A/N A little look into Quinn's past in this chapter. Hope you like it. Disclaimer: I don't own GLEE or any of its characters. GLEE belongs to FOX and its creators. Thank you for all your reviews please continue.

Ch. 17

The first time Quinn met Paul he was an eighth grader and a she a sixth grader. Russell had given her a particularly harsh beating and she had fled to her favorite spot up on top of Thomas's Hill. The hill was the highest in Bellville and at night you could see all the town lights. There was also an old oak whose branches weaved their way through space and between each other creating natural seats for reading all day and getting lost in new worlds. Paul had been there when she arrived. Scared she'd begun to turn around but he called out to her. "Hurts doesn't it?" He asked turning and pointing to his own bruised eye. She had paused and stared at him, not sure how he knew. She'd never told anyone, had learned to use makeup at eight.

"I've seen you, at school you don't play much with anyone, you just read, but you come up here a lot after school with bruises."

"I haven't seen you before." She admitted she always thought she'd been alone here, it was her safe haven.

"I like that tree better." He pointed to a tall tree with evenly spaced branches, perfect for climbing high. "I watched you for awhile, to be sure I was right, that you were like me, that…that your dad was like mine."

Quinn just nodded, she knew he meant that her father hit her like his hit him. Sometimes she wondered if her father's punishments were wrong, too harsh, but it was all she had known.

"Come on, we can read together." He pulled out his own book and smiled at her. She smiled back and went to join him. Paul had been her first friend, best friend. Then he began to change when he got to high school, but so had she. They still went to each other when the beatings were the worst, but they stopped going to Thomas's Hill together to read. Paul began to focus on football "his only way out, away from dad," and she started cheerleading her way out as well. By his senior year, Quinn barely noticed the sweet boy who used to hold her while she cried, who read books like Alice and Wonderland with her, who used to talk about getting away and being happy. No Paul had slowly turned more and more into his father. He became an ass to all girls save her, and he began to get into many fights. But Quinn held onto the image of who her best friend had been, which is why she'd gone to him that night all those months ago. She'd trusted him, the only person she thought she could, and he'd broken that trust. That day he choose football over her, she promised herself to never trust anyone again, especially a boy.

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"Don't please, this is a new outfit, it's Prada!" Quinn heard a high pitched voice yell as she turned the corner heading into the school. Her eyes fell upon Puck lifting up Kurt and dropping him into the dumpster. Quinn rolled her eyes and approached them. "Yo Puck." Puck turned and smirked at her, "Fabray, looking good. Give me a moment and I'll be with you."

Quinn shook her head at him and arched an eyebrow, "Now why would I want to be seen with a Lima Loser who thinks it's funny and alright to throw his peers into trashcans." She walked forward and tiptoed in order to look into the dumpster. Reaching in she gave her hand to Kurt, "Here let me help." He reached up taking her hand and she pulled him out. Once back on the ground he smiled at her, "Thanks Quinn. Rachel says you are joining the glee club. "

"It's just temporary, to get you through sectionals."

Kurt nodded before turning to Puck and his smile fell, "Puckerman, a joy as always."

Once Kurt was gone Quinn turned to Puck, "You know when you stopped Marsha the other day, I thought hey maybe there is something more to Puckerman than an egotistical bully, but clearly I was wrong." She turned to leave when a hand on her arm stopped her and forced her to turn, "You know nothing about me." Puck growled, "Nothing so don't you dare judge me."

Quinn pulled her arm free, "Your right I don't know you well, but from what I've seen in the last three days is not impressive, it's pathetic." With that she left. Puckerman was scum just like Paul turned out to be. She wouldn't spend anymore time around him than she had too.

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Stepping up the choir room Quinn took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut as memories flashed before her eyes.

Frannie smiled at her from across the bedroom "Come on Lucy Q, you know the words." Lucy smiled at her sister; Frannie was so beautiful with long golden blonde hair flowing around her as she bounced to the music flowing from her stereo, her bright blue eyes laughing happily. Lucy ran over to her sister and grabbed her larger soft hands. "Backstreets back alright!" They yelled at the top of their longs. Frannie sang like an angel and Lucy prayed that one day she'd sound just like her. As the song ended Frannie knelt and hugged Lucy tight, "Whenever it becomes too much, just sing Lucy. Let it all go and sing." Lucy nodded and as a smash and curse sounded from downstairs, Frannie smiled "Sing Lucy," and they did they sang all night, and Lucy had never been happier.

"Quinn." Quinn startled and turned to Rachel who was now standing next to her. "You alright?"

"Fine, let's go." Rachel just shrugged and opened the door the room was already filled with several people already as well as Mr. Schuester.

"Quinn, it is so nice of you to join us." Mr. Schuester smiled at her as she walked up to him.

"I'm just here to help until you find more people." Quinn reminded him and everyone else. That was the one condition that she'd given Rachel when she agreed to join the club. She'd help them get through sectional and then the club was on their own. If they didn't find anyone else by Regionals that was their own fault.

"Well it is nice of you to give us even a little bit of your time. Let me introduce you to our crew." Quinn already knew Kurt , Finn, Mike and Artie, but the rest of the glee club was rounded out by Mercedes who Quinn remembered seeing her first day, then an Asian girl named Tina, the blonde football player Sam, and an African American boy Matt who was also on the football team.

"So what are you going to sing?" Mercedes asked when the introduction were finished.

"Sing?" Quinn didn't remember saying anything about having to sing so early. She'd actually planned on just swaying in the back and lip syncing.

"You have to audition, everyone does." Kurt replied. He was sat next to Mercedes.

"Quinn is helping us, she doen't need to audition." Rachel told them and Quinn smiled in thanks.

"But how do we even know she can sing. She isn't a help if she can't sing." Mercedes countered, "I'm all for any help we can get in order to compete at sectionals, but what type of help is it if she can't sing or even dance."

"I can do both." Quinn snapped. Turning she walked to the piano and motioned for the man sitting there to move. Placing her fingers on the ivory keys she breathed deep before starting the familiar song, her favorite.

Fly me to the moon

Let me swing among those stars

Let me see what spring is like

On Jupiter and Mars

In other words, hold my hand

In other words, baby, kiss me

Fill my heart with song

Let me sing forever more

You are all I long for

All I worship and adore

In other words, please be true

In other words, I love you

Why don't you fill my heart with song?

Let me swing forever more

Because you are all I long for

All I worship and I adore

In other words, please be true

In other words

In other words, I, I love, you

When she finished she was received by silence, "I can also play the piano, good enough for you."

Then there was applause. Rachel jumped up and hugged her, "Quinn that is awesome, your voice it's so,"

"Gentle and soothing but strong." Sam filled in.

Quinn shrugged. "Your much better than me Rachel. Now can I sit?"

"Of course, thank you again for your help." Mr. Schuester patted her shoulder and then turned to the class, "Alright we have two weeks until sectionals it's time to get to work."

The rest of the meeting flew by; Quinn just sat at the top of risers watching. She had to admit that everyone was having fun as they sang to the eighties power ballad by Journey. She smiled slightly as Rachel spun and winked at her. They all looked so carefree and though she was a little jealous of their innocence she was more happy to see it.

When the meeting was over Quinn walked out with Rachel. "We are still two people short." Rachel said as the entered Quinn's car. "I know, just me so time, Rachel we have two weeks."

"Even if you don't find anyone, thank you for trying," Rachel squeezed her hand and Quinn returned it.

Judy was on the couch looking over so papers when Quinn entered. Judy watched her walk in open her door before throwing her bookbag in before shutting the door and walking towards the kitchen. She walked right past Judy before opening the refrigerator and taking out peanut butter and some strawberries. After spooning out a helping off peanut butter into a dishes she cut up some strawberries and mixed them in. Once her snack was made she walked over and plopped next to Judy. Judy tried to hide her laughter. "Hungry?"

"Starved."

"How was glee?" Judy knew that singing was a sensitive spot for Quinn, she just wished she knew why.

"Fine." Quinn reached over and grabbed the remote and switched over to MTV Classics.

"Did you sing?"

Quinn nodded, "For and audition, I just watched the rest."

"And?" Judy probed again. She hated it when Quinn became short with her answers it was like pulling teeth. Frannie had never been so secretive, she shared everything with her, of course Frannie had had Judy growing up and Quinn hadn't.

"And what? It was alright." Standing Quinn headed towards her room, "I'm going to do homework."

When the door shut Judy rubbed her face, "Great talk," she mumbled. Deciding it was time to start dinner she went to the kitchen. Maybe Quinn would be more talkative at dinner.

A/N Song is Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra.

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