Disclaimer: The use of original Glee scenes is deliberate, they don't belong to me, I only claim ownership of the bits that are different.

A/N: I wonder how they would have coped if it had happened this way….

"Did you love me?" Quinn asked, dreading the answer. "Please don't say I was just another hook up," she begged silently, her eyes squeezed tight shut, her head down.

"Yes," Puck replied quietly with a nod. "Especially now," he glanced at the tired looking girl at his side who looked up at him and smiled shyly. They shared a tiny, snorted laugh, both of them embarrassed by the question and the answer. "She looks like you," he murmured before steeling himself to ask one last time. "Do you want to keep her?" he asked, resigned to the fact that Quinn wanted to give their amazing creation up for adoption but he had to give it one last try. They both took another look through the window into the nursery at their beautiful daughter.

"Yes," Quinn replied, shocking the hell out of Puck. "Do you? My mom said she'll turn the guest room into a nursery and that you're welcome to come and help out, maybe stay over sometimes if your mom doesn't need you to baby sit your sister." Puck stared back at Quinn in stunned surprise. He hadn't been expecting that. At all.

"Which one is yours?" Shelby Corcoran, the coach of Vocal Adrenaline, asked as she appeared at the other side of Quinn before Puck could formulate an answer. "Oh, I see her now. She looks like you. Does she have a name?" she said with a beaming smile.

"Beth," Quinn and Puck replied at the same time. "Beth Puckerman," Quinn told Shelby. "We've changed our minds, we're keeping her."

"Oh," nodded Shelby, disappointment evident in her voice and body language.

"Sorry if you were hoping for a different answer," Puck shrugged, taking Quinn's trembling hand in his, "but she belongs with us, she's our daughter."

"Yes, no, I understand," Shelby said, nodding again, blinking back the tears. "Congratulations and good luck," she smiled at them sadly, taking one last longing look at Beth before leaving them to gaze lovingly at their tiny sleeping baby.

Back in Quinn's room they sat side by side on her bed. "Wow," Puck breathed out a nervous laugh. "We're really going to do this?" he asked. "You're sure?"

"Yes I'm sure," Quinn replied softly, looking at Puck, feeling more than a little nervous. "Now is the time to tell me if you don't want to be involved. I'm still going to do this, even if I'm on my own."

"I want to do this," Puck replied quickly, nodding. "I'm ready to do this. We're ready." Puck lifted Quinn's hand again, their fingers interlocking. "Thank you," his voice was quiet but full of unspoken emotion.

Judy Fabray came back into the room after making a number of calls to family and friends, proudly telling them she was now a grandmother. "So, have you made a decision?" she asked, looking pointedly at Puck.

"Yes, we have," Quinn replied. "We're doing this together. And her name is Beth Puckerman, not Fabray, not Fabray-Puckerman, just Puckerman." Judy smiled tightly acknowledging their decision.

A nurse knocked on the door and came into the room pushing the clear crib holding Beth Puckerman in front of her. "It's time for baby to eat," she said smiling. "Who's going to do the honours?" she glanced around at the three people in the room.

Puck walked over to her and picked Beth up from the crib, his movements sure, secure. "Can daddy give you your first bottle?" he asked Beth as she blinked at him with unfocused eyes. He sat in the chair at the side of the bed and hugged Beth close, feeding her with the ready made bottle of formula the nurse handed to him. "See, big daddy knows what you like," he murmured to Beth as Quinn and her mom looked on, smiling, Judy's arm round Quinn's waist, their heads together.

The nurse left with instructions to call on her if they needed her for anything.

"Quinn told you that you can come and help out, right?" Judy asked Puck.

"Thank you Mrs Fabray," Puck looked up smiling. "I appreciate that."

There was another knock at the door. Judy went to answer it and found a dark haired woman and child waiting nervously outside the room. "Is this Quinn Fabray's room?" the woman asked.

"Yes it is," Judy replied opening the door wider for them to enter. "You must be Mrs Puckerman," she smiled at them then turned to the little girl. "And what's your name honey?"

"Mom, meet Miriam and Leah Puckerman," Quinn held out a hand to introduce the newcomers. "Miriam, my mom, Judy Fabray."

"Hello," nodded Mrs Puckerman, her mannerisms nervous. "Oh, Noah, she's beautiful," she croaked, her voice breaking as she took a good look at her granddaughter. "Are you sure you should be feeding her? Getting attached? Won't it be harder to give her up if you spend time with her now?" she asked, not able to take her eyes off of the baby.

"Mom, we're not giving her up," Puck replied, smiling at Beth. "Come and meet your niece Leah, she's cute, isn't she?"

"I'm really an aunty?" Leah asked. "How? I'm only seven," she screwed her nose up trying to figure it out, looking between Quinn and her brother. "You look like there's still a baby in your stomach," she told Quinn.

"Leah," Miriam sounded scandalised that her daughter would be so rude. "Quinn, I'm so sorry," she apologised. "Apologise to Quinn, Leah," Miriam instructed. Leah did so, reluctantly, pouting, frowning. She didn't know why she had to apologise for telling the truth.

Quinn looked down at what she'd felt was an incredibly flat stomach after months of it sticking out a mile in front of her only to realise she had a lot of hard work ahead of her. She looked over at Puck who was trying to hide a smile. "You're not fat," he said with a sly grin.

"Don't start all that again Puckerman," Quinn said with a roll of her eyes. "That's what got us into this mess in the first place."

"Nah," Puck said as his grin grew. "That was the wine coolers." He put the bottle down and sat Beth up on his knee, supporting her, leaning her forward a little to pat her back. "Don't go spitting up on me," he advised the baby, "you have to save that for mommy," he bent closer to her head to whisper loudly to her, "and all the really yacky diapers."

"What happened to equality?" Quinn asked, bending over the two of them, stroking Beth's soft blond hair. "You can spit up on daddy too," she smiled at her daughter.

"Quinnie," Judy spoke quietly, "will you be alright for a while? I'm going to have to go shopping, there are a lot of things we're going to need straight away. You're coming home tomorrow, yes?"

"Yes, the doctor said we'd probably be able to go home tomorrow," Quinn agreed. "Will you need Puck to baby sit tomorrow night?" she asked Miriam. "I think we should both be there for her first night at home.

Miriam gave Quinn a tight smile. "Well, really I do…but I'm sure Aunt Freda would come over," she looked at Puck, saw the hope on his face.

"What if Leah was to come and stay too?" Judy offered. "The guest room is still the guest room just now and I'm sure Beth will be in your room for the moment Quinn. You won't object to sharing with Quinn for the time being, will you Noah?"

"Mom," Quinn almost shrieked at the same time as Puck shook his head, a half smile forming on his face. Share a room with Quinn again? Not a problem. Absolutely. Hell yeah. "We're not together," Quinn informed Judy, reminded Puck.

Puck shrugged. "But we could be," he said as he rubbed Beth's back. "Oh, good job," he smiled at her as she burped daintily.

"How do you know to do all that?" Quinn asked, sounding like a petulant child, wanting to kick his ankles.

"I read the baby books," Puck admitted. "And I have a little sister."

"You read the baby books?" Quinn asked, touched. "Aww, you read the baby books," she couldn't stop the surge of emotion and tears filling her eyes. Damn hormones.

"Maybe we can get her some stuff for at my house?" Puck asked Quinn and looked to his mom for approval. "Then on the nights I have to be at home for Leah, you and Beth can come and stay with me," his eyes went to both moms, trying to gauge their reaction. "It's another option," he shrugged.

"It's a good idea," Quinn agreed, nodding. "Would that be alright with you, mom?"

Judy felt she had no choice but to agree. Quinn had been reliant on this family for months, spent all of her time with them until the last few weeks and she herself had only reappeared in Quinn's life four short hours ago. "Yes of course, Quinnie," Judy's stilted reply sounded forced to everyone's ears. "If you think that's best."

"I do," Quinn said quietly, her eyes locked with Puck's, seeing something in them that made her feel warm and loved inside.

A brief knock before the door opened admitting the doctor had Quinn tearing her eyes away from his. "Ms Fabray, Mr Puckerman," the doctor smiled, "I'm glad you're both here. Would we be able to have a quick chat about the baby?" he asked.

Quinn and Puck looked at each other, slightly alarmed. Were they going to be told they couldn't keep her? They hadn't signed anything or told the nursing staff that they'd considered giving her up. "Sure," Quinn choked out nervously.

The doctor looked pointedly at the visitors to the room. "May we have a few moments, please?" he asked, indicating the door with the hand that held a manila file.

"Of course doctor," Judy responded politely, picking up her bag. Miriam and Leah followed her through the door, closing it gently behind them.

"Is something wrong doctor?" Puck asked, not quite able to keep his voice steady.

"When we conducted the APGAR test the baby checked out fine at one minute and the same at five minutes," the doctor smiled at Quinn and Puck. "Our concern is that your daughter doesn't startle at loud sounds. This could be for any number of reasons, from fluid behind the ear drum to having small passageways that still need to grow a little."

"But it could mean that she's deaf, right?" Puck asked. He looked at the baby still held in his lap and smiled at her, kissing her forehead. "How soon will we know for sure? Can anything be done to help her if she is deaf? Would she need surgery or something?" Puck fired questions at the doctor before Quinn could even get her head round what the doctor was telling them.

"Actually, I think our moms need to be in here for this," Quinn said quietly. "We all need to know what's happening and how best we can help Beth."

The doctor nodded and went to open the door, inviting Judy, Miriam and Leah back into the room. Judy looked frightened to death, Miriam was rubbing her hands together, swallowing nervously, Leah was fidgeting as usual.

"Is something wrong?" Judy asked, looking from one to the other, seeing the distress on Quinn's face.

"The doctor thinks Beth has a problem with her hearing," Puck told both parents. "Nothing is certain yet, right doc?" he asked, looking at the doctor to confirm what he'd said before.

"That's right," the doctor took over. "We are slightly concerned because Beth doesn't show any response to audible stimuli. It isn't that uncommon for newborns to be unresponsive to quiet, low sounds but generally they will react to loud sounds. So far Beth hasn't."

"How soon will we know?" Judy asked, a look of distaste on her face as she glanced at her granddaughter. Quinn saw the look.

"You can leave any time you want," she told her mother in a hard voice. "Miriam, is the offer of a home with you still open?" she asked.

"Yes of course," Miriam told Quinn without a second of hesitation. "As long as you want, you'll always be welcome Quinn. You and Beth," she smiled.

"Thank you for coming here today mother," Quinn said, drawing herself up straight. "We'll manage from here on, you can go now," she turned away, she didn't want to see the disappointment in Judy Fabray's eyes for a second time. Quinn knew her mother couldn't deal with anything less than perfection. She would never accept a granddaughter with any sort of disability. Quinn heard slow footsteps, the clicking of her mother's high heels then the door opening and closing. She couldn't hold in the sob that bubbled up and escaped.

Puck stood and handed the baby to his own mother. He gathered Quinn into his arms and let her cry it out against his chest. He couldn't believe one woman could be so cruel. First off disowning her daughter because she got pregnant, now detaching herself from her granddaughter because she might have a slight difficulty.

"We'll be ok," Puck murmured against her hair. "You still have us, right mom?" he glanced at his mother, hopeful.

"Of course you do," Miriam agreed. "But you still can't have bacon in the house," she joked. Quinn gave a sobbing laugh, Puck grinned down at Quinn. Leah gave a big shout of laughter right beside Beth's head. Beth didn't flinch.

Miriam and Leah left after the doctor had explained some of the test that would be conducted in the coming weeks. "I'll have to stop off somewhere, we'll need a crib, diapers, stuff. Oh, I think maybe your Aunt Freda will still have Joshua's crib in the attic, I'll call her and ask before I buy anything. Will that be ok with you?" she asked before they left.

"It's fine with me," Quinn smiled shakily. She'd have to check her bank account to see how she could manage, see how much she had left of her monthly allowance her parents had continued to pay into her bank for her, despite cutting her out of their lives months ago.

Once it was just the three of them Quinn laid down on her bed. "What will we do if she is deaf?" she asked Puck quietly. He was standing over the crib stroking his hand gently over Beth's fuzzy blond hair as she slept.

"We won't have to worry about Leah waking her up when she plays her trumpet at six o'clock in the morning," he replied, smiling over at Quinn.

"That's true," Quinn couldn't help but smile. Leah did like playing the trumpet. She didn't do it very well but she loved practicing it. Loudly. "I'm sorry my mother reacted like she did," Quinn felt she had to apologise for Judy Fabray's behaviour. "I guess she just doesn't like things that aren't perfect."

"Beth is perfect," Puck replied as he came to sit next to Quinn on the bed. "Even if she can't hear doesn't mean she's not perfect. It just means she's special."

"We can do this," Quinn looked up, needing reassurance, "can't we?" she asked.

"Of course we can," Puck's voice was confident, firm. "And I'm sure we'll get a lot of help from all of Glee club," he really hoped that would be the case. He wasn't sure how Santana was going to feel about Quinn living with him again but he hoped she'd understand, his family had to come first.

Quinn must have read his mind. "What about Santana?" she asked. "I mean, I don't know if you're together now or if you just hook up, but I'd prefer you not to do that around Beth."

"It'll be cool," Puck shrugged. "We're not together, we just scratch an itch when we need to. We could always get back together, if you want," he offered, indicating the two of them, not entirely disliking the idea. Totally loving the idea if he was being honest.

"Let's not rush into anything," Quinn said tiredly. "Let's just concentrate on being parents and see how we go. Ok?"

"Ok," Puck started to lean towards her, out of habit. "I am going to kiss you though," he warned. "And if we're sharing a room I can't promise that I won't try to get it on with you, just so you know."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Quinn grinned back at him just before his lips touched hers in a gentle, friendly kiss. "And just so you know, I don't intend to be a burden on you. I'll have to find a job, try to fit something in between school and caring for Beth."

"Hey," Puck sat upright again. "Don't worry about stuff like that just now, let's just concentrate on Beth and getting you out of here. Ok?" he rubbed her cold hands as he smiled at her.

"Ok," Quinn agreed, feeling calm, settled. "I'm glad you're staying here with me tonight," she said shyly.

"Me too," Puck said softly as Quinn's eyes closed. "Me too."

A/N: I was born hearing but now use hearing aids to hear. My youngest son was born Deaf. He had a procedure done when he was 7 months old and now has 70% hearing, he currently doesn't have to use hearing aids but more than likely will as he gets older.