"I really appreciate this, Mercedes" Quinn said as she tucked her clothes into some emptied drawers of the divas older brothers' dresser.

"Well you've really helped me lately, with the Cheerios and everything. I'm just returning the favor." Mercedes shrugged. "And I'm sorry about the way I acted towards you this week. You been nice to me, I just tend to get an attitude when people call me out on stuff," she finished with her winning smile and chuckle.

"Yeah, I noticed," she deadpanned and then smirked towards her from inside the closet where she scooted aside some of Bryce's left behind clothes to accommodate her dresses.

Mercedes smiled back and removed the last two garments from Quinn's Cheerios duffel, one of the last remnants of her previous life. The shirt was large and gray with "McKinley Athletics Dept." emblazoned on the front complete with a pair of black WMHS gym shorts. Mercedes imagined both belonged to Puck at one time and they looked like they'd been slept in repeatedly. She didn't say anything as she laid them on the green plaid comforter of the bed.

"They're all that's comfortable enough to sleep in. I've got more important things to spend money on than pajamas." Quinn said from the floor of the closet where she was setting her few pairs of shoes that she could still wear now that her feet had begun swelling, seemingly anxious to catch up to her behind and belly. When she had told Puck that she wanted to "do this on my own" she had meant it. He had given her a place to live and she was grateful for that, but she was determined to support herself as much as she could. She had gotten a part-time with American Eagle down at the mall, and worked as often as she could between Glee and homework. She made good money but baby bills were expensive and clothes to wear in public were a much more pressing matter than what she slept in.

And although she was grateful for all that Puck had done to help she couldn't even begin to express to Mercedes how happy she was to be out of that house. And it wasn't just Pucks mom's snark, or the different culture or "family" feel she was relieved to be rid of, it was the image she got from people knowing she was living with him. Granted, her rep was pretty much shot already, but the whole school knew how Puck was and she hated fueling rumors when there was no substance behind them. This was high school and people talk. She was already knocked up by him; there was no reason for them not to believe that she and Puck were continuing to have sex. Puck had to sit out two baseball games in the season for punching out a fellow player in the locker room when he asked if they showered together and slept in the same bed. She had heard people whispering that maybe she was a fake all along, putting on the pure act but actually being anything but. She couldn't blame them for jumping to that conclusion, the majority of Pucks conquests were pretty much far from reputable young women. Therefore living with him didn't help the situation at all.

Dinner with the Joneses had been a welcome change. Plenty of food, smiles, love and laughter. Quinn felt like a welcome guest and not "that Christian girl my Jewish son got pregnant and now I have to feed". Pucks mom had never said it quite like that, but she certainly conveyed it other ways.

Mercedes had excused herself at some point during Quinn's internal monologue and had told her to wait right there, so Quinn took the opportunity to give a thorough look-over of her new room. NBA posters: check. Obligatory Beyoncé poster: check (and Quinn was pleased to note that she was much more clothed than the girls Puck had posters of on his closet doors. She wondered how many of them were "nice Jewish girls" his mother would approve of). Moving on… various sports medals hanging from the dresser mirror: check. She smiled as she saw figurines of each of the four ninja turtles on his bookshelf and even a small "Millennium Falcon" replica. Oh, wow, was that actually a Sega Genesis?

"He had to leave that behind." Mercedes said and she returned to the room, two spoons and half a carton of Cookies n' Cream in her hands. "She said if his grades are good this semester he can take it back with him after break."

'After break'. Quinn wondered how long from now that would be and if Mercedes' brother knew his bedroom was playing host to a knocked-up dethroned head cheerleader. She certainly didn't want to intrude on his space while he was home for a visit. And, honestly, Quinn had given some thought as to what she would do and where she would go after the baby was born. She needed to be with a family right now, just in case something happened in the middle of the night, that something most likely being labor, an ordeal Quinn was anxious for yet dreading with every fiber of her being. But she hated feeling like she was mooching off of her friends and their families. She wanted desperately to be able to just go home! Her mother, she knew, would take her back but only if it were approved by her father…which Quinn was pretty sure would happen the day Satan needed a snowplow. She had called her sister, who now lived in Cleveland. She was, predictably, totally in the dark about the soap opera her little sisters' life had become. Quinn wasn't surprised her parents hadn't told her although she knew she and her mom spoke often. She had been much more understanding than their parents, even inviting Quinn to come live with her and her husband.

Quinn missed her sister dearly, but couldn't quite decide if that was the route she wanted to take. Cleveland was nearly a three hour drive from Lima and Quinn wasn't sure she wanted to leave it all behind just yet. Like every teenager she planned to leave eventually, but in the natural order: Graduation, then off to college. Not because she was disowned by her parents. She also knew if it were just her sister the idea might seem more appealing. But it was her sister and her husband. She liked Jason just fine, but she knew it would be awkward. But hey, no more awkward than living with a guy who thought he was the father even though the two of you never had sex. Or living with the real father and his little sister, whom things were going really well with until one week her class finally discussed where babies come from. No those weren't awkward conversations at all! "You and my brother? EWW!" Quinn was pretty sure her cheeks were a permanent shade of red embarrassment for about a month.

Or finding yourself invited warmly into the house of a girl that, up until a few months ago, you hadn't, apparently, said anything more than "you" and "suck" to. Quinn didn't particularly remember ever saying that to Mercedes, but she was sure it was probably true. Nothing like getting knocked flat on your butt off the top rung of the ladder to make you realize how poorly you treated people. Mercedes did anything but suck. She was amazing, and Quinn was constantly in awe of her voice. Mercedes had sat down on the bed and patted in front of her, motioning for Quinn to join her.

"Do you normally eat dessert in the bedrooms?" Quinn asked as she padded over and sank down on the soft mattress, though she had a pretty good idea of just what this was.

"This ain't dessert, li'l mama, this is comfort food. I brought you here for a reason so start spillin'"

Quinn should have known Mercedes would waste no time trying to get her to open up.

"We're going to find the hurt under the mad white woman," Mercedes smirked.

"Mad white pregnant woman," Quinn corrected as she took a spoon.

"Right," Mercedes chuckled. "So, think back. When did it all start?"

When did it start? When did Quinn find her life doing a 180 on top of her? What possessed her to have sex with Noah Puckerman, the boy in school with the worst reputation? When did she become unhappy with her body, which at this point she only prayed she would be able to get back? When did she become obsessed with status, image and with what everyone thought of her? Each cause led to a preceding cause, her current state being the ultimate culminating effect. Yet, the more Quinn backtracked, the more she realized she'd been screwed up for a very long time.

"Birth," she said dryly as she popped a spoonful in her mouth.