasn't surprised when she heard no response, her best friend did have some selective hearing. She simply shrugged it off before kicking off her shoes and going on a hunt for her dear Quinnie.

Through Rachel, Santana had learned a lot about Quinn's weakened mental state. Yet, it would never have been enough to prepare her for what she saw when she entered the blonde's bedroom.

Curled up on the floor was Quinn. Her eyes were locked in on a framed photograph that Santana hadn't seen in 12 years. It was the only picture Quinn had while she held her daughter for that brief moment before she was stripped away – never to be seen again. Puck had managed to sneak the photo in with his cell phone. Quinn's body shook with sobs as she just stared.

Santana's eyes, however, quickly became aware of the ever growing pool of blood around Quinn's left forearm. "Q? What are you doing?" She quickly kneeled between Quinn and the picture and pulled the razor out of the blonde's non-resistant grip.

"I failed her."

"Failed who?" Santana quickly unbuttoned and removed her own shirt and wrapped it around Quinn's bloody arm. Silently, she thanked herself for deciding on a camisole that day.

"Beth…"

"Sweetie, how did you fail Beth?" Santana pulled her phone out of her pocket and typed a text, sending it to both Brittany and Rachel with the hope that one of them would have their phone on them.

Santana: Emrgcy w/Q

The text was done so quickly that she hoped whoever read it would understand.

"I just… I handed her over like she didn't even matter."

"You didn't have a choice." Santana stayed focused on her friend's numerous cuts, trying to get them to stop bleeding.

"I did! And I chose to just give her away. I carried her for nine months and then I only got to touch her for a minute and a half before they pulled her away from me forever."

During Quinn's mini-rant, Santana's phone had vibrated with a new text.

Rachel: What's wrong!

Santana: Hit rock bottom. Get home NOW

The Latina made herself comfortable on the floor and wrapped her arms around the attorney. She gently rocked her back and forth until she had finally stopped crying.

"I'm afraid this will lead to more Beth problems." Santana's words were barely above a whisper.

"She hasn't spoken her name, but it really wouldn't surprise me. For the longest time Quinn tricked herself into believing that the Beth from the trial was her Beth. That had to have been the main reason for her breakdown."

Santana just nodded her head in agreement. The rest of the ride until their first stop for gas was filled with nothing but random singing.

January 15 – 2:30PM

After a long stretch and a rather tasteless and uneventful meal, Quinn was happy to be driving. What she didn't care for though, was following Santana and Santana's lead foot.

"Didn't you tell your wife to drive carefully?" Quinn glanced down at a speedometer before tossing a look to her car mate.

"I'm sure Rachel will say something any minute." Moments later, as if the diva in the Mercedes Benz in front of them heard her, the brake lights came on. "See, told ya so."

Quinn let out a small laugh. When it came to Rachel, she was a very careful driver. She was also a bit of a backseat driver when riding with someone.

"So how are you doing Quinn?" Brittany frowned when she watched her fellow blonde's grip tighten on the steering wheel.

Quinn had been perfectly relaxed up until that point. Why couldn't the issue have been dropped for the three days worth of driving. "I've been fine."

Brittany knew from experience that she was lying, but decided not to press the point any. "It was the summer before 10th grade…"

The words had caught Quinn off guard. "What was?"

"You remember Brandon Simpson, right?"

"The Mayor's son?" Brittany nodded, only causing Quinn more confusion. "Yes I do. He transferred like a month into the school year. Why do you ask?"

Brittany let out a deep breath before speaking again. She needed time to gather her thoughts. It was the first time she spoke of it in nearly 24 years. "Do you remember… what I said to you in the hospital?" When she saw Quinn turn to look at her she continued. "I've been there Q…"

July 9, 2009 – 5:45PM

-23 Years Prior-

"Brandon?" Brittany giggled at the older boy who was busy spinning her around in some horribly uncoordinated dance around his bedroom. She really liked the guy, he was two years her senior. "Don't drop me!" She squealed in delight when he pulled her even closer to his body after he dipped her almost to the floor.

"I'd never drop you." His voice was barely a whisper as he stood them both back up. His dark green eyes locked with her baby blues for a moment before he leaned down the short distance and pressed his lips to hers for the very first time.

Brittany melted into his kiss, her hands sliding up his strong arms to wrap tightly around his neck. When she tried to break the kiss to look at him, his grip never broke from her waist. Instead he only pulled her closer, showing her his already aroused state. "Brandon stop." She moved her hands to his shoulders in a vain attempt to push him away.

"Aw, come on Britt-Britt." His head dipped down and he began sucking on the skin of her neck. The simple action caused her body to involuntarily shudder in response. She didn't want it, at least not now, not with him, not this soon. They'd only been dating for a week. They'd only just shared their first kiss and now he was expecting everything. "You can't just leave me like this. You've been teasing me all day."

She whimpered. Brittany hated how her body was naturally reacting to his touch and not-so-gentle kisses. "I mean it, stop!" She nearly screamed before stomping on his foot and making a break for the door.

Sadly though, she wasn't able to get his bedroom door open before he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away from the door and threw her onto the bed. Brittany tried to scream, she tried to fight back, but he was just too strong for her.

The rain soaked through her clothing as she walked up onto Santana's front porch. She couldn't go home, not now. She couldn't let her parents see her like this. Brittany barely made it onto the porch before collapsing down to her knees. Her body ached more then she'd ever felt before. The things he'd done to her were worse than any training ritual Coach Sylvester could dare to throw at them. Carefully she inched her way closer to the front door and knocked on it before resting her back carefully against the wall.

She wasn't sure how badly her wounds were, or even if they were still bleeding. She just knew that everything hurt her. Her right eye was swollen shut, her thighs hurt, her back hurt from where he beat her with his belt every time she tried to pull away, her wrists hurt from being tied to his bed. Everywhere just… hurt.

"Hel…Britt? Oh god." Santana knelt down beside her friend and carefully tilted her chin up to examine the injuries. "What happened?" All the blonde could do then was cry. "Okay, let's get you inside and into something warm… that sound good?" Brittany just nodded before she leaned into Santana's loose but wonderfully comforting arms.

It took Santana nearly a half an hour to get Brittany up the steps and into her room. Cautiously, she reached out to start pulling off the blonde's button down blouse. Brittany gave her no resistance, they'd seen each other naked before, though she wasn't exactly sure how the Latina was going to react to seeing the damage to her once flawless skin. "Ow!" Brittany winced away from Santana when fingers grazed along the still open skin of the middle of her back.

"What did he do to you?" Santana's voice trailed off as she made her away into her adjoining bathroom to get some old rags to help clean Brittany's wounds.

"San helped me get better. Then she helped me tell my parents everything."

"What happened to Brandon?" Quinn's grip on the steering wheel never once loosened throughout Brittany's entire story. Everything sounded so eerily similar to what happened to her. The rape. The beating. Everything.

Brittany only sighed. "It's why I'm so quiet. I never trusted myself to talk after that. People think I'm so stupid because I never talked. It's something you never really get over Q. But it does get better." Quinn just sat in her seat and listened to anything her fellow blonde was willing to tell her. "He told me if I talked he'd kill me. Every time I opened my mouth he hit me." She shook her head in a horrible attempt to calm her racing heart. "Once I told my parents, they called the police and a report was filed. But, since both of us were under 18 it never really hit the newspapers. And because of who his father was, he was able to just face a small fine and was a free man."

"That's why he transferred?" Brittany nodded. A thick silence fell between them as they just continued on their drive. There was less than an hour left until they were suppose to get to their first stop in South Bend, Indiana. "Does it ever stop hurting?"

"Not entirely. But you eventually learn how to ignore it and focus on the good things. Like for me, I have Sanny. And you've got Rachel." Brittany threw Quinn her best smile, a smile that nobody could resist returning. "So… will you tell me how you're doing?"

"I'm a big mixture of emotions right now B." Quinn kept her eyes locked on the back of the car in front of her, she saw the silhouette of the driver and passenger swaying back and forth and could only imagine what they were doing or singing along to on the radio. "I love Rachel so much. But every time she touches me I want her to stop and I want to hold her closer all at once."

"That's totally normal. For about 4 months after it happened, I could barely hug Santana. Whenever I stayed the night, or she stayed the night, we slept in different spots because I wasn't comfortable to fall asleep so close to another person."

Quinn fell silent. She was learning through Brittany that her actions over the past two weeks have been completely and utterly normal. Her need to be close to Rachel, but her never ending desire to push her away was driving her nuts. She knew that Rachel was showing her that everything was alright with her, but deep down, she knew her wife well enough to know that the entire situation was hard on her too.

"I've only slept in the same bed as Rach… twice since I've been home. We've fallen asleep on the sofa together three times, but during the night she'd shifted just enough to wake me up and I panicked…"

"And you ran off to be alone?" Quinn nodded. "Rachel loves you, just like San loved me. She's going to be patient with you no matter how long it takes."

"What about… intimacy?" Quinn blushed some at her own words. She was never one to openly talk about sex with anybody, she even struggled with her own wife.

Brittany couldn't help but giggle at her dear friend's facial expression that went along with her question. "The first time was emotionally painful for me. But Santana was so caring and loving with me. She waited for me to be okay with it. And with her, she helped me feel safe again. But look Q! You've got me, and Santana, and Rachel all to help you. Well, Rachel to help you in the bedroom, but Sanny and me to help you with everything else. And before we move with you guys, there's always a phone, I mean like… we all have one."

Quinn could only nod. She wasn't sure what she could say to that. In her heart she knew Brittany was right, but her mind on the other hand, told her otherwise. Her mind convinced her that there was no way she would get better. As her thoughts wandered she subconsciously rested her hand on her flat stomach. "Did you ever hurt yourself?"

The dancer bit her lip before shifting in her seat to pull down the waistband of her pants to show dozens of tiny white dashes that peppered every inch of her skin. "Yea… I did."

A bump in the road caused the hand that rested on her own stomach to shift, making the fabric of her sweater rub uncomfortably against her stomach. The wince of pain that Quinn couldn't hide didn't go unnoticed by Brittany, but the dancer decided against pointing it out. She did understand. She completely understood what Quinn was dealing with right now. She also knew that she'd have to keep a closer eye on Quinn to make sure it didn't get out of hand.

January 15 – 8:00PM

Rachel stretched as she climbed out of her car after putting it into park and shutting off the engine. She was beyond ready for a nice long sleep in an amazingly comfortable bed. All of their reservations had been made in advance in Hilton hotels. They had known firsthand how good the hotel chain was and trusted them for a nice stay and a wonderful breakfast in the morning before getting back onto the road.

"Oh it's fucking cold here!" Santana nearly yelled as she climbed out of the car and stretched her own aching muscles. Only two more days of sitting in a car. At least, according to Rachel's plan, she'd be riding in the SUV tomorrow with Quinn. It would give her so much more leg room. "Hurry up hobbit I'm cold!" She called out as she tightened her expensive Calvin Klein coat around her slender body and hurried through the automatic doors into the warm and comforting lobby.

Rachel only rolled her eyes and watched the baby blue BMW SUV pull up behind her own car. She retied the sash of her coat as she waited for her wife to exit the car. She couldn't help but laugh as she saw the interior light come on and Quinn shuffle to get her coat on before climbing out of the car. She'd always found it amusing that the blonde never could drive with her coat on.

"I'm so tired." Brittany hopped out of the car and ran inside to find her wife, leaving Rachel and Quinn out by the cars.

"Hey." Rachel smiled.

"Hey back." Quinn slung her purse over her shoulder and offered her arm for Rachel to take, which she happily did. The blonde listened to Brittany's words. Rachel would never hurt her no matter what happened. She had to accept that and be willing to take baby steps with small bits of contact here and there.

"Welcome to the Hilton Hotel, South Bend… how may I help you this evening?" The young woman at the desk smiled warmly at the foursome as they all approached the counter.

Quinn reluctantly pulled away from her wife to rest her purse on the counter and dig through for her wallet. "Two reservations. Should be under Brittany Lopez."

"And are you Ms. Lopez ma'am?" The woman looked down at her computer, wasting no time in bringing up the pair of reservations, both of which showed Brittany's diamond card status.

"Uh no, she is." Quinn pointed to the other blonde with them. "But I'm paying for both of the rooms."

"Alright, not a problem at all." The woman, who Quinn learned from the nametag was named Alexis, took her credit card and ran it through the reader for both rooms before handing it back. "I have both of the rooms for 1 King size bed, is that correct?" Alexis lifted her gaze to look oddly at both pairs of women.

That was all it took for Santana to finally lose her cool. She stepped between Quinn and the young woman who was still giving them all a strange look. "What's the matter sweetie, never seen lesbians before?"

"San be nice!" Brittany gently wrapped her hand around Santana's waist.

"B, you didn't spend months on road trips around the world to get that diamond card just to be looked at funny because you're traveling with your wife. Look, I'm cold, I'm tired, we've been driving since New York City and I would just love it if you'd hand us our keys so I can go get my sleep on."

Rachel tried not to laugh at Alexis' expression. "Of course ma'am. I'm sorry." She slid two sets of keycards across the counter to the pairs of women before her. "Breakfast is included in the morning from 6AM until 10AM. Our indoor pool and Jacuzzi are open until 11PM if you ladies would like to partake in that. And there is always someone at the desk if there are any issues or concerns."

"Thanks." Rachel grabbed the packet and checked the room number before looking up at Quinn and handing her the other card. "Go ahead up to the room, I'll get our bags." Before Quinn could object Rachel pressed her finger to the blonde's lips. "Please?"

There were those puppy dog eyes that even 22 years later, Quinn still couldn't deny. "Fine. I just need my grey bag, the small one." Rachel just nodded and pulled Brittany with her out to the vehicles, leaving Santana and Quinn alone to go to the rooms which were conveniently right next door to one another. "Surprised my wife is still in one piece."

"Spent most of the drive talking about you." Santana watched her best friend visibly tense at the words. "She told me a lot about her movie too." She quickly changed the subject when she felt Quinn's discomfort. "It's supposed to be one of those 'destiny' stories or something." Santana walked out of the elevator on the 4th floor and turned down the hallway, walking with the blonde in silence until they each got to their rooms. "Good night Quinn."

"Night San." Quinn whispered before entering her own room and flipping the light on. She took a moment to absorb the warm and comforting tans, reds and browns made the whole room feel inviting. After she kicked her shoes off and removed her coat and stretched out on her stomach on the middle of the bed and waited for her wife.

Quinn knew it was going to be a long night. No matter how hard she tried, she wouldn't be able to get more than 15 feet away from Rachel. So, for the next three days she had to deal with sharing a bed with her wife. 'She'll be patient with you. She loves you. She'd never hurt you and you know it.' Brittany's words kept playing and replaying in her mind until she heard the mechanics of the room's door lock go off and the door open revealing Rachel hauling behind her two bags. Without a word Quinn climbed off the bed, grabbed her own bag and went into the bathroom to get changed and clear her head.

By the time she came out she saw Rachel lying under the blankets on the far side of the bed. There was no doubt in Quinn's mind that while she changed, Rachel had done the same. After a quick breath she silently crawled onto the bed, on top of the blanket and rested her head on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and focused solely on calming her heart beat. She had to do this, not only for herself but for Rachel.

"Quinn?" Rachel was frightened that if she touched the blonde lying against her she'd panic and run off.

"Just… Rachel hold me please." Quinn shook some when she felt the brunette's gentle touch on her bare arms.

On instinct Rachel started rubbing soothing circles on the small of Quinn's back and opened her mouth to start singing softly to her.

I can see the weight there in your eyes
I can feel the thorn in your side
Your knuckles are bruised from a losing fight
One way down a dead end street
Broken glass underneath your feet
You think the day won't break the sunless night

The sun will rise
The sun will rise
When you've lost your lights
The sun will rise
It'll be alright
It'll be alright

Her voice faded to nothing when she felt Quinn's breathing even out. She looked down at the sleeping blonde in her arms. Rachel felt her heart flutter as she savored the closeness of her wife to her side. She knew it would be a long, hard road. She'd never be able to have the heart to leave Quinn's side. Rachel would see her through everything along the healing process.

"I love you Quinn." She pressed a gentle kiss to the blonde's hairline and continue stroking her back until sleep overtook her own body.

6AM came early and there was still a long way to go until they could start their new lives in California.

The hotel thing, I've had it happen to me before when traveling with my ex, because her and I would only get a king size bed. We've been looked at funny by the receptionist when checking in, so I thought it would add a tiny bit of humor in there to have Santana get pissed at her. :)

Don't forget to review! Please don't hate me for being a day late!