A/N: Wonderful reviews, they really do brighten my day. Apologies for this taking a little longer than the other chapters. I hope you like it, it turned out differently than I had expected. As always, reviews are very much appreciated.
"I do not know why we come over here for these 'meetings' every single time Rachel Berry summons us, it is almost as if we have the incessant need to punish ourselves." Kurt whispered as he, Santana, and Brittany walked up the stairs towards Rachel's room, after receiving a text telling them to come over as soon as they possibly could.
They all sighed as they got to Rachel's room, only to find it empty. "Man-Berry isn't even here." Santana groaned, correcting herself on the chance Quinn was nearby.
"We should just call her Man-Berry, it will be easier than always trying to remember." Brittany offered, Santana just nodded while Kurt rolled his eyes.
They all turned around when they heard soft crying coming from Quinn's bedroom. Kurt led the trio down the hall, stopping outside the door when they saw Rachel curled up on Quinn's bed, one of Beth's baby blankets clinched tightly in her fist, her face was buried in Quinn's pillow, she was desperately trying to seek comfort in the vanilla smell that was so uniquely Quinn. "Rachel?" Kurt was concerned as the three slowly made their way into the room. "What's going on?"
Brittany stared at Rachel, who was wearing grey sweatpants and a simple white t-shirt. "You look normal. You usually look really awful. But you look normal today."
Rachel ignored Brittany and quickly sat up and wiped her eyes as she attempted to regain her composure, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "Quinn left."
"What the hell did you do to her Berry?" Santana growled, remembering the conversation she and Quinn had in the park a few weeks ago, immediately thinking Rachel had turned the blonde down, breaking her already fragile heart.
Rachel scowled at the accusation that she had done something wrong, but chose to ignore the comment. "While Quinn and I were not quite ready to come out with this news, I feel that due to what happened yesterday, it would be in her best interest to share this with you, Quinn and I began dating a few weeks ago." Rachel paused, expecting Kurt, Brittany, and Santana to be shocked, she was surprised when they just nodded and waited for her to continue. "I am surprised at your lack of a reaction."
"I don't know about them, but I've known Quinn had the hots for you since right after Beth's birth." Kurt said simply, wishing Rachel would get to the point of this meeting.
"Yeah we knew too, Q confessed her feelings for you to us in the park, which I still don't get why she would have those feelings." Santana furrowed her brow, still not seeing the appeal of Rachel Berry. Santana could barely stand to be in the same room with Rachel, she did not understand how someone as sane as Quinn could have romantic feelings for the odd, extremely annoying girl. "Just get on with it, Berry, where the hell is Q?"
Rachel fought back against the tears which were threatening to return. "Quinn's parents came by the house yesterday, they had a private meeting and before I knew it Quinn was upstairs packing her bag and then she was gone, she moved back in with them."
Santana impulsively kicked a discarded pink teddy bear that lay on the floor. "What the hell is wrong with you Berry? Why would you let her leave with them? If anything happens to her or that baby, it is all your fault Berry, it will be on you."
"Santana, now while Rachel is usually the one to blame when something goes awry, that does not seem to be the case this time. Rachel how about you explain a little further." Kurt made an attempt to defuse the situation.
Rachel was somewhat surprised at Santana's irate reaction, yes she knew Quinn's parents were quite ignorant and obviously not the best people, considering they kicked their pregnant sixteen year old out of the house. "I tried to stop her, she knew how badly I wanted her to stay. She told me she did not have a choice, and she was doing it for me. I just don't understand."
Brittany's laugh startled the three tense teenagers in the room, all of them turning around to see Brittany sitting in the corner of the room intensely reading one of Beth's books. Santana sighed and narrowed her eyes. "Clearly, her father threatened you or your family. He probably told her if she refused to come with him he would do x, y, and z to your family."
Rachel frowned, her dads were so loving, it was hard for her to accept how awful Quinn's father really was. "Why would he do that?"
Santana tried her best to keep her frustration with Rachel at bay. "Russell Fabray is a terrible human being. As distraught as Q was, her parents throwing her out of the house was the best thing that could have ever happened to her. Do you guys remember how often Quinn would be covered in bruises, always blaming them on Cheerios practice?" Santana paused while Rachel and Kurt nodded. "Q was the best on the team, did you ever wonder why she was the only one covered in bruises, while the Cheerios with far less talent weren't? Q rarely fell at Cheerios practice, those bruises came from her father. She would never admit it, but I saw him grab her once and raise his hand to her, only stopping when he saw me in the doorway. And I don't doubt for a second that he would threaten your family, I'm sure he hates the fact that your dads are gay, he would flip his lid if he knew about you and Quinn."
Rachel's eyes widened in fear for Quinn and Beth, the thought of Russell Fabray laying a hand on either of them causing her stomach to twist in knots. "Well we have to go over there. We can't just sit here while Quinn and Beth are with that monster."
Kurt and Santana nodded, Kurt got Brittany's attention, tearing her away from the duck book she was so enthralled with. While Santana stared at Rachel, though she would probably never say it out loud she was glad Quinn had a girlfriend who was so willing to fight for her.
Quinn sat on her bed in her old room, nothing had changed except for the fact someone had picked up the mess of clothes she had left after packing, probably their cleaning lady. Quinn knew her parents most likely shut the door and pretended as if the room did not even exist, much like they had shut their front door and pretended she ceased to exist. Quinn looked at all the pictures on her dresser; there was one of her in her Cheerios uniform, one of her and her parents during an after church brunch, and several of her and Finn, his arms wrapped tightly around her. All of those moments seem like a lifetime ago now. Somehow her life before losing Puck and gaining Beth and Rachel seemed wildly unimportant.
Judy knocked lightly on the door, peaking her head around it, Quinn instinctively clutched Beth closer to her chest. "What do you want?"
"I came to check on you and the baby." Judy hesitantly sat next to Quinn on the bed.
"Beth." Quinn looked down and stroked Beth's cheek. "Beth Caroline Fabray Puckerman." Quinn glanced up at Judy who remained silent. "We've been here over twenty-four hours and neither of you have asked the name of your own granddaughter, strangers in Target have taken more of an interest in her than you have."
Judy knew her daughter was right. "That's a beautiful name, she's a beautiful little girl, just like you Quinn." Quinn ignored her mother's attempt at a compliment and went back to staring at Beth. "She has been awfully fussy." Judy was desperate to have a conversation with the daughter she missed so much.
"She probably misses her family. I know I do." Tears stung Quinn's eyes as she thought about Rachel, she hoped that somehow Rachel was not missing her as much as she was missing Rachel. Not wanting her to be feeling this kind of hurt. "How could you let him do this, any of this?" Quinn finally asked meeting her mother's blue eyes.
"Quinn you have to understand I was and still am scared-"
Quinn cut her off. "Before I became a mother I felt sorry for you and I almost understood why you acted the way you did. But now? I don't feel an ounce of sympathy for you and I do not understand you at all." Quinn's tone was harsh, but she spoke quietly to keep from waking Beth. "I cannot imagine watching silently as someone screamed at Beth or raised his fist at her to strike her. But you did, all those years you stood and watched as he terrorized Sarah and I and you never tried to stop him. If I was in your shoes I wouldn't have cared how scared I was, I would do anything to protect Beth." Quinn stared at her mother, who clearly did not know what to say. "Can you please leave? I have to feed Beth." Quinn held back her sobs until her mother left her room. All the years of pent up anger and hurt had finally come out.
Once Quinn was certain her mother had retreated back to the master bedroom and Beth had fallen asleep she slipped downstairs to get a glass of water, fully expecting to find her father passed out in the den, just as he always was. She stopped in her tracks when she heard his voice slurring her name. "Quinn." She did not speak, but she turned to see him sitting at the dining room table. "I overheard what you said to your mother earlier, that disrespect will not be tolerated."
Quinn jumped when he slammed his glass down on the wood, causing it to break and slice his skin. "Damn it Quinn!" He shouted as he threw the shards of glass towards her, thankfully his aim was way off due to his drunken state. "See you what you made me do? You've always got to find a way to hurt me."
Quinn inhaled sharply, less than a year ago the girl she used to be would probably believe that this was all her fault. "I didn't do anything. You're the one who decided to act like a toddler and slam your glass down. It's four in the afternoon and you are completely wasted, it's ridiculous." She instantly regretted saying anything back to him as she saw the look in his eyes. She slowly began backing away when he stood up and came towards her, grabbing her arm forcefully.
"Who are you? You are not my daughter. My daughter would never speak to me this way." Russell stared down at the frightened blonde in his grasp, a small part of him feeling guilty as she looked at him with those big hazel eyes. But a larger part of him was livid with her, for having the nerve to disrespect him and her mother. "He who spareth the rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him correcteth him betimes and withhold not correction from a child, for if thou strike him with the rod, he shall not die, and deliver his soul from hell."
Quinn stared up at her father as he quoted the bible verse she had always heard before every beating she ever received, but something was different this time. The look in his eyes was unrecognizable, something she would have only expected to see in a rabid animal. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard as she saw his fist rise, she cried out in pain when she felt the familiar sting of the strike.
Russell grabbed her by her shoulders. "You shut up, I don't want to her another sound out of that mouth." He shook her violently before shoving her against the wall. He repeated the bible verse over and over again as he struck her more times than he could count, grabbing her hair and slamming her head against the wall. Stopping only when he felt her go limp in his arms, his heart began to pound as he jumped back from her, watching her seemingly lifeless body fall to a heap on the floor. He had never meant to let it go this far. He only wanted her to be the perfect little girl he had imagined since the day she was born, this was supposed to be a lesson so she would know better next time. He never meant to hurt her, at least not this bad. "Quinn?" He said out loud hoping it would rise her from her unconscious state.
Judy came down the stairs. "Russell what is this racket? I think Quinn and the baby are trying to sleep in-" Judy stopped talking and ran over to her daughter. "What did you do?" She screamed as she reluctantly left Quinn on the floor to grab the phone. "Look what you did to her!"
Russell stood there staring at his daughter, staring at what he had done to her. Trying to tell himself that maybe she deserved it, she chose to be promiscuous and surround herself with homosexuals and ungodly people, so maybe this was God's will. He grabbed his car keys, ignoring his wife's screams for him to come back and face what he had done.
"Beth is going to be thirty by the time we get there." Kurt exclaimed, exasperated with Rachel's driving. "You dress elderly so I guess I should have expected you to drive that way as well." Rachel ignored him, her thoughts preoccupied with Quinn and Beth, cursing herself for allowing her girlfriend to go with her parents. All four of their stomachs twisted in knots as they saw the police cars lining the street and the ambulance in the Fabray driveway. All of their minds flashing back to the night Puck had died, the thought of losing Quinn or Beth too was far too much to bear. Tears fell from Rachel's eyes as she put the car in park and flung her door open, running past the police officers who asked her to stop, telling her this was a crime scene. Twenty minutes ago she had left to save her girlfriend, and now Rachel Berry feared she was twenty minutes too late.
