A/N: Firstly, holy crap. You guys... the response has been insane and I can not tell you how much it has made me smile over the last few days. Thank you for all of your reassuring words, I hope to meet all of your hopes and expectations.

As for the story, I'm trying to set up a schedule to post on so you know just about when the next update. I've decided that Monday and Thursday will be my posting days. In regards to how long this one will be, I honestly have no idea. It could be 20 chapters, it could end up being the requested 50 chapters. I don't actually have a planned ending for this so I'm just sort of writing what comes to me.

Onto characters... this verse will always have that underlying theme of love, true love, and understanding of oneself and others, but this particular story is getting into the nitty gritty aspect of family and how it affects people, how each character has to work to hold on to what they have. But I'm not going all angsty on you, I promise. There will be more Santana in this story and a huge story line for Beth as well, each just has it's own time. So as the story progresses, you will get more of everyone.

I think that was most of the questions asked so I'll shut up now and let you get to the long second chapter and I'll see you again on Monday. Thank you all for reading and reviewing (so many). I hope you enjoy.

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"Hi." Quinn called out lightly to Adrianne who was on the phone as she entered their joint office. The brunette waved in greeting and continued on with her call, leaving Quinn to settle down for the morning. She dropped her bag and grabbed the note of reminders that Kim placed on her desk every evening before heading home herself. The assistant was the first one in and the last one out every day, catering to each of the photographer's needs. With Adrianne, that meant leaving home at home and work at work. With Quinn, that meant reminders for both.

With one more quick glance to Adrianne who was going over her calendar with the person on the phone still, the blonde snuck out and towards Kim's central office which doubled as the groups daycare area. She tapped on the window and waited until she was motioned to enter. Kim was sitting on the floor leaning against the back wall with her legs stretched out in front of her, crossed at the ankles, while Aubrey was showing her something he had drawn. When they remodeled the studio, they had installed continuous windows starting at waist level on every wall of the assistant's office, including the shared wall with the photographer's office so Kim could easily get their attention when needed and give her a 360 degree view of the studio so she knew what was going on at a single glance.

"I think she has the creative touch." The photographer remarked as she took a seat leaning against the desk as the assistant praised her daughter's work.

"I think you are right."

An awkward silence suddenly filled the air between them. Kim knew that Adrianne had been turning to Quinn for support after each failed in vitro session and this last one was no exception. But she didn't want the attention it was going to bring her. She didn't want any more 'I'm sorries' or 'it will happen'. She just wanted to move on with her life. Thankfully Quinn understood this. She had dealt with the same emotions when Rachel had struggled getting pregnant. "I thought that Adrianne was suppose to be off today." She added, breaking the silence. Kim lifted her eyes to her boss with a dropped brow. The blonde pointed through the window behind the seated brunette towards the office again. "She's in there on the phone."

"Oh, right. Sorry. We are looking for a bigger place." She trailed off gently, looking back to her daughter who called out to her to look at another drawing. "The loft is getting a little cramped and another room would be nice to have when everything finally does work out, you know?"

"Of course." She nodded and the strangling silence set back in. "Oh, um. Rachel has the kids today. Or for at least this morning. She might stop by for lunch but she did say something about meeting up with Mom."

"Well, then it will be just the two of us by our lonesome then. Adrianne is taking Aubrey with her when she heads out."

The blonde's head perked up playfully. "And what will we do with a studio that is nearly empty?"

Kim lifted her palms into the air, asking the same question. "Something that pays the bills? But it's a light day anyway. You have the one shoot in a little bit that is only scheduled to last two hours. Then you have the phone interview after lunch. Beyond that, your day is free."

Quinn nodded slowly, smiling as Aubrey abandoned the little coloring table and sat down right next to Kim to finish her work. She was a lot like Adrianne, loving to be close to people and Kim was her favorite person. Before she instinctively said something that she would regret like 'she'll have someone to play with soon', Quinn noticed Adrianne stand up from her desk."Let me go talk to your wife real quick before she leaves then." She excused herself and made her way back into her office, shutting the door behind her. "Hey."

Adrianne looked at the shut door for a minute before turning her attention to her friend. "Hey. Am I in trouble or something? You normally only shut the door when you're going to yell at me for breaking a piece of equipment you needed or when I accidentally misordered that one camera."

"It was a seven thousand dollar camera. I have three kids to feed and a diva to keep happy."

Adrianne rolled her eyes and dropped her hands to her side, having heard of this time and time again. "It's done. Get over it. You've misordered things too. Anyway!" She added, cutting Quinn off. "What did you want to say?"

Quinn paused and looked her best friend over. She looked exhausted. Not just physically, but emotionally, spiritually. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine." She replied flatly, dropping her eyes from Quinn's and busying herself with papers on her desk. "Just need to meet up with a relator today and find a new place. Some place fresh, you know? Something that says we're moving forward." The blonde listened as Adrianne rambled, knowing that it was only to keep the older woman from crying. Adrianne was struggling. Not only in dealing with the disappointment with each failed attempt, but with seeing Kim in pain as well. The other photographer had never handled people she cared about being in pain well, but especially not her wife. It was slowly killing her to not be able to do anything to make it better besides hugs and kisses. It just wasn't enough in her eyes anymore. While Kim felt like she was letting Adrianne down, Adrianne felt like she was letting Kim down in this endless cycle.

Nothing was said as the brunette stopped shuffling her paperwork and waited as Quinn stepped closer, closing the distance between them before she wrapped her arms around the taller woman's neck and pulled her in a tight embrace. "I know what you're feeling." She whispered softly as Adrianne held her back, keeping the sobs in but letting a few stray tears fall to her best friend's shoulder. "I've been there with Rachel but getting through it made it just that much better when it did happen. Whether it's next month or years down the road, I know it's going to happen for you two."

"So do I." Adrianne assured her slowly pulling away and wiping the tears from her cheeks. "So do I. I just wish she didn't hurt so much. She's so worried and so stressed, still blaming herself for the miscarriage..." She trailed off and looked to the ceiling to prevent herself from starting to cry all over again.

"I wanted to talk to you about something. Get your opinion really." Quinn started, leaning back against the desk as her friend continued to compose herself. "I know Beth will be here soon to take on some of the stress that the studio causes Kim. Rachel was thinking that maybe we could look into sending the boys to a daycare and start getting them to socialize a little bit more. That would alleviate more stress from Kim's life and-"

"No." Adrianne stated flatly, suddenly very in control of her emotions. "Kim loves having the kids around. They aren't stress for her. They remind her of why she's going through all of this. Don't take that away. It would crush her on so many levels, feeling like her inability to get pregnant is now effecting everyone's lives. You can't do that."

"Okay. Okay." She replied quickly, raising her hands to try and calm Adrianne's rising emotions. "It was just a thought and this is why we wanted to ask you first. No one knows Kim better than you."

Adrianne ran her hand over her now aching head and sighed. "I know. Just... don't. And let me get out of here and find her a project to distract her from everything."

Quinn nodded and gave a weak smile. "Go find a new place. Maybe you'll run into Rachel while you're looking. Or better yet, maybe you can find a place closer to us."

"Why? Don't I see enough of you at work?" The joke caught the blonde off guard but earned a genuine smile from both women. "We'll buy the house right next door to you and knock down a wall so we have direct access. How about that?"

"That may be a bit extreme?"
"You think?"

"Yes. Because I know how loud you two are when you have sex. Knocking down the wall will just make it that much louder."

Adrianne feigned being hurt as she started to follow the blonde out of the office. "Like you two are any quieter. Need I remind you of the Christmas party last year and the show you two decided to put on for everyone in attendance to hear? I'm just glad your parents weren't there. You would have sent Russell to an early grave... and I'm actually getting to the point where I can tolerate him now."

~/~/~/~

"So, how is the house hunt going?" Judy asked as she cut the boy's sandwiches in half. That was something that Rachel had adjusted to well. While Quinn allowed her to raise the kids in the Jewish faith until they were old enough to decide for themselves what they believed in, it was also agreed that Rachel wouldn't impose her vegan lifestyle on them either as they grew up. Rachel had been resistant saying that as long as the vegan diet was thoroughly planned out, the boys and eventually Maddy would be getting all the nutrients they would need. But Quinn wouldn't budge on it. In the end Rachel was secretly thankful. It kept her from worrying about what Judy or anyone else was feeding them while babysitting.

That didn't mean that the family had meat every night for lunch and dinner. It was still very much like how she lived with Quinn. Everything was organic if it was in their house. Everything was done with as much respect to Rachel's personal choice as possible while respecting Quinn's request as well. They learned quickly that the old saying was very true. Marriage was a constant rotation of compromises. Rachel got the religion, Quinn got the diet... as long as it was Kosher.

"Wonderful actually." Rachel beamed, before sipping her water. "Quinn found this really nice house that has just about everything we need."

"That's the one you went to see today, right?"

"Right. But!" She exclaimed dramatically, raising her index finger in the air. "It wasn't next to a park. There was one, however, a few blocks away with the same layout that was. It costs a little bit more but I still want to run it by Quinn."

"Like she would ever turn you down for something you really wanted." Judy mocked, rolling her eyes and turning to her own meal.

The diva shrugged and smiled in the thought of how much Quinn did love her to be able to just relinquish complete control. It was widely known in the extended family that Rachel asking Quinn for anything was really just her playing a part most of the time. Granted there were some topics that were thoroughly discussed between them, but if it wasn't a life altering decision, Rachel almost always got her way.

Raising an eyebrow and smiling devilishly, Rachel met Judy's eyes across the table. "Did she tell you about our discussion last night?"

Judy stopped chewing in interest. "Is she going?" Rachel's smirk grew as she slowly nodded her head. "Oh thank goodness. I was so afraid she would miss out on such an amazing opportunity."

"Not on my watch."

"See, this is why I always said you were good for her. Quinn likes to walk a narrow line of things she is comfortable with. You pull her out of that with a snap of your fingers." The older woman said, snapping her fingers and causing all the children to look at her. "How long will she be gone again?"

"Two weeks."

"Who's weavin'?" Gabe asked looking over the restaurant table to his mother who suddenly lost the smile from her face. They hadn't discussed how best to handle telling the kids. This had never happened before. Neither Quinn nor Rachel had ever been away from the children for more than a night they spent with their grandparents when the couple needed an evening to themselves. It was going to be hard on everyone involved.

Judy and Rachel exchanged quick glances as both women's chins bobbed in the air. "Uh, I..."

"Are you weavin', Mama?" He asked with a dropped brow of confusion quickly matched by one from Julian as well.

"No, Baby. Mama's not leaving." She finally managed to spit out, seeing no way around the topic anymore. "But your Mom has some work that she has been asked to do but it's in a place far away." Neither of the twin's expressions softened and Rachel stumbled further. Quinn was always better at explaining these type of things to the boys. "How about we finish talking about this tonight when Mom is with us, okay?"

"Right." Judy agreed with a nodded before distracting the boys by asking them questions about what they wanted their new room to look like.

~/~/~/~

"Oh my God, you are such a push over." Kim laughed out loud as she and Quinn sat in the assistant's office, reclined in their chairs and feet kicked up on the desk as they ate their lunch and killed time until Quinn's phone interview. "How many words of protest did you even get in before you caved?"

"That's not the point." The blonde called out in her defense, trying to hide her smile. She and Kim's sisterly bond had only grown over time. Their relationship was unique in the photographer's world. She still didn't open herself up to too many people and each one tended to come with that extra baggage. Adrianne was the ex and always would be the ex, knowing her better than almost anyone from a time in her life that others had missed. Rachel was her wife and held the power that came with it. Santana was Santana, normally showing her interest in a topic by ridiculing or making fun of her. But with Kim, it was different. They were able to form a sort of untainted bond.

"And what is the point then? Hmm?"

"The point is," She trailed off and ate another bit of her salad. "The point is..."

"You don't have one, do you?" The assistant asked bursting into laughter as Quinn continued to think on an excuse while fighting the deepening blush on her face. "You're a push over. You've admitted it before, why can't you just do it now?"

"Maybe I don't want to. Maybe, I want to-"

"To have a backbone now that your wife's not here to take it from you?"

Quinn dropped the defiant act and hung her head as she smiled in her embarrassment. She loved Rachel and would give her anything she wanted and she also loved her enough to take the harassment that came with it. "Something like that." She confessed before returning to her lunch. "But what about you? Are you saying that Adrianne doesn't give you everything you want?"

Kim tilted her head and looked at the ceiling in playful deliberation. "I don't recall ever saying anything like that."

"Exactly. She spoils you just as much as I spoil Rachel. So why are you picking on me for it?"

"Because I can. You make it easy."

"Only because I like you." The blonde informed her, pointing her fork at the brunette and narrowing her eyes, silently warning her not to push it. "So, the question of the hour is... are you going to be able to handle Adrianne while I'm gone for two weeks? I mean, we know that in a personal sense she gives you everything. But we also know that in a professional setting, you two tend to butt heads a lot. Without me here to separate you..."

Kim smiled lightly and nodded her head. She and Adrianne had a very different way of approaching things in the office. Kim was all about detail and control while Adrianne tended to get an idea and run with it, completely abandoning the process her wife had set in place. Quinn did the same thing because lets face it, you can't schedule out creativity. The difference was that the blonde pulled Kim into the process, telling her what was changing and letting the assistant adapt. Adrianne developed tunnel vision that wouldn't dissipate until the mission was complete.

"I know we do. But we will manage and not tear the studio down or end up getting divorced because of two weeks. I promise you. I will handle Adrianne and your studio, but you have to get Rachel to handle Santana and Russell."

The blonde groaned and dropped her head backwards. "What is he doing to her now?" Adrianne wasn't the only silent partner in Santana's New York restaurant endeavor. Russell had opted to invest as well and expected to retire as soon as it took off. However, Santana had hit a few snags. Between the renovation of the building which became more and more complicated and more and more costly as time went, delaying the grand opening, and issues with the restaurant management in Ohio, things had become strained. Adrianne had given her blessing and money and then took her role as a friend but Russell... well, Russell didn't quiet understand the 'silent' aspect of the partnership.

"He's bugging the hell out of her, giving her business tips and being all... fatherly about guiding her through the business world."

Quinn sighed and began eating her salad. "We need to get that man a hobby before she does kill him. But I'll put Mom and Rachel on Russell watch so you wont have to worry about homicide charges or any more 2 am rants from an irate Santana who can't sleep until she vents."

"Much appreciated."

"But Rachel is already pushing her luck with her." The blonde continued, deflating her assistant's hopes of an easy fix. "These surprises of potential dates are getting to San but I've already talked to her about it. That doesn't mean that Santana is going to believe it will ever stop though, so she's going to be on edge around everyone it seems."

"And now you're abandoning her too." Kim teased and received a guilty groan of torture from her boss who set her plate down and began pacing nervously around the office. "Hey... Hey." The brunette called out, finally pulling Quinn's eyes to hers. "It's two weeks, not a life time. You can handle it. Maybe you'll all be able to go next time. Okay? So, how are you going to tell the boys?"

~/~/~/~

"Oh, good. You're home. Come here." Rachel called out quietly as soon as Quinn stepped out of the elevator. The brunette rushed from her sitting area by the kitchen to her confused wife, pulling the blonde to the far corner of the living room and glancing towards the boy's bedroom. "I messed up."

"You messed up?" She echoed back before putting on a light smile. "I'm not sure whether or not to be scared because you messed up or shocked because you actually admitted it." Rachel straightened her posture and pulled her bottom lip taunt, unimpressed by her wife's chosen time to tease her. "I'm sorry. What is wrong?"

The diva's strong exterior crumbled instantly and she dropped her eyes to the floor. "I was talking with Mom at lunch today and we were discussing you going to London. I didn't think anything of it until Gabe asked who was leaving."

Quinn groaned and leaned back against the wall as Rachel burst into a chant of 'I'm sorry', crushing herself against the blonde in an airtight hug. "Baby, we weren't suppose to mention it around them until we found a way to tell them without them thinking I was walking away from all of you. You know how hard this is on me already."

"It's not all that easy on me either, you know." Rachel argued back, releasing Quinn and standing up in a defiant stance. "You are going off to have an experience you've always been wanting, and while I want you to have it, I hate the idea of you doing it without me. I'm also having to take care of the kids on my own while you're gone to see a new part of the world. It's not all fun for me."

"Then I wont go."

"Quinn, you're going. I just..." Rachel lifted her hands to her head and attempted to control her emotions. There was a lot more to this on both sides. It wasn't simply spending two weeks out of each other's arms. Three kids was a handful for the two of them and now Rachel was going to be doing it all on her own while also dealing with the children's response to Quinn's absence. The media would have a field day with it for sure and would be following her around if she wasn't barricaded in the house. On top of that, she had a teenager that would still be adjusting to living in a huge city that she would have to worry about. Beth very much had that indestructible Corcoran attitude still. There was a lot there making her want to hold Quinn back, needing her rock to stay with her, but she knew that was all selfish. This was Quinn's time. "I want you to go because you need to go and because deep down inside you want to go as well."

To a point that was correct. Quinn was simply still debating if the experience was really worth it all. Rachel knew it was going to be hard on her wife to leave everyone, but she didn't understand how hard it was going to be to stay gone after she did. She had grown accustom to not only having Rachel at her side everyday since she got pregnant with Maddy nearly two years ago, but the boys were always there, Adrianne, Kim, Santana, her parents. She was leaving everyone and would be on her own for the first time in a long time. The last time she was completely alone with out any friends or family was accompanied by a string of one night stands to kill the loneliness that reminder her so much of when she left Lima behind. She didn't want to feel that way again. Empty and isolated.

"What did you tell him when he asked?" She questioned, not wanting to continue the seemingly always escalating arguments about whether or not she was going. She hated fighting with Rachel and would give in for no other reason than to avoid it.

"I told him we would discuss it when you got home. That's why I grabbed you before he could see you. I'm sorry. Normally it's only Julian that actually listens and he never says anything."

"It's not exactly something I would have liked him to be silently dwelling on though." Quinn noted, looking over the smaller woman's shoulder to the boys room, trying to figure out how to put it so they would understand. She couldn't help but think that maybe they were making a much bigger deal out of this than they needed to and the boys would be fine with it. Quinn let out on more quick breath and decided she might as well get it over with. "Boys, can you come here, please?"

Rachel stepped back and moved to the couch as the twins raced out to the living room and tackled Quinn in their normal daily hug, each getting a leg as she ran her hands through their brown hair.

"We have some talking to do." She told them and nodded her head to the couch for them to sit down, surprised already that Gabe hadn't bombarded her with a million questions. "So, Mama said that you know I'm having to leave for work, right?" She asked, kneeling on the ground between the boys while Rachel sat next to Julian, expecting him to be the most effected, and watched Quinn's face. She could see the reluctance in her eyes.

"Right." Gabe answered back with an quick nod of his head. "You're goin' far away."

Hearing it from her son's mouth only made Quinn hate the thought of it even more. "I am. But only for a little while."

"When will you be back?" Julian asked softly, leaning back into Rachel but looking deep into Quinn's matching hazel eyes.

The blonde tried to force a smile but it wasn't sticking. "Two weeks. You remember how long Grandma and Grandpa Russell were gone on their trip?" Julian nodded his head and dropped his eyes, playing with Rachel's hand in his. "That's how long I'll be gone. But then I'm coming right back, okay?"

Gabe nodded his head with the same energy as before, either unaffected or not understanding completely. But Julian wouldn't look up at her anymore.

"Hey." She called out lightly, wiggling his foot to get his attention but he still wouldn't look at her. "Julian, look at me. It's only for a little while and then I'm coming right back, okay?" This time he nodded his head but kept his eyes fixed on Rachel's hand.

The diva was on the verge of tears when she saw the pain in her wife's eyes and knew Julian was feeling the same. The pair really were so much alike and Rachel had started to fear that Julian would end up more like the younger version of Quinn she knew instead of the older one, holding in all of his emotions instead of dealing with them. "Why don't you two go clean up your toys and then we can go to the park. And by cleaning up your toys, I mean putting them away where they belong, not pushing them under your bed, Gabriel James."

The boys got down off the sofa and left to do as they were told, sulking on their way, but left the two women alone together. As soon as Quinn heard the clanking of plastic on the other end of the apartment, she rested her head on Rachel's lap and let the brunette run her fingers through her hair, taking away the pain. She knew that this first separation would have to happen eventually. She just still hated being seen as the bad guy. Things were going to be just as interesting when Rachel went back to the theater soon. The twins didn't have any memories from when she had worked before getting pregnant with Maddy, so not having her around every night to tuck them in would be an adjustment as well.

"He understands." Rachel assured her, pulling the blonde tresses away from her face. "He just isn't use to it. They have been lucky with one of us always being around. Either me at home or them with you in the studio." She trailed off as Quinn took in a deep breath and lifted her head. Rachel brought her hands from the photographer's hair to cup her face on each side, holding her there as she leaned forward and gently kissed her lips. "It's hard on everyone but it only has to be dealt with once."

"Just wait until it's your turn." Quinn whined, standing up and pulling Rachel with her. "How do you think it's going to feel when you aren't there to kiss them goodnight anymore?"

Rachel wrapped her arms around her wife's torso pressed her temple to her shoulder, taking in that calm safeness again. "I don't want to think about it to be honest. It's making me want to reconsider going back to the stage."

"And it's making me reconsider the offer to fly to London."

The pair stood there in silence, holding each other closer. It was amazing how little things like tucking their children in at night would cause them to abandon dreams they had held their whole lives without much debate. It was a touching and sentimental thought, but perhaps a little over done. Rachel needed to start working again and Quinn needed to take the opportunity if they were going to be able to afford the larger house they needed and give the boys and Maddy everything they needed. "You know," Rachel started, turning her head to face into Quinn, resting her forehead in the crook of her wife's neck. "Someone should have told us this parenting thing was this hard."

Quinn smiled, wrapping her arms a little tighter around the brunette's shoulders and rocking side to side. "I think someone might have tried, we just didn't feel like listening to them that day."

"I always listen. I don't know what you are talking about."

"Of course. How could I forget. Let me rephrase that. Perhaps that was one of the days that I was distracting you and the warning went unheard. Is that better?"

"That sounds much better, though it does bring up a very important fact. You are very distracting. So when you're in London and free to do what you please, please don't distract any attractive women who don't understand what a wedding band really means, okay?"

The blonde rolled her eyes but smiled before kissing the shorter woman on the top of the head. "I wont have the time. I'm going to be on the phone with you the whole time. If they get pushy, I'll just hand them my cell for you to explain it to them."

"Oh, I like that."

"Oh, I thought you might. And you know what?"

"Hmm?" The diva asked softly, nearly falling asleep standing there in her lover's arms from the comfort they brought.

"I think I like that thought too. You're sexy as hell when you're jealous. And I bet you're pretty good at phone sex."