Quinn was not the type of person who would ever allow another being to put her in a position of vulnerability. Needless to say, the exception to that rule was Beth.
When the toddler puked all over Quinn's blouse in the diner, other patrons regarding the act and mess in disgust, she executed her flawless Fabray heritage and thought of three things: chin raised, posture upright, and let the thought of murder take over her expression .
This is not embarrassing at all, the young adult thought while taking calm, yet large strides towards the bathroom with a burping baby in her arms- said baby now giggling and tugging at her blonde locks. Not even a grimace graced her face when Beth's little hands reached out, smudging a bit on Quinn's cheek.
Optimism isn't ignorance, Quinn noted. Beth could merely be an artist in the making. She could potentially be the next Picasso, but with her vomit. It was revolutionary, really. It was a risque piece, contemporary. She was sure the critics would rave over Beth.
The little girl did have a knack for sculpting. When Beth started to eat solid food, she had a habit of making sculptures with her baby food. Once, she had made an uncanny resemblance to the Pentagon. Quinn had noted the five corners on her food sculpture, and gave Beth a big kiss on the head. "You're a talented artist, bud," she had told her. Beth excitedly babbled over her piece to the older girl, and Quinn took it as Beth explaining her artistic view and angle on the piece. With her full attention to the baby's babbling, she only paused her undivided attention to wipe some of the mushed applesauce dribbling out the corner of her mouth.
The blonde shifted Beth in her arms so she could open the bathroom door, pushing it forward with her foot. The baby babbled nonsensically as Quinn set her down on the baby tray, making sure Beth didn't move. Beth was a smart kid, so Quinn took it as the baby apologizing for losing her lunch all over her.
Quinn wet a paper towel, gently wiping Beth's cheeks and chin clean. "I know bud," she said, as Beth continued to make conversation. "You didn't mean to. Just warn me next time. Give me a knock on the window and tell me to pullover, I'll hold your hair back next time," she joked.
Beth's green eyes looked up at her gleefully, before smacking Quinn's hand when she tried to pat Beth's face with a dry towel. "Okay!" Beth squealed, her favorite and only clear word she used on a daily basis. Quinn got a few wipes in, avoiding the toddler's defensive hands, before putting her hands up in surrender, rolling the paper towel into a ball and shooting it into the nearby trash bin.
"You know," Quinn spoke, pulling off her shirt while eyeing the baby through the mirror, "I was thinking about putting this shirt in the old clothes box. To donate, and stuff." She balled up the shirt, scrubbing at the marks with warm water in the sink.
"Okay," Beth smiled at her, before babbling incoherent sentences again.
"I mean it'd be a while for you to grow into these hand me downs, and besides, who knows what kind of style you'll grow into. You might not even like the clothes I wear when you get older," she winked at the toddler. Beth giggled in response, and Quinn figured she was probably agreeing with her..
The blonde wrung the shirt a couple of times before shaking it out. She was glad it was a cool enough day to dress in layers and had a tank top underneath, though it wouldn't have embarrassed her in anyway if she had to do without.
Quinn picked up Beth, and exited the bathroom, putting the baby in her stroller as she pulled out a couple of bills and placed it on the table. She looked over the counter to make eye-contact with the waitress who served her, smiling and nodding her head in appreciation for her service before leaving the diner.
A cool breeze danced across Quinn's face as she walked down the unfamiliar street. The two had finished the big move, and finished settling in a couple days ago. Quinn's priority on her to-do list was to familiarize herself with the small town of Lima, Ohio. The apartment she had rented out was close to downtown, and the area was surprisingly populated, making it an easy choice for Quinn that this day was the perfect time to walk around.
Quinn pushed the stroller through downtown, using her phone to get feel for the general location of certain stores, walked through the park, and had started her way back to her apartment by the time the sun started to set.
Brilliant hues of warm colors spread across the sky, and Quinn decided then that she liked this quaint town. The air felt much cleaner than the city she used to live in, and the townsfolk were generally nice. Throughout the day, smiles were exchanged if she had to cross paths with others, small talk felt casual and light when stopped at street corners.
After entering the locked gate surrounding the apartments, she made her way to her new home. It was a small one bed, one bath apartment, but the size didn't really bother her that much. The past three days of unpacking and adding her personal decor to the place had made it cozy, and Beth didn't seem to mind as she crawled around her play area secured by a child gate, playing with her toys.
Quinn kicked off her shoes, a full day of wandering finally making it's presence known to her muscles, and sat on the floor outside of the playpen, and watched as Beth re-familiarized herself with the area before starting to grab her toys and bang things together.
"Hey bud," she called out, her voice grabbing the toddler's attention. Green eyes settled on Quinn curiously, "Don't do that," she voiced sternly. Beth smiles at Quinn, before saying, "Okay!" proceeding to continue banging one of her wood blocks into another toy.
"Beth," she called out again, and after a pause in her actions, Beth flings the wooden block against the wall before moving over to her repertoire of stuffed animals and grabbing a woolen monkey. Beth turned back to Quinn, with a small eyebrow raised, her expression reading, this boring old monkey good enough for you?
"Yeah, bud, that's better." Quinn snorted at face Beth was making, the baby frowning a bit, who then turned away and continued to play with the monkey, taking that the older blonde finally approved.
After watching the toddler squeeze the stuffed toy and thoroughly investigate the object, Quinn went into her room to retrieve her laptop, before returning to the living room and sliding down the wall.
Get a couch, Quinn noted. Maybe a TV too, she added to that thought. Her and Beth's bedroom had been furnished with her bed, a crib, and picture frames adjourning the wall, kitchen utensils and appliances unpacked, bathroom necessities organized into the bathroom cabinet- but all that was left of Quinn's stuff was Beth's playpen gate and her toys.
She didn't really have the finances to be buying a couch, or a tv, anytime soon, which brought Quinn to get to her second item on her to-do list: find a source of income. She had a bit of allowance to be jobless, but only for two months tops if she wanted to live comfortably with Beth.
Quinn, when a certain aroma reached her face and found Beth staring at her wide-eyed. But first, Quinn scrunched her nose and fought a gag, unable to keep stoic face, a diaper to change.
Quinn took Beth to the park the following afternoon, and was watching as Beth walked around in the grass, picking at flowers and weeds. She was currently making a pile back on the blanket Quinn had laid out under the shade of tall, oak tree, although most of the flowers had been crushed in the girl's grip.
A couple times Beth stumbled and fell in the grass, tripping on a little mound or root, and Quinn would jolt forward, ready to go pick up the little girl, but instead Beth would just look at Quinn wide-eyed and call out, "Okay!" before getting up and collecting more flowers.
Occasionally, Beth would wander a bit too far from Quinn's sight, but moments later the little blonde would waddle back to Quinn with a bigger flower. "Okay," Beth called out, every single time she delivered a flower to her pile next to Quinn. And every single time, she would smile back at the little girl.
"Hey bud, do you want me to make you a flower crown? Like what the princesses wear in the movies," Quinn asked when Beth retrieved a particularly nice dandelion without crushing the flower. The young girl perked up at the mention of princess, and blabbered an incoherent sentence with the word, 'okay' tossed in the middle of it.
Beth retrieved more weeds, but after a while she went to join Quinn who began weaving the flowers together. She watched the older girl beside her, before turning her attention to the pile of weeds before her and began sorting out the pieces by size and shape- or at least what Quinn initially observed. Beth changed the way she organized the groups, but surely there was a certain pattern to how Beth organized her smaller piles- perhaps not even following a pattern at all. Dadaism, Quinn thought. Genius.
After finishing weaving the crown, Quinn showed the finished product to Beth. "Look, bud, it's a flower crown," as Beth crawled closer to Quinn. "It's what those princesses wear in all the Disney movies- but even better because it's made for you."
Her green eyes shone with excitement as Quinn scooted closer to put the weaved crown of dandelions and weeds on her head. "Those princesses got nothing on you, bud. None of them are as creative or as smart as you are," Quinn spoke softly. At that, Beth's happy mood dissipated before she babbled to Quinn, seemingly displeased with something.
"What's up, bud?" Quinn asked. "You don't want to be a princess?"
Beth's babbling increased, a distressed look appearing on her face as she shook her head. Quinn picked Beth up and let the little girl sit on her lap as she talked to Quinn.
Smiling, she kissed the girl's forehead, "You don't have to be the princess though. It's totally cool if you want to be the knight, or the villager, or the farmer. When I was younger, I always wanted to be the evil witch. Except, not exactly evil."
Beth's distressed expression was replaced by a cheerful laugh. The older blonde smiled at that, before continuing, "Bud, you can be anyone in the kingdom if you want. Just as long as you're happy."
Beth squirmed in Quinn's lap, before moving off and crawling quickly to the piles she had made. She looked at Quinn, picking up a pile, and worked both hands to compress the picked plants as tight as she could.
"That one for me?" Beth proceeded to stand up, and walk towards Quinn, placing the pile on her head, looking absolutely delightful to crown the older blonde.
Quinn's smile grew, and she kept her head balanced so Beth's masterpiece didn't fall and she kissed Beth on the nose, nuzzling the giggling girl in the face. "Thanks bud."
After half an hour, Beth grew less energetic and Quinn figured it was time to bring the little girl back home. She picked the girl up and placed her in the stroller, before proceeding to clean and fold the blanket back up. She heard Beth grunting in the stroller, the toddler's hands outstretched and motioning for something to drink.
Rummaging through her bag, Quinn pulled out an Orange Juice box and stuck the straw in before handing it to the girl. "Okay," Beth responded in retrieving the box.
"It's, 'Thank you', bud not, 'Okay'," Quinn corrected.
After taking a long sip, Beth looked back at her before responding, "Okay!" She let out a noise that had the same stress and sound as Thank you, but still was incoherent and unclear as the rest of her baby talk.
"Alright bud," Quinn laughed, "'Aainuu' is close enough." Beth proceeded to repeat her new word, and Quinn beamed at the brilliant little girl.
"Aainuu!" Beth called out from the stroller to other folks in the park, Quinn dutifully gave a small smile and nod to anyone who gave Beth their time. As they passed through the central area of the park, she noticed a billboard sign with a bunch of fliers by the main entrance. Interests peaked, Quinn strolled towards the billboard, and scanned through the mass amounts of flyers attached.
The keyword, 'website designer', caught her eye as she scanned, and Quinn couldn't help but grin at the opportunity. Pulling out her phone, she snapped a picture of the flyer.
Back at the apartment, Quinn set the tired toddler into her crib, who accepted the nap time immediately, before sitting down on the bed and bringing up the picture. She typed in the digits listed on the flier, and waited as the dial tone rung out on her phone.
After a couple of rings, a deep, gruff voiced picked up on the other line. "'Sup," was all he greeted, disinterested almost.
"Um," Quinn started, gathering her bearings, "Hi. I saw a flyer saying you guys needed someone to design your website?"
"Yeah! We do, yeah, hold on," Quinn heard him call a name, but his voice was muffled. She guessed he was covering the bottom of the phone with his hand as he held out a conversation with someone nearby.
"Yeah, okay, this is great," his voice had picked up momentum. "Uh, just wondering though, you aren't some high school kid whose experience is limited to editing some blog, are you? Cause we got a couple of those, and that's not the type we're looking for."
"Oh no, I'm a graduated, freelance web designer. I can email you a quick view of my portfolio, if you want."
"Oh nah, that's cool. We can check it out and talk in person. Are you free tomorrow?" he asked.
"Yeah," she confirmed, eager at the sudden opportunity. Getting an interview on anybody's first try wasn't exactly common, and getting an entry-level job where she came from was difficult.
They set the time for tomorrow, along with Quinn telling him vague details about her situation and how she would be bringing Beth to the interview, which the man on the other end of the line had no problem with. Moving over to one of the cabinets she had in her room, she pulled out a black folder which had print outs of her previous websites she either designed herself, or specific parts or designs she had been a part of.
The next day approached quickly, to Quinn's pleasure. Before she knew it, morning had come and she was getting Beth settled in her stroller and preparing for the ten minute walk to the place. A quick Google search of the directions Puck, the boy who answered the phone, had given her and Quinn found that she was going to a well-established, hole-in-the-wall bakery.
It had pretty good reviews for their service and product, highlighting their specialty Jewish desserts and vegan selection. In a way, Quinn was happy that the general population was jumping on a health craze trend- it was a good environment for Beth to grow up in, and there are no setbacks to being healthy.
Upon arrival, Quinn immediately felt drawn towards the place. The pleasant aroma of fresh baked bread and pastries wafted outside, and the store had been remodeled to have a very natural feel, it's exterior design made of wood. Black lettering, Bubbe's Delights, sat on top of the entrance, giving the bakery a sleek modern look.
Through the glass windows, Quinn could see that even at this time in the morning, the bakery was busy. A few people were having breakfast at the tables inside, while a line formed at other picking up boxes of baked goods.
A bell rang, indicating a new customer, when Quinn pulled the door open, and a young man at the counter who wasn't serving a customer glanced up to give her a quick, but welcoming smile. Quinn walked forward as the young man double took her, his mouth opening slightly. She walked forward to him, stopping the stroller in front of the glass display to Beth's approval, before greeting him.
"Hi, I'm Quinn. I spoke to someone named Puck about designing the website?"
The young man's mouth still open, he finally closed it and blinked a couple of times. "Uh, oh yeah. Puck's in the back with Ester. You can go through the employee hallway," he directed, a long arm pointing at the side of store where the counter ended.
Quinn thanked him, giving him a polite smile, unnerved as he kept staring at her while she rounded the corner with Beth. Walking down the hall way, Quinn paused at an open door where three people dressed in similar uniforms, with different color schemes, as the boy upfront, were chatting. She stuck her head in, and knocked at the door lightly to announce her presence without rudely interrupting.
The young man turned around in his seat, glancing a Quinn once before raising his eyebrows and smiling at her. "Woah," he said with a grin on his face giving her a once-over, not bothering to hide his leering, "You're Quinn."
The blonde pursed her lips for a split second, but in the presence of a possible client kept a polite smile on her face. She watched as the elder woman next to Puck hit him lightly on the arm, before chastising, "And you're being rude, Noah." She gave a gentle smile to the blonde, beckoning the young woman into the room.
"Hello, Quinn. Thank you so much for coming," she greeted, walking up to the blonde, stretching her arm out. Quinn returned the handshake, taking note of the girl's soft hands. "I'm Ester," she introduced herself. "I am the owner of this bakery."
"And I'm Puck," the young man spoke up from the room, still eyeing the blonde's form. "We talked. On the phone," he gave what he thought was a charming grin, before adding. "I'm single, just in case you were wondering."
The older woman sighed, bring a hand up to rub at her temples. "I apologize for Puck's attitude, I didn't raise him to be such a pig," she spoke.
Puck frowned, protesting back from his seat, earning a pointed look from the Ester before slumping down from being called out. "Sorry, ma'am," he apologized, before looking up at Quinn though his lashes and giving her a small smile. "You're just extremely hot. Couldn't help it," he boldly said.
"And you're out of here, quit the unsolicited harassment Noah," Ester seethed, her patience tested, nudging Puck towards the door. The young man just laughed, putting his hands up in surrender as he let himself be pushed out.
As he entered the hallway, Ester called out, "Go make sure Mr. Hudson isn't screwing anything up! That schlemiel has a knack for getting in trouble when unsupervised," before shutting the door to the office, Puck's snickering inaudible afterwards.
"I'm sorry about that," she apologized again. Quinn raised a hand, and reassured her politely that it was alright, and she wasn't offended in any way. "Please, take a seat," Ester motioned for the young woman to sit, and Quinn pushed Beth forward next to the open chair.
"Aainuu!" Beth called from her stroller, and the bakery owner's eyes went towards the little girl strapped.
Ester keeled at the stroller, "And who might this beautiful girl be?" Beth giggled at seeing the other girl, before proceeding to smack the young woman in the face.
"Oh my go- Beth!" Quinn chastised, immediately apologizing to Ester, who backed up a little but shook her head, unable to hold back her laughter. "Don't do that!" she sternly said to Beth, who looked at her wide-eyed.
Beth pouted, "Aainu?" to which Quinn shook her head.
"Not 'thank you', Beth. You say, 'Okay', and 'Sorry', to her," Quinn emphasized the new words. Beth furrowed her eyebrows, babbling before repeating, 'Okay', a couple of times. A couple of her words were stressed the same way as 'sorry', but a little too different for Quinn to mark another word down that Beth knew.
Quinn stood up and turned to Ester, who had a fond smile on as she watched the toddler, "I am so- I am really sorry about that," wrinkles appearing on the young blonde's forehead from the surprise on her face.
The woman let out a frame-shaking laugh, crinkling her nose as she shook her hand to gesture that it was okay.
"It's fine, really," she breathed out, "I take it this is Beth? Noah told me that you'd be bringing her. She's beautiful, by the way. Feisty, though, aren't you, little one?"
The toddler laughed at the older woman, her eyes twinkling at the kind look. "Reminds me a bit of my granddaughter, always so forward, that one," she caressed Beth's cheek, and this time, Beth took the hand and held it, smiling brightly at Quinn.
Beth started to squeal happily from her stroller, talking back to Ester. Quinn smiled, and a part of her knew that Beth was aware she was the subject and was doing her best to speak for herself.
"And how old is this little one?" Ester asked, already smitten with the little girl. Quinn felt relief at Ester's attitude towards the girl- bring a baby to a meeting with a possible client wasn't exactly professional, but she wasn't sure how long this would take and didn't want to take chances with leaving Beth alone in a new home.
"About 19 months, now," Quinn answered. She leaned forward in her chair, reaching towards her messenger bag stowed at the bottom of Beth's stroller, she pulled out her black binder. "I brought my portfolio, to showcase some of the works I've done, along with my resume at the front," she got down to business.
Ester smiled, taking the portfolio from the blonde's outstretched hands. "Ah yes, thank you for bringing it." She rounded her table and took a seat, taking notice of Quinn's resume at the front, before flipping through. Quinn straightened her posture, her stomach churning over with each flip of the page. Having someone look at your professional work, at what you did, never got any easier no matter how confident she was. She was proud of her designs and past work, but criticism from others was always something to take in consideration. Hazel eyes scanned the older woman's face, but Ester remained impassive.
The several minutes that ticked past felt outrageously extended, and Quinn had a cold sweat break out by the time Ester looked back up. The owner cleared her throat, before meeting Quinn's eyes. Even Beth seemed to quiet down, aware of the tension within Quinn.
"Honestly," Ester started, "There wasn't anyone else who replied to our request, and there aren't any freelance designers here. We had a meeting with a representative from design firm a town over, but he was a pompous schmendrik- I couldn't stand being in the same room with him, nevertheless spend another moment to look at your work."
Quinn waited for the older woman to continue, unsure of the direction this conversation was going. "We recently got newly renovated- my granddaughter's idea, to appeal to the younger crowd, and that certainly helped business, but with the how everyone is with technology, especially with the companies that review establishments online and advertise the higher rated ones, she was the one who pushed for creating a website.
"Noah mentioned it, from your phone call, but am I correct in recalling that you just moved into town?" Quinn nodded. Ester smiled at this, "Well then I'm finding myself quite fortunate, finding you so quickly. I'd be going senile to turn you down for the job," Ester laughed, and the weight building on the blonde's shoulders melted away.
The blonde nodded, offering her quote to the bakery owner. She felt the cold sweat again- for freelancers, the hardest part about business was setting your price. And this time, unlike previous clients, she had raised her price a noticeable amount than her previous listings. She was pushing it, she knew, but with the move, Beth, and a dwindling bank account, she needed to have this job accommodate her if this was her only project this month. However, just like moments before with Ester alleviating her worries, she did so once again by immediately agreeing to Quinn's set price.
Ester pulled out papers to contract this agreement, handing it to Quinn to fill them out. "Now, my granddaughter is the one with the direction she wants the website to go," she started, as Quinn filled out the paperwork. Quinn exchanged one of her own papers to Ester, for liability of the project, the owner signing immediately.
"She was out of town previously, but she should have came back today. Do you have a card, or your contact information?" Ester asked.
Quinn grabbed her bag, "Yeah, of course," she replied, rummaging inside it before she found her card case. "Here," she promptly handed Ester her business card.
"I actually need to get rid of these," she admitted, "The address was to my old office in the firm I used work in. But, the phone number and email are still valid."
"That's all we'll need," Ester stood up as Quinn handed her the signed paperwork. Quinn mirrored the action, taking Ester's hand as she reached out to give the blonde a firm handshake. "Thank you, really," she said earnestly.
"Your portfolio was much more than I imagined," she reveals, a mischievous glint in her eye as she continues, "And it really puts that firm we met with to shame. Bad personalities, and bad work to show for it."
Quinn's cheeks flushed, and she ducked her head. "Ah, thank you," she murmured. The older woman's honesty was a new experience, especially for the freelance designer. An agreement to the price she set was unheard of, especially for new clients that she wasn't recommended too, along with kindness to the situation she was in.
Ester once again thanked Quinn, suggesting Quinn to try something from the bakery. "On the house," Ester offered, "and also as a welcoming gift, for moving into town.", and began to walk the two to the front. The blonde nodded, couldn't help but let the giddiness of today's success spill along her face. It didn't help when Beth grabbed onto Ester's shirt, looked straight at the elderly woman and thanked the woman.
The bakery was less busy than when Quinn entered, the morning rush finally died down, but there a handful of customers still in. She watched as Ester greeted all of the customers who were dining in, chatting with a few of the older ones. Quinn's observation was cut short at Beth's whine.
"What's up, bud?" she turned to Beth, whose eyes were glued to the lit up display. Beth looked at Quinn, then back at the bakery's display, before returning her eyes to Quinn and giving her the biggest pout ever. The blonde, amused, narrowed her eyes at the toddler, muttering, "Bud, I'm not going to let you start using that face to overpower me. I won't have it."
Beth's reaction to the rejection was to raise an eyebrow, making Quinn laugh. The toddler was aware that Quinn wasn't giving in, and proceeded to protest loudly, whining at Quinn. Quinn glanced over at Ester, who was engaged in a small talk. Well, she thought, it wouldn't harm her to experience her client's products. "If I'm getting something, it's for me," the older blonde acquiesced. "You can have a bite or two."
The toddler's eyes lit up, her whining stopping. She grunted at Quinn, motioning towards the display where all the baked goods were lined up. Quinn looked over at Ester, gesturing that she was going to check out the products, and take Ester's offer up. The elderly store owner proceeded to motion her to go ahead, before taking a seat and continuing a conversation with one of the patrons.
Beth clapped her hands excitedly as Quinn pushed the stroller, so Beth could take a look at the goods. Just as the description of the store from the online reviews, she found that they held a wide array of typical baked goods, along with Jewish baked goods, and vegan alternates to what Quinn inferred as the most popular dishes.
"First time here?" a voice beside her spoke. Quinn looked over at the sound of the newcomer's voice, surprised that she wasn't startled at the unkown presence, only calmed. She nodded mutely, as she regarded a short brunette beside her.
The girl was noticeably inches shorter than the blonde, yet the blonde felt herself small as deep, chestnut eyes gazed at her. Her own hazel eyes followed the other girl's hand, watching intently as she ran her hand through her hair, before sweeping fallen bangs behind her ear. Quinn flushed deeply when the girl turned towards her, caught in her trance.
"I, uh," the blonde stuttered, immediately turning to the display. Damn her fair complexion, damn it all to hell. She felt her cheeks redden, and she knew it was visible to the other girl. She peeked at the brunette, and the growing amusement on the other girl's face confirmed her suspicions. She pushed the desire to cover her face, and tried to quell these jitters before she embarrassed herself even further. She inhaled deeply, before quickly exhaling under her breath. "I've never really been to a bakery," she finally spoke.
The other girl grinned, and Quinn bit her lip at it. "Well then, let's find you something good," the brunette hummed, returning her focus to the display and scanning through the items. Quinn took the moment to turn to Beth wide-eyed. Beth giggled at Quinn's discomfort, turning away to look at the pastries aligned. Utter betrayal, Quinn internally remarked. As if reading her thoughts, Beth turned to her, and swung her hands out in the air. "Aainu!" she cheered, and Quinn swore she saw Beth smirk when she lightly smacked the older blonde in the face.
"Oh!" the girl had turned to ask Quinn what she she usually preferred as pastries, but caught the exchange and gasped, staring dumbfounded. Beth giggled, while Quinn gave her a pointed look.
"No, Beth," she gritted out, not particularly angry at the child's conniving move, but more embarrassed that this was in certain company. "You don't do that," she chastised, making sure to firm her voice. Beth looked down, aware that her impulsive action did not make Quinn happy.
"Auwee," Beth pouted.
"What?" Quinn said, perking up at the word. Beth looked up at Quinn, repeating the word.
The blonde smiled- another word for Beth the very next day. She had worried before, reading online about children speaking by their first year. Beth's old doctor had supervised Quinn to talk to Beth everyday, along with word associations. Nothing had worked, but the pediatrician reassured Quinn that every toddler was different, regardless of what seemed to be normal.
"Is Beth aware when you're talking to her?" he had asked, watching as Quinn nodded furiously. She remembered how panicked she felt when considering the toddler's speech delay could be an indication to more serious issues.
"She responds- she knows and it shows. She listens, she gets what she isn't supposed to do, and what she is allowed to do. I swear," Quinn ranted.
He pulled up previous tests on whether or not Beth was deaf, all negative when she physically responded to sound. "I believe you. I know it's unsettling, but there are just some toddlers who experience a speech delay, even until they are past 24 months."
Warm eyes met Quinn, an aura of gentle reassurance reaching her. "Every child is different, Quinn. Don't stress yourself with a negative mindset just because Beth isn't showing the same development as others- we have evidence that shows Beth is developing along normally. She is healthy, with no major health problems, specifically ear infections in this case, and she is aware of social interactions. She shows an understanding to language, she responds. She may not be vocalizing any sort of speech, but she shows that she understands it.
"Continue to speak to her, and to regularly check with her pathologist. But what to remember is patience. No matter the outcome, Beth is quite intelligent for her development."
The brunette's laughter snapped Quinn out of her reverie. Beth was apologetically repeating, "Auuwee," and pouting at Quinn.
"Okay," Quinn responded, smiling at Beth, "It's okay, bud." She pressed a kiss to Beth's temple, "Just don't do it again. That's not allowed." She emphasized 'not allowed', and as always, Beth recognized the phrase. But just like more recent times, she responded, with what appeared to be a nod, and a soft, "Okay."
The blonde beamed at the little girl, extremely proud. What started as embarrassment turned into extreme pride, and her new found confidence pushed her to face the brunette, explaining how Beth just learned how to apologize.
The other girl gasped again in surprise, but this time she smiled widely, and leaned towards Beth. "Wow," she muttered amazed. "You must be really smart, huh? You are, aren't you?"
Quinn raised an eyebrow, normally she felt overly sensitive when people spoke to Beth like they would a learning puppy, but with how genuine the other girl sounded, she found it more tolerable. A little more than tolerable. Besides, she hadn't done it in a sickeningly-sweet baby voice, she had asked Beth just as she had been talking to Quinn.
Well, sort of talking. Quinn sighed. Sure, Beth did make her remarkably proud but she also embarrassed the heck out of her moments before. "So, um," she cleared her throat, getting the other girl's attention.
She gave one last smile to Beth, before turning over to Quinn. "Try a rugelach, and the hamentaschen. Any filling is the best, really. I personally recommend vegan dark chocolate and cinnamon rugelach, here." Quinn watched as the girl smiled to herself, the corner of her lips infectiously turning upwards in response. The brunette crinkled her nose, continuing, "The person who came up with that recipe- it's seriously awesome. Totally on point."
The blonde eyed the pastry of subject, surprised to find that it was one that she had looked over at twice. "Yeah, I think I'll get one of those," she murmured.
She flushed again when the brunette playfully winked at her, "Thank me later when your tastebuds have a total foodgasm. Best one of your life." She laughed at Quinn's expression, before cutting it shortly and putting her hands up to her mouth. "Oops," she meekly apologized, eyeing Beth, a smile still on her lips.
She crouched again to Beth, "Uh, you didn't hear that." Beth just giggled loudly, and the two older girls had no idea how to interpret that laugh. As much credit Quinn gives Beth, the toddler was starting to become more mischievous as she became more confident in her abilities.
"Here, come on, let me treat you," the brunette said, grabbing Quinn's forearm and gently leading her towards the counter.
"Oh, no," Quinn started, but the brunette waved her off.
"No seriously, I'd totally pay for every newbie's first rugelach," she insisted. "Well not everybody's, but definitely for a pretty girl like you, yes."
Quinn bit her lip, her stomach flip flopping in excitement. She's pretty sure the blood flushing in her cheeks would stain through and be permanent.
"Noah!" the girl called, and Quinn saw the young man from earlier round about from the kitchen.
His eyes lit up, a grin on his face, putting aside whatever he was doing and quickly moving towards them. "Rachel!" he called out happily, closing the gap with a playful grin on his face. "You're finally back, dude! I have to tell you about this really hot-" he stopped in his tracks, noticing Quinn right behind the brunette.
The brunette scrunched her eyebrows together at the young man. "The really hot...?" she urged him on.
Quinn huffed, though she wasn't that irritated at the young man's demeanor. Just at the interruption. Puck grinned, "The really hot babka I got in the back. Totally delicious. I'll let you try it." Even Quinn had to admit that he played it off well.
He leaned at the counter, waggling his eyebrows, "So I see you've met the milf," he whispered to his childhood friend. Rachel punched him lightly on the shoulder, eyeing Quinn to make sure she didn't hear the unfiltered, inappropriate and provocative mouth of her friend.
The blonde tilted her head slightly, much to Rachel's relief.
"Watch your mouth, Noah," Rachel started. "And don't call me 'dude'. I've told you that a million times."
Puck laughed, and turned to Quinn. He stuck out his chest a little, and nodded at her. "Hey, Quinn," he started. "Need me to help you with anything?"
"You," Rachel said firmly, "Can go grab her a rugelach. A fresh one. You know, the one I like."
"You mean the one you made," he raised an eyebrow, amused when a flustered Rachel turned to Quinn. He chuckled when he caught the brunette in the act, turning to Quinn. "She always gets people to try her recipes first. It's a little unfair since she based it off my original recipe."
Rachel pushed him from over the counter, evidently flustered, "Liar! Besides, how can I base a vegan recipe off of- oh just go get the damn thing, Noah."
Puck smirked at Rachel, always pleased to tease the girl. Even if they weren't related, she was like a little sister. Technically older sister, but the point still was, it was part of his job description. Aside from baking delicious pastries.
"It's a great tactic," Rachel defended to Quinn, who raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"I'm sure it is," she replied, knowingly egging the girl on.
Just as expected, the brunette folded her arms, "Seriously! I'm not a full time baker here like Noah is, so no one really knows that I came up with it. Plus, I don't get to see them buy it all the time, and I know it's good. I like seeing people enjoy it. I'm not over hyping it for any reason, I'm aware that it's delicious!"
Beth giggled at Rachel, who sputtered even more as the toddler took on Quinn's expression. "Don't take her side!" she playfully pouted to Beth.
"Auwee," Beth plainly said, smiling brightly at Rachel.
"Rach is a total narcissist, she loves getting people to praise her stuff," Puck stated when he rounded the counter with a fresh rugelach with a glass of milk. "Vanilla soymilk," he said when Quinn looked at the beverage.
"Seriously, it's the best drink to go with it," Rachel prompted. "And I'm pretty sure that you aren't aware of the definition of narcissism," she narrowed her eyes at Puck. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with being confident in your talents, or sharing company with others who acknowledge such.
"I swear to you, you'll enjoy it. It's literally the best item here, both the regular and vegan version," she insisted.
"Quinn, she's totally fishing for compliments, don't give in," Puck teased, earning another punch from Rachel. "Okay, okay, I gotta get back to work though." He looked at Quinn, and nodded his head, "You enjoy that, ma'am."
Rachel rolled her eyes, then immediately crouched to Beth with a serious complexion, "Violence is bad. You shouldn't hit people, unless they have an unappealing mohawk and get people to call them 'Puck'."
"Fantastic role model, you are," Quinn finally spoke up. Rachel looked up at Quinn, and just looked at her for a long moment, a slow smile spreading onto her face. The blonde wet her lips at the girl's gaze, the pleasant warmth in her stomach returning.
"I am, indeed," Rachel said, standing back up. "I'm Rachel, by the way," she finally introduced herself, putting her hand out in front of her. Quinn took it, reveling at the girl's soft hands.
"Quinn," she replied, swallowing when Rachel softly repeated her name. When Rachel looked down at the toddler, Quinn answered her before she could ask. "Her name is Beth."
Unabashed chestnut eyes were fixed onto her own once again, letting a moment of silence in between the two before she slowly spoke. "It's a beautiful name."
The blonde felt her stomach flutter again, unsure to who Rachel referred to. "Thank you," she ducked her head down. She felt the other girl's eyes on her, and weirdly enough, she could feel the other girl's smile growing. Much to her embarrassment, of course.
"Beth," Rachel murmured, "it's perfect for her." The honesty in her voice astounded Quinn. "And Quinn..." she continued, pausing for a moment, watching the blonde's reaction.
Quinn seriously wanted to hide her face in her hands at this point. The bakery was warm from the ovens, but she felt the heat from her face. She was confident that Rachel could feel it, and it didn't extinguish the warmth.
Rachel grinned, opening her mouth again, but was interrupted when Ester came around. "Rachel!" she gingerly wrapped her arms around the brunette. "You're back earlier than I expected! I didn't even notice you come in," Ester greeted.
"I didn't want to interrupt you, Bubbe, that would have been remarkably rude," she apologized, but gave Ester a kiss on the cheek. "You looked like you were having fun, and besides, I'm gonna be here all day to take up your time, I don't need to take it away from other people."
"I wish Noah was more like you," Ester sighed. "I hate the phrase, 'boys will be boys', it should not excuse them to act like pigs."
Rachel laughed, "Noah just has no filter for his mouth, but I even have to admit that when he get's seriously he will always respect others." Ester smiled at that, nodding her head.
"I see you've met Quinn," Ester smiled at Quinn, "we contracted her to design the website. I was going to give you her number so you could meet and discuss your ideas that you had when you told me about going online with this stuff."
Rachel's looked from her grandmother to Quinn, and back, her smile slowly dying. "We hired...Quinn is," she started, her expression startled, before squeaking out, "we hired Quinn?"
Ester look confused, before turning to the door when a bell indicated a new customer, "Oh, it's Maryanne, I haven't seen her in a while. You two can discuss that stuff, I was never up to date with all of this design and website stuff." The elderly woman politely excused herself, leaving the flustered brunette with the blonde.
"Oh my god," Rachel muttered, still staring incredulously at Quinn. "That was- we hired you," she repeated. She covered her face in her hands and groaned, to Beth's amusement as the toddler giggled from the stroller.
"I totally was flirting with you," Rachel admitted, "this is so unprofessional. I was in charge of meeting with the designer and- oh god."
"Rachel," Quinn started, stopping when the girl raised her hand.
"I am so sorry- I mean, I don't take back any of what I said, you are quite beautiful and that's so obvious, but I had known that we'd be working together professionally I wouldn't have, oh my god," she groaned again. "I'm making a fool out of myself right now," she finally laughed.
"Rachel, it's fine," Quinn said again, reaching out to grab the brunette's forearm. "Really, I," she paused.
"I didn't mind," she earnestly said, ducking her head forward once again.
She watched the brunette take in a breath, before exhaling, composing herself. Quinn let out a chuckle when Rachel put on another brilliant smile, extending her arm out. "We're doing this again," she informed Quinn. "Hi, I'm Rachel. My Bubbe runs the store and is the head baker. I'm currently the manager. I'll be the one in contact with you about the website, and what we generally want the direction of it to go in."
The blonde brought her hand up, relishing in the second handshake she got with the girl, "Hi, Rachel," she started, unsure of how to play along. "I'm...the web designer Ester hired," she finished lamely.
Rachel nodded in a solemn manner, before continuing, "I hope we can work together, 'The-Web-Designer-Ester-Hired'."
The two shared the serious look, before Rachel cracked. "Yeah, that was really corny," she admitted, running a hand through her hair.
"A little," Quinn agreed, another chuckle escaping her.
She felt Beth pulling at her shirt, whining. Quinn looked at the toddler, whose patience ran thin with the older blonde, motioning to the freshly baked pastry on the counter.
"Come on Beth, let's get you to try some of this," Rachel said, picking up the plate the pastry was on and the glass of soymilk, along with a couple of utensils and a straw for the drink. Quinn grabbed Beth's stroller, following the brunette to one of the open tables.
Sitting at the table, Quinn grabbed a plastic fork and knife, and cut off a small piece of the pastry for Beth. Even though the pastry had cooled down a little on the counter, Quinn still blew on it to make sure it wasn't too hot. Bring it to Beth's mouth, she held her hand underneath as Beth took the bite, chewing it. The toddler's eyes lit up as she thoroughly chewed the sweet treat. After her bite, she reached to the glass, squeezing her fingers repeatedly.
Quinn brought the cold glass of soymilk over, positioning the straw to Beth's mouth. Beth eagerly drank the liquid, happy with the taste. She then opened her mouth again, awaiting another bite.
"Seems like we have a taker," Rachel laughed, crossing her arms on the table watching Beth enjoy herself. Every bite Beth took, she would widen her green eyes in delight, a smile on her face. Quinn was happy Beth was evidently enjoying the treat, but even happier that she remembered to chew with her mouth closed, a feat she read other kids struggled with.
"Here," Rachel said, picking up another fork, and taking the plastic knife Quinn set down, "You try too." She raised a piece, looking expectantly at the blonde.
Quinn raised an eyebrow, and Rachel rolled her eyes. "Come on, this isn't...inappropriate, or anything," she insisted.
"If you say so," Quinn shrugged, leaning forward and taking the piece offered. Quinn politely covered her mouth with a hand as she chewed, hazel eyes widening at the taste.
Rachel beamed at her, crinkling her nose. "See, I told you! It's pretty great, isn't it."
Quinn finished the piece, before continuing. "It was...above adequacy, I suppose."
The brunette snorted, "Above adequacy my ass." Quinn raised her eyebrows, and Rachel slapped her forehead, before slightly bowing to Beth as Quinn fed her another piece.
"You did not hear that, Beth," Rachel told her, looking at Beth as the toddler chewed. Beth just smiled at her, and motioned for the soymilk to drink.
After sipping on the cup, Beth gave Quinn and Rachel a shy smile through her lashes. After a moment of silence, Beth answered, "Okay."
Quinn sighed, appalled every single time when Beth verbally responds, but was dumbstruck at the next word.
"Ass," Beth giggled, finding amusement on the shock of Rachel and Quinn's face.
After Quinn had put Beth in her crib, the toddler tired after a long day, she sat on her bed, pulling out a composition notebook. Marking the date, she continued to write, 4th Word: Beth learned the word, 'sorry'. I am ignoring the other one.
She smiled, before adding, She still proves to be a brilliant little girl. I'm proud of her.
Closing the book, she heard Beth softly whine. The little girl remained sitting up, looking at Quinn, before letting out another quiet whine. Quinn walked back over to the crib, and picked up Beth, carrying her in her arms, humming the tune to Beth's favorite lullaby. She felt Beth relax in her arms, and after another minutes of humming, she set the girl back down.
Beth noticed the loss of contact, her eyes opening, but drooping closed almost instantly. She let out a string of incoherent noises, before looking up at Quinn once again. She quieted down as Quin shushed her, moving Beth's thin hair out of her face.
"Mama," she whispered to Quinn.
The blonde stared back at Beth, and continued to shush her as the girl's eyes drooped close, unable to fight sleep. Quinn caressed Beth's cheek, before withdrawing her hand to wipe a tear that dropped past her cheek.
"I'm sorry bud," Quinn whispered, not wanting to wake Beth back up. "But I'm not your mom. I'm just...Quinn."
The blonde closed her eyes, moving to sit on her bed through what would most likely be another sleepless night, the toddler's first word causing Quinn to feel far from tired. She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs, and leaned against the wall.
"Just... Auntie Quinn."
AN: I am unsure if I used these terms incorrectly, feel free to correct me!
schlemiel - a stupid, awkward, or unlucky person
schmendrik - stupid person
rugelach - pastry
hamentaschen - pastry