Sorry for the delayed update again! I couldn't log in for a while. Anywho, there's been a rating change due to this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Uptown Girls

Quinn had most of the day off today. She really just had to drop Beth off at the studio for the day, and had to pick her up in the evening. The little girl insisted on staying at the dance studio all day to practice for her recital tomorrow. Quinn wanted to protest and take her somewhere fun like Central Park or to go sight-seeing in a different part of the city. But Beth was serious about her ballet recital, and Quinn knew that it would drive her crazy if she missed a day of practice.

So she sat at home, watching movie after movie. It was nearing nighttime, and she had been sitting on the sofa all day. She didn't have to pick Beth up until seven. Though, glancing at the clock, she realized that she should probably get ready. It was almost 6:30, and she still had to get dressed, and hail a cab to the dance studio. She would walk, but she never walked around the city by herself after six. She noticed that things got even weirder after six.

Quinn managed to get a cab, and get to the studio just in time. After an approved request for the driver to wait for her outside, she ran into the building to gather Beth and her belongings.

"Hey there, girlie," Quinn smiled at the sight of Beth putting her normal clothes on over her leotard, "Ready to go?"

"Please tell me you didn't get another taxi."

"What's wrong with taxis?"

"They're full of germs! And the drivers are shady."

"Well, it's either get in a dirty car with one shady stranger or walk on the dirty street at night with a million shady strangers," Quinn shrugged, "Take your pick."

Rolling her eyes, the smaller blonde put her bag over her shoulder and got out her personal hand sanitizer and a tissue. Quinn, as well, rolled her eyes. Beth did this every time they took a cab. It was good that she was trying to stay safe and healthy, but come on. Live a little.

Quinn put her arm around Beth's shoulders and walked her to the car, smiling at how well things had been going lately. Beth actually seemed to like her now. She still had an attitude, but it wasn't as bad as when she started.

"So you're coming to my recital tomorrow night, right? It's at seven o'clock sharp. Don't forget. I got a seat reserved for you in the front and everything," Beth looked up at her.

"Course I am, kiddo," Quinn smiled back down at her daughter, "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

The pair got into the cab where Quinn gave the driver Beth's address. Beth chatted about rehearsal throughout the entire ride. Quinn may not have remembered everything about ballet or understood what she was saying, but she was a much better listener than Shelby. Beth thought her mom just nodded too much and asked her if she did everything right. Talking to Quinn about it was a lot less frustrating.

As they arrived at the tall apartment building, Quinn paid and thanked the driver, and instructed Beth to thank him as well. The two of them rode the elevator up to their floor, and Quinn sat on Beth's bed while she got ready for bed. Luckily, the dance instructor had ordered sandwiches from the local deli for all the girls, so she didn't have to worry about dinner. Beth had told Quinn in the car about the ham and lettuce sub she had eaten.

"So, how do you know that guy from yesterday?" Beth asked from the bathroom as she washed her face.

"He's one of my old friends from high school," Quinn smiled to herself, letting her mind wander back to Puck for the thousandth time that day.

"You sure he's not your boyfriend?" the little girl raised an eyebrow at Quinn through the mirror.

"Positive. I can't handle a boyfriend right now...We used to date though."

"I knew it."

"Oh hush. It was only for a few months," the older woman chuckled.

"Why'd you break up?" Beth started brushing her teeth.

"You're awfully curious tonight," Quinn's eyebrows knit together before trying to think of something to tell her daughter without giving away the secret, "We just wanted different things, and decided it would be better if we were just friends."

It was partly true. In reality, they had tried dating the summer after Beth was born. But Quinn just grew to find simply the sight of him to be too painful. Everything about him reminded her of her pregnancy and their little girl. She had started to regret everything, and couldn't deal with the guilt anymore. So she shut him out. She shut everyone out. Everyone who had been there to help her during her pregnancy (with the exception of Santana and Brittany) were now a part of her past that she needed to let go. She didn't speak with Mercedes until the summer before senior year. She had barely said a word to Puck at all unless it was an insult. But she never lost those intense feelings she had for him.

"Sounds like a bunch of crap to me." Beth mumbled after she rinsed her mouth out, coming back into the bedroom.

"What?" Quinn got off the bed so the girl could get in and make herself comfortable.

"I'm just saying. You say that you wanted different things, but in high school, what different things could you possibly want? It's not like you were married."

Smiling warmly, Quinn tucked Beth in and shook her head. "You'll understand when you're older. I'll explain it all to you once you find your first love, okay?"

"So you loved him?"

Sighing, Quinn knelt by the edge of Beth's bed. The purple glow from her nightlight was the only light in the room. "It's complicated."

"You either did or your didn't."

"Fine. I did. A lot," she looked away, "But he can't know. I said things to him when we were younger and he would get really hurt if he knew that I loved him."

"What did you say to him?"

"He asked me if I loved him the night before I left for college. And even though I did, so so much, I said no."

"Why?"

Quinn didn't know why she was spilling all this to Beth...but she kept it bottled up inside for so long, it was time she told someone. "If he knew that I loved him back, he would throw all his dreams away and try to be with me. He'll deny it, but I know him. He would do it. He had big dreams. Huge dreams, B. He wanted a music career. And if he followed me to Yale, it would hold him back from everything he wanted. He told me that if I loved him back, we could move out of Ohio, travel for a while once I finished school, settle down and start a family. I wanted those things so badly, but I couldn't hold him back from his dreams. The point of love is putting the one you love before yourself. And I loved him so much that I gave up something we both wanted so that he could reach his full potential. I regret it sometimes, but he actually achieved some of his goals. And I'm really proud of him."

Quinn noticed that she had begun to talk more to herself than to Beth as she explained. Looking over at the little blonde, she smiled at the sight of her closed eyes and flaring nostrils. She got up and placed a gentle kiss on Beth's forehead, whispering that she loved her before leaving the room, silently closing the door behind her.

xoPQox

Quinn got home around nine that night. Thanking the cab driver, she rode the elevator up to her floor, sulking the entire walk to her apartment door. Turning the corner to her hallway, she looked up and saw Puck sitting next to her door.

"Puck?"

He glanced up at her and stood up, brushing his pants off. "Hey, I uh...I didn't know what time you got off work, but I wanted to come over to hang out if you were up for it."

Jaw slacked, Quinn nodded and fished her keys out of her purse, "Of course. I mean, sure. How long have you been waiting here?"

"Not long..an hour or two," he shrugged.

"Sounds long to me. I'm sorry," Quinn winced as she opened the door, allowing him inside.

"It's fine. I dozed off a few times, so it didn't seem as long."

Quinn laughed a little, dropping her keys onto the kitchen counter. "Make yourself comfortable."

Puck kicked off his shoes and plopped down on the sofa.. After hanging out with Quinn the day before, things were seemingly back to normal. Not completely normal, but they were comfortable with each other. It didn't take long for them to reconnect. He turned on the TV and flipped through the channels, landing on some old sitcom from the 90's.

Quinn came over with coffee for him and a wine glass for herself. She had a rough night, so she deserved to relax and enjoy herself. She was always responsible when it came to alcohol. Plus, this was only wine. She had it in church all the time.

"God, you're acting like you live here," she swatted his feet off of the coffee table.

"Hey, you said to make myself comfortable."

She stuck her tongue out at him and took a sip of her wine, sitting back and watching the show.

She glanced over at him every so often, and he did the same.

But they were comfortable. Quinn made a point to get up for more wine and come back to sit inches closer to him than before. Since they started on opposite sides of the couch, it took a few trips until she was finally almost right by his side. He smirked and put an arm around her, pulling her closer. Things weren't romantic. Just comfortable. They were friends. Friends did stuff like this right?

"What happened to us?" Quinn murmured against his shoulder. The wine had fogged her thoughts a little, since she had downed almost an entire bottle.

"Don't act like you don't remember."

"Nonono, I remember that night," it was like their thoughts were in sync, "I mean, what happened that made you stop talking to me? Six years with no answered phone calls, texts, or emails...Why?"

"I dunno, Q," he removed his arm from around her, "You left, and I felt like there was no reason for me to answer you if you wanted nothing to do with me. You said nothing could happen between us."

"But we still could've been friends, Puck," she slurred a bit, "I sent you those messages as a friend."

"Well, maybe I didn't want to be your friend," he snapped.

Quinn looked at him like he was a stranger. She knew Puck lost his temper sometimes, but he never snapped at her. Her eyes watered as she got up and ran to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Puck ran his hands over his face, groaning into them. He shouldn't have snapped at her. But she brought up a sensitive subject. Next to Beth, and his dad, what happened between him and Quinn was a topic that hurt him the most. But he couldn't leave her the way she was. She had taken in a little too much wine, so he knew that some of these emotions were alcohol induced. But she was still hurt. He turned off the TV and walked slowly down the hall to her bedroom. He could hear her sniffling through the door. Quinn had never really been a subtle crier. Knocking on the door seemed useless. She wouldn't answer. So he turned the handle and walked in quietly. She was curled up with a pillow above the covers. Puck could see from the doorway that her eyes were puffy and her face was flushed. He always hated seeing her cry. Deciding that he didn't want to stand here and watch her anymore, he did the thing he always did when she cried. He curled up next to her and pulled her close to him.

She put up a weak fight, but soon relaxed into his embrace, continuing to let her tears flow freely. She hated being in his arms almost as much as she loved it. He made her feel so vulnerable and weak. But she loved the way he made her feel safe and wanted.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," he whispered as she shook, "I just don't like talking about it."

"Why-y wouldn't you want to be my friend?" her voice trembled with her body.

Puck didn't want to tell her the truth, but he'd hurt her enough. She deserved to know. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, "I couldn't stand the thought of just being your friend. I knew you didn't want anything more, and that killed me. So I thought that avoiding you and trying to forget you was better than having you in my life and constantly wishing for more than friendship." There. He said it. "But I know you just want to be friends, and I know now that it's better than not having you in my life at all."

Quinn still shook a little, but her soft sobs had died down to simple sniffles. She turned in his arms to face him. His facial features hadn't changed a bit. He still had the defined jaw. It was covered in a light scruff now. Every curve of his face was the same. She had memorized them on the nights that she couldn't sleep and was left with nothing to do but lie there and look at him. He was still handsome as ever. Looking into his eyes, she ran her fingers lightly over his cheek and jaw before leaning in to kiss him deeply. Maybe the wine had in influence on her actions, but it felt right.

He returned the kiss with equal passion, tangling his fingers in her long hair. He was amazed that she actually let her hair grow back out. She looked not either way, but he always preferred her long hair. It had been way too long since he'd made this kind of contact with her that the voice of his conscious was muffled in his own head. It felt too right to be wrong. Quinn's fingers trailed over his abs under his t-shirt before fighting with the garment to get it over his head. They should stop. She was tipsy. It would be just like the first time. But Puck couldn't bring himself to care as Quinn started toying with his belt buckle.

xoPQox

Quinn awoke on Sunday afternoon, feeling better than she had in a while, despite the slight headache. She woke up with a smile on her face for the first time in a long time. Rolling over, she expected to see the tan, muscular, man who made her feel the way she did last night, but found the bed empty. Not even a dent in the sheets to show that he had been there recently.

Quinn sat up slowly, trying to listen for any sounds that would prove that he was still there.

Nothing.

Getting out of the bed, the blonde woman searched around the apartment, finding no trace of him. It wasn't a dream. It felt too real to be a dream. Her body was too sore in all the right places to be a dream. It happened.

But what happened?

Lying against Puck's sweaty chest, Quinn was still trying to catch her breath. The third round had worn her out completely. Her brain was still a little cloudy from the wine and the exhaustion. Her eyelids drooped uncontrollably. She could tell that she was going to fall asleep any second, so she had to say it before she did.

"I love you, Puck."

That was it. She ruined everything with those four words. How could she have been so stupid? Now he was gone and probably wanted nothing to do with her. She denied him after graduation, and then chose to tell him that she loved him while she was drunk.

Lying back down in her bed, she reached for the photo album that she kept under her pillow. It was gone. But she couldn't bring herself to care enough to go find it. She hated herself right now. She cuddled a pillow to her chest and just cried.

And she cried for the rest of the day.

xoPQox

Beth stood center stage in her final stance. The recital had gone perfectly. All her hard work and practice had paid off, just as she predicted. Glancing out into the audience, she looked around for Quinn. She wasn't in the chair that Beth had reserved for her. She wasn't anywhere else in the audience either.

Keeping up her "show face" as her mom called it, she looked out into the crowed and basked in the glory and attention, trying not to show how upset she really was.

Reviews please! You know I love'em!