Quinn stood with the rest of the glee club members in the center of the stage in the auditorium. The glee club was getting ready to practice a number for the upcoming regionals. Mr. Schuester, who was sitting at his usually spot in the center third row, was yelling out instructions to his students. "Get with your partners that I placed you with and we'll start from there!" he instructed. Quinn sighed. She was partnered with Puck as usual and she just wasn't in the mood for it today. She was tired and frustrated with the week already. Sam had been on her case ever since she said she was considering quitting the cheerios and this week was no exception. In fact he was coming to the point of begging, and it was getting on her last nerve. When Quinn looked up, Puck was standing in front of her. She gave him a quick smile and then turned to face Mr. Schuester and wait for directions.

Puck and Quinn had come to a silent agreement long ago that it was best to give each other space. The day Beth was born, they realized that whatever they were to each other was stronger then both of them had thought. Quinn knew that what she felt for Puck was something she had never experienced before, not even with Finn. She knew it might be love, but she wasn't sure yet. She knew he was special, more then special. He was Noah Puckerman, her Noah Puckerman, but that scared her in more ways then one. Puck hadn't been faithful to her nor was he always saying the nicest things. She needed someone who was safe. No, what she needed was time alone. As she looked at her baby girl lying in her arms, she knew that fate was sealed. All she saw in Beth's eyes were Puck and when she looked up to see Puck, smiling brighter then she had ever seen him smile, she saw Beth.

Puck knew that his feelings for Quinn had developed into something he had never felt before with any girl. He loved her and now he wasn't afraid to say it. Who cares that he was Noah Puckerman, certified bad ass and womanizer. Now he was Noah Puckerman, a father and completely in love with one Quinn Fabray, and if he was being honest he always had been. Why would someone need to care about their reputation when they had just met the most beautiful baby girl, and better yet, got to call said baby girl his daughter. He took another look at his little girl and looked up at the blonde holding her. God she was beautiful. Her silky blonde hair was a mess from just giving birth, but he swore he had never seen her look better. He loved the messy bun she had in now, her makeup-less face glowing more then it had ever been before. He knew he was one lucky SOB for being the only one who was ever going to see Quinn Fabray like this because she had never looked more beautiful, if that was even possible. He wanted to kiss her, he needed to kiss her, but he didn't know how she would feel.

He had kissed her a few times when she was living with him. He couldn't help it. Seeing her sleeping in HIS bed, with HIS sweat pants on, and HIS child inside of her would always give him the courage to go up and give her a small peck on her lips. The first few times he had tried, she hadn't kissed back, but gave him a warm smile in return. Then one night, he and Quinn were laying in bed, his hand wrapped around her waist protectively, when he felt Beth kick. At first he was scared and even jumped a little throwing his hands in the air. He knew he looked ridiculous and it didn't help that Quinn was laughing at him. She assured him that it was normal and guided his hands to her stomach again. This time when Beth kicked, his fear was gone and he honestly couldn't remember the last time he was this happy. He turned to her and kissed her and this time she had kissed back even deepening the kiss. He didn't want it to end and was disappointed when she had pulled back. She looked up at him with a smile and curled up into his chest. He held her close, kissed her forehead, and together they fell asleep.

It wasn't always this way. He had given up his bed to Quinn when she first moved in and he slept on an air mattress he set up on the floor. He awoke on the second night to a pillow being thrown in his face. He looked up to see Quinn, eyes watery and lonely. He knew immediately that she just needed someone to be close to her, maybe even hold her, and tell her it was going to be okay. And so with that, he jumped up from his temporary bed and into his own and held her tight. There were no words spoken because no words were needed. All that was needed was comfort and he prayed he was giving it to her. From that night on he never went back to sleeping on the air mattress and he was glad.

He wanted to be their for his baby mama as much as he could, but he knew in his heart he wasn't trying hard enough. He knew it hurt her to see him go some nights, saying he was hanging out with the guys, both knowing he was going to hook up with Santana. He hated that she never reacted when he left. He was a teenage boy and at the time he was Noah Puckerman, certified bad ass and womanizer. He had needs, and he wished that she would be the one to fulfill them. He never dared asked her though. He had made that mistake before, and when it came to Quinn, he didn't want to be a jackass. He wanted to treat her with the respect she deserved, even though he failed at times. He was a jerk and he knew it. Stupid comments had left his lips many times, but again he was a Noah Puckerman, his personality getting in the way sometimes. He was a teenage boy, and he was still growing.

With Quinn he wanted to be a better guy. He knew he should have felt guilty leaving Quinn to go with Santana, but the way she would tell him goodbye nonchalantly, knowing full well where he was going, hurt him until one day he saw in her eyes that she didn't want him to go. He felt like a jerk afterwards for not staying with her and holding her in his arms while they watched movies together as they sometimes did. He had left instead. He didn't know why he had done it. Hell he didn't know why he had ever left, when he had the most beautiful girl in the world living right in his room. The girl he would get up for at all hours in order to get her food that would satisfy her insane cravings, loving every second of the drives because she was there with him. Laughing with him, holding his hand. The girl who he cared for more than any girl he had ever been with. Oh yeah that's right. It's because he was a "sex shark".

None of it mattered anymore. His Beth was now introduced to the world and that's all that mattered to him, even though he knew in his heart that he wouldn't be the one to introduce it to her. He needed to tell Quinn how he felt. He needed her to know that he was done with all his idiotic, selfish behavior. He needed to tell her that he loved her so she could know that he was ready to be a father, and him, Beth, and Quinn could be a family. So when Quinn presents him with the perfect opportunity and asks if he loved her, he decides to go for it. But when he says it, she doesn't say it back, and with that Beth is gone into the arms of Shelby Corcoran.

Puck went to see Quinn the next day. When she opens the door, he sees the way she looks at him. They stand there for a while and at that moment, Puck knows. Quinn's done, the baby's gone, he's left alone, and their silent agreement is made.

He begins to walk away knowing that the last moment they shared with Beth is the last moment they will have shared together, at least for a while. He thinks back to it when he gets into his truck. Quinn's eyes, red and still filled with tears, never met his gaze, even when he pulled her chin up to face him. Beth lay in her arms and Quinn stroked her cheek. Puck took a mental picture of his two girls, his two beautiful girls, one of which he would never see again. He kissed Quinn's forehead and then Beth's and grabbed both of them in for a hug. He never wanted to let go and for a while it seemed like he never would. Then the nurse broke them from their last moment as a family and took Beth away from the young teenagers forever. Puck grabbed Quinn's hand and led her to where her mother was waiting. He hugged her one last time. He just needed to see those hazel eyes to know that she was going to be okay, but they never met his. He grabbed at a stray hair of hers and playfully wrapped it around his fingers. He smiled at her and placed a kiss on her cheek not wanting to take it any further without permission. She backs away, leaves, and doesn't look back.

All summer they had gone without talking, and when school had started they barely glanced at each other. Quinn needed to forget. She needed to get her old life back because her old life meant no Beth and with that, no heartbreak. She had finally stopped crying over Beth mid summer, but the pain she felt in her heart was still there and she couldn't take it anymore. She needed to forget because it was the only way. Puck had dealt with his sadness and anger the best way he knew how: sleeping around. He was lonely, upset, angry. Quinn wanted space but was pushing the only person who knew what she was going through away.

God dammit, he told her he loved her and now she wouldn't even look at him. He was furious, but most of all sad. The only girl he ever loved had pushed him away. He didn't want to admit that he had given her no reason to love him back, that he treated her poorly. But he had his moments and they most certainly had theirs. He remembers one night they had stayed up all night because she was so pregnant and couldn't get comfortable in order to sleep. He loved every minute of it though. They had talked all night, held hands, and even kissed a few times. They had snuck downstairs at 2:30 in the morning so Quinn could eat her usual mixture of ice cream and maple syrup. Puck had thought it was disgusting but always made it for her anyways. "Babe, that's like your third bowl. You're going to get sick." Puck remembered saying. "I'll decide how much I can eat before I get sick. Besides, I can only eat like this for so much longer." Quinn countered. Puck chuckled watching her lick the sides of her bowl. He didn't know how she could fit so much into her small body let alone a baby. He was always fascinated by her baby bump, but also proud knowing his little girl was in there. He would never tell her, but he was so glad it was Quinn who was carrying his baby and not someone else. He reached out to wipe the mint chocolate ice cream from her nose, causing her to look up at him with a shy smile. He seized the opportunity and kissed her. It only lasted a second and it even earned him a sly remark from her. "You seem to think you can kiss me whenever you want like I'm yours or something. Im not." Puck laughed, but kissed her again. She didn't pull away from him and had even kissed him back. That kiss, Puck admitted, was the best kiss they had ever shared. It was slow and loving and held everything they wanted to convey to each other.

Quinn knew that the kiss meant something and when Puck had pulled away she felt herself feel disappointed it was over. He smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back. Her and Puck were friends, a little more then friends because of the baby, but she couldn't let herself be dragged into anything more with him. He was a player and still had been up into that point, but she enjoyed the special moments they had together. Moments like these because it made her feel like one day they could be more official and she felt herself feeling more for Noah Puckerman.

But that was then, and now they didn't talk. Puck hadn't even seen Quinn's beautiful hazel eyes since he could remember. He would never tell anyone, but sometimes the best part of his day was looking into those eyes and being lost in them, enjoying her eyes on him at the same time. Then, while singing along to the "Only Exception", he looked back at Quinn because the song fit so well with the way he thought of her. He didn't think she'd look back, but she did and he got those gorgeous hazel eyes he had been craving for. But this time they were filled with sadness and he almost had to look away with guilt. He had seen those eyes only once before when she was begging for an answer with why he had picked her. Why had he chosen to ruin her life. That was back when she had first found out she was pregnant and he had been an ass, but her words stuck with him. They rang in his ears as he looked at her face. Beth had been born and she still looked miserable and it was his fault.

This had only made him feel worse and he had no idea of how to control his feelings. It lead him to branch out for any kind of attention with irrational behavior, landing him in juvie. He had no idea that when he got out he would be faced with Quinn dating lady lips. He wanted to grab Sam by the fucking neck and show him a piece of his mind. He wanted to tell Quinn how hurt he was that she had moved on, that she had gone back to the person she was before in the blink of an eye, that she didn't even look his way anymore.

He realized that he was doing the same thing. He had gone back to bad boy Puck, maybe even worse once he got back from juvie, but he needed to let out somehow because no one understood how he felt. Except for Quinn.

Then he saw her smile. He couldn't remember the last time he saw her smile. Then he saw it was towards Sam. That's when he knew he needed to give it a rest. She was happy finally, and right now that's all he needed. He decided it was time for him to try and move on, too. He needed to become a better person if he wanted Quinn to ever look his way again. He needed to work on himself.

So here they were, about four months later, center stage getting ready to dance together again. They had mastered perfectly the art of not talking at all during practices. They just did as they were told. The occasional slip would happen where they would both laugh at a mistake they had made. Then Puck would usually say something to make her smile and for a moment they seemed to be okay. Then something would snap in Quinn and she would stand straight once again and be ready to move on to the next step. Puck always savored those few seconds she let her guard down more then anyone would ever know because those brought back the memories of her living at his house, and the small, but meaningful moments they shared.

Puck was standing right behind Quinn, close enough to smell the strawberry scent in her hair. He missed being able to place kisses in her soft hair. Mr. Schuester yelled instructions for the first dance move. Quinn turned around to face Puck, ready to do what their teacher directed. The glee club seemed tired and slow. "Come on guys!" Mr. Schuester said annoyed. He sighed, "Just take 5, but be ready to dance once break is over." Quinn went to sit next to Tina and Mercedes on the edge of the stage. Sam walked up to her but Quinn quickly shut him down. "I'm not in the mood now, Sam, okay." agitation etched in her voice. She sat by Mercedes and began talking to the two girls. Her back was turned to the auditorium entrance when she heard a few gasps from her fellow members. She looked at where their gazes were being held. When she saw what they were looking at her breathe hitched in her throat. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Walking down the stairs, towards the stage, was Shelby Cocoran and in her arms was Beth.