It all started with a picture of Beth and Quinn.
Beth's first recital. Age 5 years.
Quinn's cursive had scripted that on the back.
Beth was in her pink leotard, tights, tutu, and little ballet shoes. Quinn was in a simple navy dress with white crop sweater. They were backstage at Beth's first ballet recital. He assumed Santana had snapped the photo; she was the only one who had stuck by Quinn after the custody battle with Shelby.
They were beaming. Beth had an ear-to-ear grin, while Quinn was crouched down with Beth standing between her legs. Beth had her hands resting on Quinn's forearms, while her hands rested lovingly around Beth's tummy. They looked so happy.
"What's that?" his girlfriend called out from the doorway.
Puck stashed the picture back into the envelope, "Nothing. Ready to go?" he turned to her flashing a smile.
His girlfriend smiled and nodded. They left their apartment chatting about what they'd be dining on that evening. But while his female friend babbled on, one thought kept repeating itself in his mind.
"I missed her first ballet recital."
Beth got her ears pierced. Age 8 years.
Puck smiled and let out a chuckle at Beth's expression.
It was a mix of pain, excitement, and fear. Her little ears were so red around the rein stone studs. There were fresh tears on her cheeks, but that toothless smile told him all was well.
Quinn had her arms wrapped tight around Beth's waist, and looked as if she'd been through the wringer. Puck could only image how hard it was for her to let Beth do that so young. But her smile matched Beth's, and that put him at ease. Quinn looked tired, but happy. And Beth didn't seem to be in despair, he took these as good things.
"Puck! We've got to go now or we'll be late for our rehearsal dinner!" his fiancé called from the other room.
He tossed the photo into the shoebox, where he kept the rest of those photographs.
"Coming darling!" he called back placing the box into his desk drawer.
His mom, brother, fiancé, and future-in-laws were talking, laughing, toasting, and having a wonderful time, but all Puck could think was how he'd missed it. He had missed another important moment in Beth's life.
"My little girl got her ears pierced, and I missed it."
Beth's first school talent show. She sang 'Beth' by KISS. Age 10 years.
This time there were three things in a bubble wrap-lined envelope; a DVD, a picture of Beth on stage, and one of her and Quinn.
Puck loaded the DVD into his laptop, and waited. Soon the screen lit up with that old familiar Lima Elementary stage, there was a stool sitting in the middle, and a chattering audience all around. He could hear Santana, Brittany, Mercedes, and Judy all talk to whomever was holding the camera.
He heard Santana's voice very clearly say, "Hope she don't choke!"
"Santana…" he heard Quinn sigh from behind the camera. The exchange made him smile.
Just after that a little girl with long, blonde wavy hair walked out onto stage with an acoustic guitar in hand. She sat on the stool, and the camera zoomed in. Puck felt his eyes well as his daughter was now center stage.
She placed the guitar in her lap, swallowed hard, and then smiled, "Hi, I'm Beth Puckerman, and I'm going to sing 'Beth' by KISS. It's actually how I got my name. Hope you like it."
After the crowd applauded politely in response to Beth's intro, Puck paused the DVD, "Quinn gave her my last name… after everything. She has my last name." He shook his head in disbelief.
Puck swallowed the lump in his throat and resumed the DVD. He watched in amazement as his daughter sang and played with such ease. She had gotten Quinn's angelic tone, but his playing ability. He could tell she worked very hard to learn the song, and that she loved doing it.
As she sang the last verse out, the tears finally fell. That was his little girl. She was on stage, playing and singing. She was singing the song he had sung to her mother all those years ago. The song which gave his little girl her name. A name he loved from the minute he'd first heard it.
He should've been there.
The audience erupted into enthusiastic applauds, Beth's personal cheering section being the loudest. Quinn cheered, "Good job, baby!" Santana yelled, "Atta girl, Puckerman!" while Judy, Brittany, and Mercedes all called out various praises to the beaming little girl on stage.
The screen went black and Puck assumed the video was over. But then, the screen lit up again, this time they were backstage.
"Quinnie, is this on?" Judy asked while the camera was pointed at the floor. Puck knew immediately who was now filming.
"Yes, Mrs. Fabray." Mercedes answered kindly and helped Judy point the camera towards an approaching Beth.
The ladies broke out into happy applauds, "And there she is! Lima Elementary Talent Show winner!" Brittany announced happily as Quinn engulfed Beth into a tight embrace.
Beth laughed as Quinn, Santana, Brittany, and Mercedes attacked her with kisses, "Thanks!"
"Wave, sweetie. We're gonna send this to your daddy." Quinn smiled as she nodded towards the camera. Puck was surprised, yet again.
"Hi daddy! Hope you liked my song!" Beth grinned as she waved excitedly.
Quinn swallowed Beth in another hug as the screen went to black. Excited chatter from all members, as if Puck viewing Beth's life through a camera lens was totally normal.
Puck couldn't hold back the tears now. They needed to fall, and did. Guilt, sadness, and remorse filled him. He had missed so much to the point where it was normal.
This wasn't normal.
And so that night, as his wife slept, Puck picked up the phone, for the first time in almost ten years, and dialed Quinn's number.
"I feel so guilty, Quinn."
"I know, but you shouldn't. We weren't meant to be."
Puck couldn't find the courage to say what he was thinking, because neither one was in the state to admit they'd made a mistake, yet they both knew it.
"That doesn't change the fact I am her father… or that I'm missing everything."
Beth at her first winter formal. Age 13 years.
Puck was certain she was wearing Quinn's prom dress from junior year. She looked stunning. Way older than thirteen. She's grown and matured so much, and was looking more like Quinn with every passing year.
"Wow, she's beautiful. Just like her mother."
As Puck was going to put the photo back into the envelope, he noticed a folded piece of paper inside. While unfolding it he already recognized Quinn's handwriting, and couldn't help but feel curious and nervous.
"Puck,
Beth's not so little anymore, if you couldn't tell by the photo. Puberty's set in, which means our baby can now have babies of her own. Don't worry, we already had The Talk. I also told her about us, she took it well. I was always worried about it, but she surprised me.
She's smart, so, I don't think we'll have to worry about her making us grandparents anytime soon!
Take care,
Quinn"
Puck smiled, but still felt a twinge of sadness. He looked at the picture one more time and studied that beautiful young lady who was once his Baby Girl.
"Hello, Miss Puckerman. Welcome to Young Adulthood… sadly I'll be missing it."
It's right after Beth's fourteenth birthday when his wife finds the shoebox. The picture this year was of Beth and some friends at the bowling alley. She knew about Beth, it was the reason Puck didn't want any more children. But she had no clue he was still in contact with her. She felt betrayed, crushed, and deceived.
They fought, separated, had a one night fling six months later, and then signed the divorce papers eight days before Christmas.
Somehow, Puck made the trek back to Lima for the holidays. He called Quinn the day after Christmas, in despair. They met at a Holiday Inn on the outskirts of town.
It had been almost fifteen years. Their bodies were older, different. But it still felt the same.
"This never happened," Quinn was flustered as she tried to button her blouse.
Puck, exhausted from their almost five-hour session, smiled, "Of course not."
Quinn threw a lone pillow at him before scooping up her bag and leaving the room, "Goodbye, Puckerman."
"See ya, Fabray!"
It was the day of Beth's high school graduation. Puck had moved back to Lima a couple of weeks ago, and hoped this could be the beginning of something. He and Beth have gotten closer in the past couple of years, while he and Quinn seemed to drift apart.
After their hotel romp, she kept things strictly about Beth. He knew it must've shaken her up, it did for him too. Beth was the one who had sent Puck a picture from her Sweet Sixteen that following year. For that entire year after the hotel, Quinn wanted nothing to do with him. Puck assumed it was her way of forgetting or detaching. Either way, that's how he became closer with Beth, so it wasn't a complete loss.
"Daddy!" Beth exclaimed and dashed towards him as she saw Puck enter the doors of McKinley.
Puck picked her up and spun her around, "Bethie!"
They embraced lovingly and Puck placed a tender kiss on her forehead, "Your mom here?"
Beth nodded as they began towards the auditorium, "Yeah, she's in there with Grandma Judy and everyone else. They're gonna embarrass me."
Puck bit back a chuckle, "Really? How so?"
Beth rolled her eyes; she looked so much like Quinn that it scared Puck sometimes. "Aunt Santana brought Silly String, beach balls, and an air horn. Dad, you have to do something, please?" she begged with puppy eyes.
"Okay, fine. I'll sit next to Aunt Santana and make sure she behaves… and you have no idea how weird it is to call her that!" Puck shuddered and Beth giggled at his reaction.
"Beth!" a voice pulled their attention down the hall.
It was Quinn, with a little one on her hip. Puck assumed it was Finn's, actually. She approached them with a wide smile, the little boy on her hip dressed in a suit.
"You need to go line up in the gym, honey." Quinn beamed handing Beth her cap.
Beth smiled between her parents, "Okay, here I go!" she hugged them both before disappearing down the hall.
Puck examined the boy in Quinn's arms, "Who's this? Finn's boy?" he reached out to the little one, but he hid his face in Quinn's shoulder.
Quinn drew in a shaky breath, and then smiled hesitantly, "No. This is your boy."
It took Puck a moment to do the math, but the smile on Quinn's face told him all he needed to know. Puck looked the little boy over, and upon closer examination, he couldn't deny this was his son. He was a spitting image of his father.
"What's his name?" Puck asked as the shock wore off.
Quinn smiled handing the boy to Puck, "Noah Eli Puckerman. We call him Eli."
Puck held Eli tightly, "Hey Little Man, I'm your daddy."
"I didn't tell you because I was afraid." Quinn sighed sadly.
Puck kissed Eli's head as he watched Quinn, "Afraid of what, Quinn?"
The tears were surfacing now, "About the fact that after sixteen years I was still in love with you."
Puck looked down at his son, again, and now it all made sense. Why Beth was the one who sent him pictures for that year and wrote him. Quinn couldn't deal with communicating with Puck and having his son. He understood her actions, even though they still upset him.
"I'm hurt you didn't tell me, but I get why you did it." Puck took her hand and pulled her closer.
Quinn giggled in spite of herself, "Given our track record I didn't really have the confidence."
Puck kissed her then. The roots would always be there, of course. And so all it would take is moments like these to truly send them back in love.
"I'm not going anywhere. From now on it's going to me, you, Beth, and Eli. You're my family, and I love you, all of you."
Quinn cried happily, "Yes, we are."
Puck pulled her close again and the two continued to kiss until Mercedes pulled them apart.
"Let's go see your first baby graduate before you start working on number three!" she laughed dragging them down the hall.
Nine months, two days, and thirteen hours after that Quinn gave birth to Melissa Jade Puckerman. She came out with brown curly hair and hazel eyes. Despite having her mother's eye color, she looked even more like Puck than Eli did. But she was the most beautiful baby ever, everyone said so.
"Ya know, we make really cute babies!" Puck smiled as Quinn held Melissa close.
Quinn hummed, "Yes, we do."
Puck stroked Melissa's little hand with his finger, "I want more…"
"Well," Quinn cleared her throat, "give me a few years, okay? And then get back to me." She winked cheekily and Puck nodded.
Just then Beth came in with Eli, "Hey, dad, can we do a family picture?"
Puck looked to Quinn for approval, which she granted, "Sure, you and your brother sit down there with mama." He gestured towards the bed as he turned on the camera.
"Oh, no mister," Quinn protested, getting everyone's attention.
"Puck, get over here. You need to be in a picture for once." Quinn looked to the nurse checking her IV, "Do you mind?"
"Of course not!" The nurse smiled in reply as she took the camera from Puck.
They all gathered around and just as the nurse was about to snap the photo, Puck looked to Quinn and said, "Will you marry me?"
That picture -of Puck and Quinn looking lovingly at one another, with their newborn daughter in Quinn's arms, plus their two other, grinning children- would go on to be framed and put on the mantel of their dream house, that would see an inevitable happily ever after complete with a wedding and two more children in the following years.
And to think, it all started with a picture of Puck, Quinn, and their three children.