WARNING:

THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING:
-QUINN'S UNCENSORED TESTIMONY
-MENTIONS OF RAPE
-HIGHLY DESCRIPTIVE TORTURE
-ANOTHER QUINN EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN
-NONSENSICAL USE OF BODILY FLUIDS

...you've been warned...

If you're sensitive to any of those topics above...just skip this chapter all together, make life easier on everybody. This took a lot of me to write this chapter. I tried writing it in multiple different styles, but once I started with this way, it clicked and I finished the whole thing in about 5 hours time. Now that this speed bump has been passed, I'm hoping that it's smooth sailing for the rest of this story.

On that note... this chapter was read by Jennception while it was being written, and it would be torture to make her read through this again to look for errors. So I take credit for typos and grammatical mistakes.

Also, don't hate me for going over the top, I was given free reign by multiple people to go all out. And... I know this is cryptic of me but...enjoy?

The First 24
Chapter 25

March 19 – 8:10AM

"The prosecution would like to call Mrs. Quinn Berry-Fabray to the stand please." Sarah announced from her place at the table.

"You'll be okay, I'm right here." Rachel whispered against Quinn's ear before she watched her wife take a deep, calming breath and stand up.

The walk to the stand felt like it took an eternity for Quinn. She'd been mentally preparing herself for this moment ever since her escape from Jim's basement. But all of that meant nothing compared to the real thing. She was about to tell her entire ordeal to the courtroom, as well as her wife and the two best friend's she'd ever had. Over the past few months, Quinn had told them small pieces of what happened to her, but nothing was shared in full detail.

"Can you please state your name for the record?" Sarah started right after she watched her former colleague be sworn in and take her seat.

The blonde cleared her throat before leaning forward some to speak into the microphone. "Lucy Quinn Berry-Fabray."

"And your occupation Mrs. Berry-Fabray?."

"Currently a civil rights attorney for Jackson and Associates in Los Angeles, California."

"And before that?"

Quinn attempted to swallow the lump that was forming in her throat, but to no avail. "Assistant District Attorney, here in New York City."

Sarah stood from her seat to try to make things a little more comfortable for Quinn. "Now, for the record, do you mind if I call you Quinn?"

"Of course not, that's fine." The blonde knew that being called by her name would hopefully help ease some of her tension and nerves.

"Can you tell the court what happened on December 19th?"

"It started out like any other day. Woke up, got ready, left my house at 7:30 to make sure I made it to court by 9. After court, I went back to my office for a while to prepare some for my next case. I left the office around five. Made my way into town to King's Flowers on 122nd Street."

"Why were you at King's Flowers?"

"I was paying for a bouquet of roses that were to be delivered to my wife, Rachel."

"And what was the occasion?" Sarah already knew, she remembered Quinn talking about it most of that week around the office.

Quinn smiled softly. "It was Rachel's last show on Broadway."

Sarah paused for a minute before glancing at her paperwork. She already knew everything Quinn would say based on their meeting a few days prior. "What happened once you left King's Flowers?"

Quinn suddenly felt her chest tighten as the air in her lungs became sparse. She knew it was coming. She'd have to spit it all out eventually, but she wasn't mentally prepared for it. How could anybody be mentally prepared for something that was eating away at them every single day? "I remember pulling my keys out of my purse and making my way toward my car. I had to park on the side of the strip mall because they were tearing up the pavement in front of the stores. The last thing I remember before everything went black, was the sharp pain in the back of my head."

"Do you recall anything after that?"

"I woke up for a few seconds. I don't know how long I'd been out. I just knew that I couldn't move my arms or legs. They were tied up. Around me I saw a lot of tools. I assumed I was in the back of some kind of utility van or truck. Then I blacked out again.

"At that time, did you know who'd hit you?"

"No." Quinn looked down at her lap. She couldn't watch the expressions on her wife and friends' faces while she told them everything she remembered.

"When did you find out?"

"After I woke up again."

Sarah gently rested her hands on the witness stand before speaking in a comforting tone. "Quinn, I know it's hard. But… who was it?"

"J-Jim."

"Can you elaborate a little more for the court?"

"Jim Fields…" She spoke softly.

"And how did you know who he was?"

"I was the attorney in charge of his case ten years ago."

"And once you were awake, what did Mr. Fields do to you?"

Quinn cringed at the question, before she had a chance to open her mouth the defense attorney – who's name she didn't care to learn – called out from his chair, "objection your honor. Speculation."

Both Quinn and Sarah glanced up at the judge to see him nod his head again agreement. "Sustained… councilor please rephrase your question."

Sarah paused for a moment. She tossed Quinn a sorry expression before asking again. "What happened once you woke up?"

"He… he hit me a couple of times in the face and chest to make sure I was awake." Quinn swallowed at the memory. It wasn't just a mental image she was seeing, it was almost as if she could feel all of the blows she ever took to her body all over again.

"Did he say anything to you?"

"Wake up bitch." She quoted as quickly as she could. It was rare for Quinn to use any harsh language, but she knew she couldn't spare anything in her testimony. "He even taunted me until I finally recognized him." Her breath once again caught in her throat at the memory.

"What kind of place were you in?"

"I was in a room. I think it was his basement. The floor was dirt. There was a single light hanging from the ceiling as well."

"Do you remember what he was wearing?"

Quinn nodded as she spoke. "Of course I do." She remembered every second of it, from the time she woke up, to the time she left. "He had on a torn blue t-shirt and gray sweatpants."

"And what about you?"

The blonde pauses to swallow the lump in her throat. "I – I was naked…"

"Do you remember anything he said or may have done to you?"

Quinn let out a humorless chuckle before lifting her gaze. She glanced at Rachel and saw tears in her eyes before she spoke calmly. "I remember everything."

"I know it's going to be hard, but can you tell the court everything you remember."

"My… first day there wasn't as bad as the rest…" she paused to take a deep breath. The courtroom was silent. So much so that one could have heard a pin drop. "He slapped my cheeks until I finally woke up. He yelled at me. I tried to lift my hand to cover my face but I found heavy metal shackles around it that were attached to the floor." Quinn's eyes closed as she was flooded with memories that she tried to make sense of. "My ankles were also shackled down." Her hand came up to play with the bracelet on her wrist as she spoke. "I told him he should still be in jail… he just laughed and told me he'd been a 'good boy.' Just the way he said it made me sick. He got so close to me… on instinct, I spit in his face. It just led to him slapping me again. Then… he just left me alone, cursing the whole way."

Sarah stayed at her spot near the witness stand. When she realized that Quinn wasn't going to continue without coaxing, she asked another question. "Did you stay alone?"

"I did… for a while." Quinn hesitantly lifted her gaze again. She did everything in her power not to look toward him. She knew he was right there, listening to every word she had to say. Looking at him though, would cause everything to crumble. She wouldn't be able to concentrate on her words, or the timeline of how everything happened. "While he was gone, I tried to escape. I pulled and tugged at the chains, hoping something would give. But all that did was bruise my wrists and ankles. Nothing gave." She bit her lower lip to calm her nerves. "I didn't know what to expect when he came back."

"How long was it before he came back?"

"I don't know how long. There weren't any windows, so I didn't know what time it was… I guess it was maybe an hour… two at the most. When he came back in he was smiling and carrying a cup and a plate of food."

"What was it?"

"It was mashed potatoes and pork chops… with water. But at first I refused to eat any of it…"

"Why's that?"

"I remembered from the trial that he liked to poison or drug the food to weaken his victims… I feared he'd did that to my food too."

"Did you eat it?"

"Give it a chance Quinnie. I promise it's good. One thing I learned in prison, was how to cook. I tell you… screw up a guard's meal and they never let you live it down." He laughed while taking small bites from the plate.

She simply stayed in the same position and watched him. It couldn't be poisoned… not if he was eating it, right? That's what she told herself at least when she spoke. "I'll eat."

"Wonderful!" He exclaimed cheerfully. It was a tone that made her skin crawl. How could he be so happy and chipper? It just showed her what kind of sociopath he really was.

"Yes, I did eat it. He was eating off the same place… he – he even let me pick which pieces of the pork chop I wanted to eat. There was nothing wrong with it." If she had to be honest with herself, she'd admit that the food was good. It was nothing like she had expected from her captor.

Sarah paused to make her way back to the table to check her notes. "Did anything happen while you were eating?"

"He insisted on talking…"

She was too frightened to do anything but listen. Honestly, Quinn had no idea what he was going on about. All she knew was that the longer he talked, the longer she was safe.

"You're not talking much sweetheart. Why don't you tell me about that little whore of a wife of yours. Is she still spreading her legs for that co-star of hers… what's his name… Jeff?"

"Fuck you. Rachel would never cheat on me!" Quinn shouted up at him from her position on the mattress.

He just shook his head at her. "You just continue to live in your own little delusions Quinn. Why do you think she was at the theater so late all the time? Every single night she was getting fucked by him, right there on center stage."

"She was rehearsing."

"Rehearsing the missionary position I believe." He sat on his knees on the mattress and began dragging his fingers along her bare stomach.

She instantly flinched away from his touch. As best she could anyway, given the fact that she was chained down. "How do you know she was at the theater?"

"You really are that stupid aren't you? I was watching her, and you. For about a week or so I believe. I really considered taking your precious little wife. But I don't think she would have been nearly as much fun. I think I would have gotten bored with her quickly." His fingers plucked at Quinn's nipple. His lips quirked in satisfaction when it became rock hard under his touch. "Looks like you like this."

"Don't touch me!" Quinn cried out – struggling against the restraints in any attempt to get away.

Again, Jim just laughed. "I bet if I were to touch that little cunt of yours, you'd be dripping." His fingers danced near the top of her thighs. "I love a girl with some fight in her." He mused when Quinn squirmed away some. "Wonder if Rachel would have been like this too."

"Don't you talk about her!" Quinn felt her eyes begin to tear up. But she wouldn't cry, not in front of him at least.

Jim ignored her comment. "Maybe I should have grabbed her too. It would be so much fun making you watch her suffer… knowing you couldn't do a thing about it. Wouldn't that be fun Quinn?" He stroked Quinn's cheek in a loving manner… until she tried to bite his hand. "You little whore!" He shouted at her before landing a punch on her left jaw. It was dangerously close to where she'd already been hit. The impact caused her to cry out in pain. "You're going to get what you deserve Quinn. And that starts by learning to respect your superiors."

Quinn laughed, despite her pain. "Superior? You? You'll never be my superior."

"Oh?" He planted a rough kiss to her lips before standing to leave. "We'll see about that. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be calling me your king."

"Can… Can I have some tissues please?" Quinn's voice cracked with a sob as she brushed at the tears in her eyes with her hands. She'd still yet to look at her wife or her friends. There was no way she'd be able to handle their emotions on top of her own. She didn't doubt that all of them were crying, even Santana. Quinn couldn't imagine what they'd do when her story got worse…

"Of course." Sarah made her way back up to the stand with a small packet of tissues she'd pulled out of her briefcase. "Are you alright to continue?" She asked in a soothing tone.

It took a few moments, and several deep breaths in order for Quinn to be able to calm her nerves and curb her sobs. "I think I'll be okay." She dabbed at her eyes before nodding again to confirm what she'd just said. "Yea, I'm okay."

Sarah nodded herself before stepping away. "What happened after that?"

"The next time he came in, I had been asleep…"

She was awoken by a sharp pain in her legs. "Dammit!" Her back arched up as she gasped for air. The burning pain that took over her right leg was unbearable.

"This is why you shouldn't sleep." He laughed before lifting the blade into her view to wipe the blood off of it. "Did it hurt?" All she did was whimper. Jim placed his finger on the open wound and pressed. "I asked you a fucking question!"

"Yes it hurt. God stop!" Her teeth dug into her lower lip. Tears slid down her cheeks while her eyes were clenched shut. A heavy breath left her lungs when his hand finally pulled away from her still bleeding wound. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" She pushed out through grit teeth.

"You taste amazing." Quinn's eyes opened just in time to watch him lick the blood off of his fingers. "So much better than Elizabeth ever did. She tasted young… She wasn't ripe. You on the other hand, you're just right."

"That little girl was innocent."

"She was, until I fixed that." Jim smirked as he reached to the waistband of his sweatpants to push them down. "It's so exhilarating listening to someone begging me to stop."

Quinn's eyes slammed shut when she felt her thighs pried open. She could no longer watch him. She spent her last few moments preparing for what she knew was coming. The grunt that escaped his lungs confirmed her suspicions.

"I… I can't." Quinn cradled her face in her hands as the sound of her sobs echoed throughout the courtroom. Her stomach flipped and she got dangerously close to vomiting right over the witness stand. "I just…I can't."

Rachel started to stand up from her seat only to have her hand grabbed by Santana. "But-" She started, but the Latina just shook her head.

"Sarah's probably going to ask for a brief recess." Santana whispered against Rachel's ear. "Just calm down.

Sarah leaned closer to Quinn. "Are you alright?"

"No."

"Your honor… I motion we take a short recess to allow her to compose herself." Sarah looked up at the man with a pleading expression.

"Granted. We will reconvene here in 10 minutes."

The minute his gavel hit the block, Quinn was to her feet and making a hasty exit from the courtroom. Thankfully she was well aware of the layout of the court house. She ran into the bathroom and into the first stall she came to. The minute she hit her knees, she threw up everything she'd eaten since the night before. Granted, it wasn't much, but it still hurt and burned her throat coming up.

"Quinn?" Rachel's voice echoed through the small room. "Honey, are you going to be okay?" She wiped at her own eyes before trying the door that was closed. It slid open and she knelt down behind her wife. "I'm right here."

"Don't…" Quinn whimpered out – shrugging off Rachel's hand the moment it landed on her shoulder. "Please… just don't." She smacked the gentle hand away when it touched her again. "Just leave me alone Rachel please."

"I can't do that Quinn."

The blonde refused to say anything else. She was thankful that Rachel finally left the stall. Quinn knew that her wife didn't leave the bathroom, but she at least gave her a little bit of privacy. "I can't finish this…" She whimpered.

Rachel leaned against the sink counter, watching her wife. "Do you want me to get Sarah?"

"Please…" She leaned against the sink before turning the water on to rinse her mouth.

"Your honor, I would like to make a motion to admit to evidence a video tape that was recorded during a meeting earlier this week with the witness Quinn Berry-Fabray. Based on recent events that are making testimony too hard to deliver, the prosecution would like to admit this into evidence as replacement." Sarah pulled a tape off of her table to offer to the judge. She knew it would already be admissible since the defense had already had a chance to view it.

"Does the defense have any objection to this video tape being admitted into evidence?" The judge directed his question to the other table.

He nodded. "I've had plenty of time to review this tape."

Sarah smiled softly before heading to the television that was brought out upon her earlier request. For proof that what Quinn had just told was the truth, she simply allowed the video to play from the very beginning.

Quinn's fingers looped around her bracelet and gripped it tightly while she listened to her own testimony from earlier in the week from her meeting with Sarah. Everything was the same. She was tired of reliving the same chain of events. Quinn was ready for all of this to be over with. Just another hour and she'd be able to get off of the witness stand, she hoped at least. If she'd been able to keep herself composed during her meeting with Sarah earlier that week, she'd be able to get off of the stand sooner. But most of the video consisted of Quinn crying and stumbling over words.

"He cut into my skin with a knife. When I refused to answer him, he pressed…he pressed his finger into the wound. It hurt so much." She looked down at the table as she cried. "Of course I answered him. I had no choice. Thankfully, he pulled away. But what he did next… Oh god I almost got sick. He licked… my blood off of his fingers. He told me it tasted better than Elizabeth."

"And who's Elizabeth?" Sarah's voice came through, even though she wasn't on the camera.

"Elizabeth was his last victim. The one who testified during his trial ten years ago. She was just a kid… After he cleaned his fingers… he pulled off his pants to… reveal himself to me…"

"What did he do?"

Quinn's eyes closed, tears streaming down her face. "He – he spread my legs as wide as he could and forced himself into me. It hurt more than the cut did… It hurt so much. I… I tried to not focus on it. I thought about anything other than the pain of the first time he…he…raped me…" Her voice cracked at the end of her sentence. She broke down in tears.

The video carried on for several minutes before Quinn was finally able to calm down. "What other things happened to you Quinn?"

"Sometimes when he came to visit he was nice. He talked to me, told me about what was happening in the world. He never told me how long I'd been imprisoned though. I… I didn't even know how long I'd been gone until I finally escaped. There were other times when he teased me… and taunted me. He would discredit my love for Rachel. He – he had me believing that Rachel never loved me… that she used me for her own personal gain. I didn't want to believe it. I'm not even sure if I ever truly did." She paused long enough to wipe at her eyes. "The things he did to me though… they're so hard to talk about."

"You have to try Quinn."

She nodded, letting out a heavy exhale of breath as she did. "From that first meal he fed me… I only ate twice after that. He liked to sit down on the mattress beside me and eat. He'd tease me with every other bite. Laughing. Degrading me. He called me every name imaginable. Worthless. A whore… a slut… that everything that was happe-happening was somehow… my fault. I started to believe that it was. Every time he… he… forced himself on me… every foul word that left his mouth… everything, it was all my fault." She rested her elbows on the table and cradled the back of her head – fingers tangled in her own hair. "I lost track of how many times he screamed in my face… of how many times he would punch me, or kick me. After a while… I guess I stopped feeling it. I… I started to shut down."

"What do you mean shut down?"

The blonde let out a dry chuckle. "I was ready to give up… to give in to my fate. It all started to feel like a daze. It could have been the blood loss, or just a lack of sanity from being locked in the same room for days… unable to move… unable to do anything but lay there."

"You said you were tied down, unable to move. What about when you needed to use the restroom, how was that handled?"

Quinn audibly swallowed before speaking. "It was a sick game for him… he told me it was a fetish…"

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't allowed to go… unless he was there. Unless he was watching me. And… even then it was into some metal pan that he-he placed under me."

"What would happen once you were finished?"

Quinn's brow furrowed at the memories. "He… he'd use it to 'bathe' me with… sometimes he'd mix it with his own. He told me it would be the only way to get 'the filthy whore' off of me for good."

"When he mentioned 'the filthy whore' who was he referring to? Did you know?"

"He was talking about Rachel. Every time he ever mentioned Rachel, he would call her a whore, or a slut… it was the only conclusion I could make as to what he was referring to." She started to rub at her own wrist, suddenly feeling filthy.

There was a pause for a few seconds before Sarah's voice came through with another question. "You said 'he'd use it to bathe you,' can you clarify that for me please?" When there was no immediate response from Quinn, Sarah reworded her question. "Was it the urine or feces that was used?"

"Both…"

"You had said you only ate a total of three times… what about water? Or anything to drink at all?"

"He thought it would be hilarious… if he brought down a bottle of ice cold water for me. Most of the time he kept it just out of my reach. A handful of times, he actually allowed me to drink some of it. Twice he allowed me a swallow or two before laughing and dumping the entire bottle in my face. It felt like thousands of needles all over my skin."

There was another long pause before Sarah continued her line of questioning. "What happened on the day of your escape?"

"He came in and announced it was Christmas Day. He gave me a present… after some hits and kicks… he changed my shackles to chains. Chains that were loose. He… he kicked my side and left. Once he was gone… I pulled and tugged at the chains… I finally broke free. I could barely stand up I was so weak, my shoulders felt dislocated from my arms being above my head for days. I made my way up the steps and was thankful that the door was unlocked… someone… someone was looking out for me that day… I… I spotted a coat and boots by the door. I grabbed them and got out of the house."

"Where did you go?"

"Anywhere that wasn't in his cabin. It was snowing… and so cold. But I didn't care, I had to get away from him and everything he did to me. My whole body hurt from all the times he cut me. The most painful one… was when he was eating an apple. I asked him for something to eat, because I was so hungry. All he did was cut a chunk of the apple, eat it, then cut into my leg with the same knife… That… that was the most painful thing. It hurt so much more than the times he raped me."

"You just stated 'the times he raped you' can you clarify that for me?"

"He had a habit of always coming in whenever I was asleep. Twice… the feeling of him… entering me is what woke me up, once he woke me up with his knife to my leg… and another time he woke me up but kicking my ribs. There were four times when I was raped… that I know of. There were several times when he'd hit me hard enough to knock me out. I don't know for sure… if anything happened while I was out… all I know is that every time I woke up… I… I was sore. The same kind of pain like the other times he'd raped me…"

"What other things happened?"

Quinn swallowed the lump in her throat before speaking. Her voice was soft and emotionless the entire time. "He would come in just to yell at me. Then he'd leave. Or he came in and used me as his personal punching bag and just leave without a word… Then the times he raped me… he constantly called me his, and that… that nobody would ever be able to make me feel like he did. That n-now… nobody would love me…"

Quinn's sobs echoed through the video for several more minutes before Sarah finally ended her questioning and appeared in the video long enough to turn it off.

Quinn glanced up to look briefly at Rachel, Santana, and Brittany… Rachel was hunched over in her seat, her hands covering her face. From what Quinn could see, her shoulders were shaking, she was crying. Santana's eyes were bloodshot. Brittany's head was buried in Santana's shoulder as she also cried. How would she be able to face any of them now that all of her secrets were out there for them to know?

"Is there anything you'd like to add to your video statement Quinn?" Sarah asked gently, already know that the woman before her wouldn't be able to deal with anymore questions.

"No…"

The prosecuting attorney nodded her head before looking up at the judge. "No further questions your honor." She glanced at Quinn's family before giving them a sympathetic smile and taking her seat.

"Does the defense have any questions for the witness?" The judge looked across the courtroom at the other table.

"Nothing at this time your honor." He didn't bother looking up from the notes he was writing down as he answered.

"You may step down Quinn."

Instead of returning to her seat, Quinn headed for the door. She knew that under extreme circumstances it would be allowed. Since she wasn't dismissed, she couldn't leave the courthouse that day, but she could at least have a few moments to herself. Once she was out of the room, she made her way to the end of the hallway and curled up into herself on the wooden bench.

She stayed there for what felt like an eternity, just crying.

As far as the pre-recorded video testimony that was in here... I'm not 100% sure how that all works, but it worked in this story. So don't shoot me if it's not entirely accurate for how things are actually done. Just give me a break, this chapter was a bitch to write.

Drop me a line, let me know what you thought

Please? This little bitch of a chapter deserves some kind of love doesn't it?