Hey there! Yes, this is me starting a new story instead of continuing old ones. I'm very sorry! I promise I will finish all the other ones at some point, i just need to find the inspiration. For now, I hope you will enjoy reading my first future Quick fic. Any feedback would be much appreciated!
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"Hey babe, can you run to the store and pick up some more boxes?" Quinn called from the living room. She was carefully wrapping a lamp in newspaper. No answer. She moved to the bottom of the staircase and yelled his name. Still no answer. Sighing in frustration, she trudged up the stairs in search of her selectively hearing impaired husband.
"Noah!" she called as she reached the second floor of their town house.
"Up here babe!" His voice was faint. Attic, she realized.
"What are you doing up here?" she asked, reaching the doorway of the tiny attic. He remained silent, knelt on the floor over an open box. Before she could ask what he was looking at, she noticed a word written in black Sharpie on the side of the box. Beth.
Cautiously she inched closer to see exactly what he was looking at.
"Remember this?" he asked, holding a photo out to Quinn.
She smiled as she gazed at the picture of a three year old Beth, sitting happily on her lap on a park bench. Puck had been behind the camera. That was one of the times Shelby had let the two of them take Beth for the weekend. She was living in New York City at the time, close enough to Yale to make occasional visits possible. Quinn remembers those visits being bittersweet. Getting to spend time with Beth on their own was pure joy, but giving her back to Shelby felt so unfair. She knew Puck felt the same, though they never really spoke much about it.
He pulled out another picture Shelby had mailed them of Beth on stage at her first dance recital.
"How old was she here?" Puck asked.
"Four." Quinn answered automatically.
With every picture that arrived, Quinn would stare at it for hours, memorizing every detail. Her smile, her blonde curls, her cute little dimples. But it had been a while since she had last brought herself to look through the Beth box. Shortly after Puck and Quinn got word that Shelby and Beth were moving to Chicago, the letters stopped coming. So did the phone calls, along with every tiny glimpse of Beth's life her parents were privy to. Why? Nobody knew.
"She really does look just like you," Puck said, for the thousandth time.
It was true, but it only made things harder for Quinn. Gazing at the picture of her mini-me, she couldn't ignore that little voice in her head that told her she did the wrong thing. That Beth belonged with her and Puck. But Shelby loves her, Quinn reminded herself. She has all she could ever need. Sometimes Quinn believed that, but other times, like now, she needed to get her mind on something else.
"I really need those boxes," Quinn said suddenly, desperate to change the subject. "We're moving in two days and there's still half the house to pack up." She sighed, running her fingers through hair.
"I'll leave right now," Puck replied, setting the pictures gently back into the box. "Might as well bring this down." He picked up the box, along with another one full of winter clothes. "Hey," he said, standing in front of Quinn. "Moves are stressful, but we'll get through this together, okay?" He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Promise you'll quit soon and get some rest?"
Quinn nodded slowly, offering him a small smile. "I will."
As she followed him down the stairs to the second floor, she heard a small voice.
"Mommy?"
"Oh no, I think there's something wrong with my eyes!" Puck exclaimed. He set the boxes down and pretended to rub his eyes. "I see a little girl in the hallway, but it can't be my little girl. She's fast asleep in her bed. It must a potted plant I'm seeing in the hallway."
"Daddy," the little girl said with a giggle.
"It speaks!" Puck said, scooping the little girl up in his arms. She shrieked, and then burst into a fit of laughter as Puck began to tickle her. Quinn stood a few feet away with her arms crossed over her chest, looking on with a smile on her face. Seeing that little girl's sweet face and hearing her laughter makes Quinn forget every worry.
"What are you doing out of bed munchkin?" Puck asked, putting the girl down.
"I'm thirsty," she said simply. "What are you doing out of bed?" she countered. Quinn chuckled. Five was quite an interesting age.
"I have to go to the store," Puck answered.
"Can I come?"
"No ma'am," Quinn cut in. "It's way past your bedtime." The little girl frowned. "Let's go downstairs and get you a drink," Quinn offered, holding out her hand. This seemed to satisfy her, as she took Quinn's hand. "Give daddy a kiss goodnight."
The little girl planted a soft kiss on Puck's cheek as he bent down to her level. "Night daddy."
"Night Breezy," Puck answered back.
Quinn smiled at the use of her favorite nickname for their daughter. They had named her Brianna. Brianna Elizabeth, to be exact. But this particular nickname seemed so fitting for the little girl's role in the family. Like a gentle breeze sooths the body in the sweltering heat, Brianna was a perfect breath of fresh air. Quinn and Puck had been through some difficult times, and the odds were stacked against them making it as a couple. But Brianna was their sweet little daily reminder that they had made it. That love was strong enough to bring them through anything.
There were always those fleeting moments where the past came back to haunt Quinn, like a few minutes earlier in the attic. She would always miss Beth, she knew that. But she wouldn't trade her life for another's. All the things she went through made her who she is, and allowed her to have a family more perfect than she could have ever imagined.
Ten minutes later with Puck off to the store, the ladies of the house were back upstairs, glass of water perched on the tiny pink nightstand. Quinn sat on the edge of the girl's small bed, tucking the covers up under her chin.
"Mommy?"
"What babe?"
"Why are we moving?"
"It's time for a change," Quinn said simply. "Mommy's going to get a job that lets her be home more with you. Won't that be nice?"
Brianna smiled lightly and nodded. Then wrinkled her brow. "But I'll miss my friends. And Uncle Finn and Aunt Rachel."
"I know baby. But don't worry, you will make plenty of new friends when you start kindergarten in Lima. And your aunt and uncle will come visit lots. And guess what else? We'll be living very close to Grandma Judy, and Grandma Hanna, and Aunt Sara. They can't wait to see you."
"I love Aunt Sara, she's so fun!" Brianna said excitedly. Quinn smiled at the fond memories she had of Puck's younger sister.
"Aunt Sara goes to the school I went to when I was her age," Quinn pointed out. "And one day you'll go there too. And maybe you'll be a cheerleader, just like mommy was."
Brianna's face lit up, and she nodded vigorously. "I know a cheer, can I show you?"
"In the morning sweetheart," Quinn said with a chuckle. "For now you need to get some sleep." Gently, she stroked Brianna's light brown hair.
"Okay," Brianna said with a yawn. "Goodnight mommy."
"Goodnight Brie," Quinn said softly, placing a gentle kiss on the little girl's forehead. She turned off the lamp on the nightstand, and then left the room.
Downstairs, Puck was just returning from the store.
"You're still up?" Puck asked, surprised.
"Brie was chatty," Quinn said with a shrug. "Besides, now that I have more boxes I might as well keep packing."
"It's after midnight," Puck said with a frown. "Tomorrow's another day."
"I know," Quinn said with a sigh. "There's just still so much to do."
"Rachel's coming over to help right?"
"Rachel and Finn, on moving day."
"And I'll be helping every second I'm not working," Puck assured her. "You've done enough for today. Come to bed?"
"Alright," Quinn said after a moment, nodding slowly. She reached for his outstretched hand. "Did you ever think we'd live in Lima again?" Quinn asked, as they headed toward the stairs.
"Well, for a while I never thought I'd get out," Puck said with a chuckle. "But now that we have…"
"Seems weird to go back," Quinn finished.
"Yeah," Puck agreed. "But this is the best thing for us right now."
Quinn nodded. She knew he was right. As much as she loved being a lawyer, the job was very stressful and required very long hours. And Brianna needed her mother to be there for her and look after her, not a 15 year old babysitter that spent every minute on the phone with her boyfriend. When a teaching job came up at her old high school, Quinn couldn't resist the opportunity.
"And remember, you don't have to teach forever," Puck reminded her. "If you hate it, you can always go back to being a lawyer."
Quinn nodded. She knew some day she would. After all, she had some of the best training anyone could ever get. And she loved the field. But for now, her family was her main priority. This just felt right.
"We're doing the right thing," Quinn said confidently, following Puck up the stairs.
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Somewhere just outside Chicago, a young girl with messy blonde hair and a small book bag slung over her shoulder was standing by the side of the road with her thumb in the air. After hours of no success, she finally saw a car slow down and stop next to her. An African American woman who looked to be in her thirties rolled down the passenger side window of her car.
"Are you in trouble sweetheart?" she asked, a worried expression on her face.
"Just trying to get….home," the blonde girl said tentatively.
"You shouldn't be out here all by yourself," the woman warned. "Hitchhiking is very dangerous, especially for a young girl like you." The woman paused for a second, then unlocked the passenger side door. "Get in baby doll."
The girl bit her lower lip as she contemplated the offer.
"Well come on," the woman prodded when she noticed the girl wasn't moving. "Better me than some middle-aged pervert with a thing for blondes."
This seemed to convince the girl, who opened the door and cautiously entered the car.
"Where's home, baby girl?"
The girl glanced down at the wrinkled and worn envelope she held in her hands. Her eyes fell on the return address at the top left corner.
"Lima, Ohio."