Thunderstorms
Beth wasn't scared of anything. Her daddy always told her she was the bravest 5 year old he knew.
When she had to get her booster shots, she didn't even cry like all the other kids. Even the time a mouse ran across their classroom, and all the other little girls got on their chairs and screamed, Beth simply declared the rodent was cute.
No, Beth Puckerman wasn't afraid of anything… Except maybe thunderstorms.
She loved the rain; splashing in the puddles, running through the mud, hunting for worms with her best friend, Brody… But as soon as she heard that thunder, she would go running.
May brought a month of rain to Lima, and tonight they were supposed to get their worst thunderstorm yet.
"Did you put Beth's bike in the garage?" Quinn asked her husband as she looked out the window at the massive black clouds rolling quickly across the sky.
"Yep." He mumbled, looking through the fridge. "Even though it should have been there in the first place." He cracks a smile and takes a beer out of the fridge and walks into the living room, where Beth was sprawled out on the floor, coloring.
Puck set the bottle on the coffee table and got down on the floor next to her, laying on his stomach and watching her color.
Beth frowned and looked at her father, snapping at him, a quality she picked up from her mother. "What?"
He chuckled and pointed to her coloring book. "I like your picture, is it for your old man?"
"No!" She closed the coloring book and clutched it to her protectively.
Puck sighed, he knew the rapidly approaching thunderstorm was bothering her. "Sweetheart, the storm isn't going to hurt us, there's nothing to be scared of." He smiled at her reassuringly, "If you want, I'll even let you sleep with me and mommy."
Quinn now stood in the doorway of their living room, watching the two of them, nodding her head and smiling as Beth looked back at her.
Beth folded her arms over her chest, not wanting to admit she was scared. "No, 'cause I'm not scared!" she cried, "I'm not a-scared of anything!" She stated proudly.
Puck grinned, "'Atta girl." He looked at Quinn and winked, then looked back at Beth. "So, let's make a deal."
Both Quinn and Beth raised an eyebrow at him.
"What?" Beth said slowly, looking at him carefully.
He smiled, "If you make it through the night without coming into our room, I'll let you eat ice cream for breakfast in the morning."
Her face lit up and she smiled brightly at the thought of having her favorite dessert for breakfast.
Puck grinned, "Do we have a deal?"
"Yes!" She smiled, "I'm not even scared!"
He shook his head with a laugh and stood up, turning on the TV, taking a seat on the recliner.
Beth opened her coloring book back up and began coloring again, smiling to herself.
Quinn walked over to the recliner and sat on the arm, swinging her legs over his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck, "Alright, what are you plotting?"
He smiled and held a finger up to his lips. "Shh." He pulled her closer to him and whispered in her ear, "You and I both know she doesn't stand a chance. Especially not with the storm we're supposed to get tonight."
She laughs and shakes her head, pushing him gently and speaking quietly, "You're horrible. "
Just as she says this, a low rolls of thunder shakes their quaint house, and both of their gazes fly to their daughter. Beth flinches, but quickly recovers, kicking her legs in the air as she colors.
Puck smirks and Quinn holds in a laugh.
A few hours went by and it was going on nine o'clock. Beth had been playing in her room when Quinn came upstairs, calling her name. She opened her door and smiled as she walked into her room, "Bedtime!"
Beth sighed and ignored her mother, focusing on running the brush through her doll's hair.
Her mother sat on her bed, patting it, smiling. "Come on, sweetie. Your toys will be here in the morning."
Beth smiled as she dropped the doll and crawled into bed, her mother pulling the covers over her "Yeah, and my ice cream!" She grinned and Quinn leaned over her and gently brushed their noses together, giving her an Eskimo kiss. "As long as you're the brave little girl I know."
Beth giggled and sank back into her pillow. "I told you mommy! I'm not scared!" She folds her arms and nods promptly.
Just as she does this, there is a flash of light out her window, followed by a rumble of thunder. She jumps a little, but shakes it off, smiling brightly.
Quinn grins and kisses her forehead. "Sleep tight, Don't let the bed bugs bite." She says, tickling under Beth's chin, earning a small giggle.
Puck stood at the doorway now, watching the two of them. "Goodnight sweetheart." He grinned, "Don't forget our little deal."
Quinn rolled her eyes and gave Beth a final peck on the cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too, mommy."
Puck walked in and kissed her hair, "Love you, Munchkin."
"Love you too, Daddy."
Quinn turned on her nightlight and they said goodnight once more before cracking her door shut and walking into their bedroom.
Quinn chuckled as she slipped into her pajamas. "How long do you think it'll be before she's in here?"
Puck smirked and looked at the clock, he listened to the rain coming down hard on the roof. "I'd give it an hour.." Thunder boomed again and he laughed, "Probably less."
Quinn climbed into their bed as Puck turned the light off and slid in next to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind, and kissing her neck. "I love you."
Quinn smiled and rolled in his arms to face him, placing a kiss on his lips. "I love you too."
Puck and Quinn lay together, talking quietly as the storm got louder, waiting for their daughter to show up. Sure enough, Beth appeared at their door just about an hour later, sniffling and clutching her teddy bear.
Puck and Quinn smiled at each other before both sitting up and looking at her. She pouted as she wiped her eyes, staying put.
After a few moments of silence, Puck caved and made room between him and Quinn, smiling and patting the bed. "Get up here, Munchkin." Beth climbed into the bed and got under the blankets between them and sighed.
Quinn smiled a little as Beth snuggled into the blankets.
"You know what this means, don't you, Beth?" Puck said with a smirk.
Beth folded her arms and mumbled "No ice cream."
Quinn laughed softly at Beth's face and brushed away a few tears from her cheeks. "No ice cream for breakfast." She kissed her forehead.
"Yeah, Buuuut" Puck adds on and whispers to her, "If you go to sleep now, you can have some after lunch."
Beth smiles and closes her eyes tightly. Puck chuckles and kisses her forehead, "Night Beth."
Quinn smiled sweetly at Puck and mouthed, 'I love you.'
He smiled and leaned over Beth to kiss her softly and whispered gently against her lips, as the thunder chimed again, "I love you."
AHEM. Soooo, today inspiration hit me... and i came up with literally like... 14 prompts of these kinds of stories. Puck, Quinn, and Beth at around age 5. (:
I am about to write the next one now, and I may turn this into a collection of one-shots about their life. :D
So anyway, reviews are much appreciated and make me super-duper happy and drive me to write more. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)
Thanks for reading! :D
-Mikayla