Quinn woke up early the next day. She wasn't exactly sure of the hour, but thin, watery sunlight streamed in through the blinds, and Puck was fast asleep next to her, his arm pressing into Quinn's back. Quinn briefly considered going back to sleep, then decided there was no point.
Quietly, she disengaged herself from Puck's sleeping embrace and padded out of the room in sock feet, closing the door behind her. As she trailed down the hallway, she felt a familiar wave of panic wash over her. Quinn broke into a trot and pushed open the already-cracked door to Beth's room before she had time to picture her beautiful baby girl with a sheet wrapped around her neck, or in any other of the horrible scenarios she could imagine in the time it took her to cross the room and reach Beth's crib. She breathed out a silent sigh of relief when she saw Beth sleeping, rosy-cheeked and peaceful.
Quinn leaned over the edge of the cradle, listening to Beth's steady, peaceful breathing. The way Beth's tiny hands curled around her blanket as she slept, the way her little chest rose and fell with each breath, the glint of her tight golden curls in the sunlight. Those were the things that reminded Quinn why it was worth it. All the sleep she missed, all the fun she missed, all the life she missed, was worth it, because Beth was perfect. Quinn bent her head and kissed Beth's cheek. Her blond hair tickled Beth's forehead, and Beth wrinkled her nose in her sleep and turned over.
Quietly, Quinn switched off the nightlight and tiptoed out of the room, leaving the door open just in case. She crept into the kitchen and peered into the refrigerator. Reaching behind a carton of baby formula, Quinn extracted a bag of crumbled bread, a piece of cheese, and a lone raw egg.
Sighing, she grabbed a piece of bread and walked into the living room. She opened all the curtains, and stood back to amire the effect. It had gotten much colder overnight, and the world was covered in a thin layer of frost which made the trees and cars sparkle as if they were sprinkled with diamonds. The early-morning sun wrapped it's faint warmth around Quinn, and she felt as much at peace as she had in months.
As she stood in her silent reverie, the phone rang. Quinn hurried over to pick it up, then dropped it like a hot pan when she saw the caller ID. Shelby Corcoran. Quinn gritted her teeth together. For the first week after Child Protective Services had taken Beth away from her, Shelby had called nonstop, and left endless messages begging Quinn to "talk" to her. Quinn had ignored them all. Shelby hadn't let her join the Trebletones, and she hadn't let her see Beth. True, Quinn had been sneaking around planting books on baby sacrifice in her house, but Shelby hadn't known that when she'd shut Quinn out.
So Quinn let the phone ring and ring, figuring Shelby would eventually give up. But instead, Quinn heard herself informing Shelby to please leave a message, and then, a moment later, Shelby's throaty voice. "Listen, Quinn. I know you're awake." Shelby didnt sound angry, or vindictive. In fact, she sounded downright pleasant. "I need to talk to Puck." Shelby continued, and Quinn felt her back stiffen. "So please, when you get the time, can you tell him Ms. C called?"
Quinn went over to the phone, picked it up, and slammed it back in it's cradle, cutting off Shelby's message. At the same time, Beth began to wail from her room. Clenching her hands into fists, Quinn closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, telling herself to rise above it all. But she knew her perfect day was ruined, and all because of Shelby Corcoran and her stupid idea that she was going to get Beth back.
Quinn opened her eyes and calmly walked over to Beth's room. As she picked up the fussy baby and cradled her, bouncing her softly, she decided that Shelby Corcoran was not going to get to talk to Puck. She was not going to get to see Beth. And she was definitely not going to get Beth back. Quinn would make sure of that, because there was absolutely no way that Shelby was going to ruin her perfect family.
As Quinn cradled Beth in her arms, she felt at peace again. This was how it should be, she and Beth and Puck together, perfectly normal in a tiny town in a crazy life on a crazy world that just kept on spinning.