Author's Note: I am done this one already too, yes! :D I must again thank my betas, The_Imperfectionist & Waiting_To_Be_Broken. And thank you to the few of you who always read and review! I'm finally at some Quinn/Puck stuff. Yay. ;) This was quite fun to write. But actually what I'm really looking forward to writing is Quinn getting kicked out of her house though lol. Hopefully I can get to it soon. ;) I think I might have messed up slightly with the bill stuff in terms of continuity but it's so tricky, the show isn't perfect. Also they change clothes way too often lmao. Seriously they act like something's supposed to happen "tomorrow" but it's then 2 or 3 outfits later? Anyway please enjoy chapter 10 and don't forget to leave me a review! ;) And I'm sorry to say that The_Imperfectionist no longer wishes to be my beta anymore so now I need to find a new one... I'm trying to get one before I write chapter 11.

Chapter 10: "Look, Puck, this is really sweet, but..."

Quinn actually did know how to bake, unlike her peers in the glee club. She had grown up being taught by her mother and grandmother since before she could talk how to properly knead dough, crack an egg, use a cookie cutter, measure ingredients, etc. She hadn't eaten much of the cookies or brownies in recent years for fear of gaining weight, but she still knew how to make a basic batch of cupcakes if she had to.

Quinn felt like if she spent too much time with her mother, her mother might start to suspect that Quinn was keeping secrets from her. She now was doing surreptitious mail checks every day and still was way more nauseous all the time than someone who wasn't pregnant should have been. Also she was starting to show a bit, if you really looked hard at her abdomen, and her boobs were bigger than they'd ever been. So to avoid her mother figuring out her youngest daughter had a "bun in the oven", Quinn decided to try baking using the resources in the school's Home Ec room instead of in her own house's kitchen.

Quinn got all the ingredients she'd need out of the cupboards, impressed that the school really did have everything she'd need, even a carton of eggs in the fridge. She measured out the exact right amount of each of the dry ingredients first and put them into the mixing bowl. She cracked an egg into the bowl. She was lining a cupcake tray when Puck entered the room, commenting on how he didn't even know this room existed. Quinn wasn't sure what he was doing there in the room. She tried to put up her guard as he got unnecessarily close to her, right next to where she'd been working at the counter.

"What's this?" he asked her, looking around at everything she'd gotten out.

"Ingredients for cupcakes, for this stupid bake sale," she answered, thinking it should be obvious. She looked away from him, trying to avoid his eyes. She didn't know what to say to him, and she wished she didn't quite feel the way she did whenever she was around him. She remembered that night not too many months ago, and how he'd made her feel. He took a hold of her hand and she felt a tingle rush through her body, but tried to ignore it. He put something into her hand and she looked to see what he was doing. He had placed a wad of cash in her palm.

"What's this?" she asked, not sure what he was thinking.

"It's what I had leftover from my pool cleaning money. After I bought dip, and nunchuks. I was getting that you kinda need money," he explained, "for our kid." Quinn realized he must have overheard one of her conversations with Finn.

"For my kid," she corrected. She looked down at the cash and leafed through it, counting it. "Eighteen dollars!" she said, sarcastically sounding impressed. She pursed her lips and looked away in dissatisfaction.

"How much has Finn given you?" Puck asked, and Quinn realized he had a point. She turned to look him in the eye and started to shake her head.

"Just stop," she said quietly. He looked a bit hurt but she continued anyway. "I told you before, I don't care if that baby comes out with a Mohawk, I will go to my grave swearing it's Finn's." She didn't need the complication of Finn finding out he'd been cheated on and then lied to for months. She couldn't accept even the mere eighteen dollars. It would complicate things, and make Puck feel involved. She really needed him to understand that this was not his kid and he couldn't ever act like it was. She had made that decision and there was no turning back. She pressed the cash back into his hand forcefully and looked away, hoping he'd just walk away. Instead, he touched her shoulder and got a bit closer to her.

"It would be pretty awesome if it came out with a Mohawk," he commented. She couldn't resist smiling at that. She even let a slight laugh escape and then turned back to him.

"You are such an egghead," she practically breathed back at him, while looking him right in the eye. He smiled at her so surely.

"I'm not," he said. And she really wanted to believe him for a second. She realized she was staring at him too... longingly. She darted her eyes away, flitting them around for a few moments and thinking quickly. She remembered the egg carton she had open, sitting on the counter, and decided in the spur of the moment to just crack one on Puck's head to go along with what she'd just called him. She did it and Puck just stood there as the yolk slid down his face, obviously very surprised and a bit amused that she'd done that. She couldn't contain herself and was smiling hugely now, biting her bottom lip and staring at him, waiting for him to say something. Instead he turned and grabbed a fistful of flour and egg out of her mixing bowl and Quinn just started to giggle. She closed her eyes as he threw it in her face. She threw some brown sugar back at him, and it got all over his black shirt. Things were picking up in this ridiculously random and fun food fight, and Puck reached back into the mixing bowl with both hands and just dropped a ton of stuff on her with a little shout. Quinn squealed in response while laughing.

"That was perfectly measured!" she yelled at him, obviously not really caring since she was still grinning from ear to ear and laughing a bit through her words. They both started throwing powdery ingredients towards one another at the same time and Puck picked up the entire package of flour and started sprinkling it over her head! At one point Puck grabbed her to try to stop her from getting to the mixing bowl and Quinn felt a surge go through her body. She couldn't deny the chemistry she felt when touching Puck. They continued to laugh and shriek in good fun for about three whole minutes as they threw food all over each other. Quinn couldn't remember the last time she'd had this much fun... probably not since she was a little kid!

Then they suddenly locked eyes and Puck gently pulled her hair out of her face. The gesture was so intimate and Quinn looked down toward her feet, suddenly feeling like nothing would be better than sharing a kiss with Puck right then and there. She was still breathing hard from the vigorous food fight and glanced up at Puck nervously, trying to catch her breath and gauge what he was thinking. She realized her increased heart rate and difficulty catching her breath might not only be a result of the fight but rather they might have something to do with the way she felt standing so close to Puck. She couldn't help it. He was just so sexy.

Suddenly she heard Finn's voice.

"What the hell?"

Quinn and Puck both quickly turned toward Finn slightly and stopped whatever they were about to start. Quinn considered Finn's question and glanced down for a moment and realized what the room and her body must have looked like in that moment. She laughed a little and then bit her lip, a bit guilty to have been having that much fun with Puck, it was practically cheating on Finn. But she couldn't stop smiling, she was still on a high from all the craziness.

"We're baking!" she explained to Finn with a little giggle. He just kinda gaped at her for a second.

"I can see that," he replied. Quinn looked down at her hands, still unbelievably amused.

"I'm gonna go change," Puck said, escaping the scene quickly. Finn just watched him leave, then looked back at his girlfriend.

"Seriously," Finn continued. "What the hell happened?" He actually seemed kind of jealous or pissed, like he really saw just how close Puck and Quinn had been to kissing and sensed that something more was going on than should have been.

"We just got into a little food fight. It just kinda happened," she justified. "I'm not sure how or why. It all got started so fast. Don't worry about it, it was fun! I... I finally can kind of understand why you're friends with him," she said softly, hoping Finn would accept her excuse. She was serious, she did see a side to Puck that she really enjoyed when they were throwing flour at each other.

"Okay," Finn said, not quite understanding how in the world a food fight like that could "just happen" nor why his girlfriend was smiling so much. But he accepted it.

Quinn smiled at him gratefully and then insisted she had to get back to baking the cupcakes for the following day's bake sale. So Finn left her to it while she re-measured all of her ingredients and put the trays into the oven. She then cleaned up the mess she and Puck had left all over the kitchen, noticing that Puck was being irresponsible to not clean up after himself, and trying to reassure herself that Puck really was the unreliable guy she'd judged him as and that he shouldn't be at all involved in her pregnancy.

The next day at lunch they held the bake sale, trying to sell all the cupcakes with red icing that Quinn had spent so much effort to make the previous day. She knew no one else would bring anything to sell so she made a lot. No one bought a cupcake except Brittany though. Quinn was convinced it was because they were all so uncool now, especially now that they were in wheelchairs. Sure, Mr. Schue was trying to teach them a lesson about how hard Artie had it, and she was even starting to appreciate it as she struggled to get through part of a school day in one of the chairs. Still, she found herself resenting Mr. Schue for doing this to her. She was desperate for the week of wheelchairs to be over.

"Well, maybe if we put a jellybean or something on top we'd sell more," Finn suggested.

"Are you an idiot?" Quinn yelled at him. "How am I supposed to trust you to take care of our baby when you can't even figure out how to sell a damn cupcake?"

"Stop attacking me," Finn replied firmly. "I'm sick of it!"

"Get a job," Quinn ordered in response. Finn started to stand up out of his wheelchair.

"I'm trying!" He got caught between the table and the chair and kicked the wheelchair forcefully away from him in extreme frustration, then walked out of there. Quinn attempted to follow without breaking Mr. Schuester's rules – meaning she attempted to wheel herself after him. She gave up after a bit though. It was an impossible task. Finn was long gone.

A few hours later near the end of the school day she overheard from Tina and Mercedes gossiping that Puck and Finn had gotten into an actual fight in the hallway. In their wheelchairs. Punches thrown and yelling occurring. Quinn couldn't believe it. She listened closely but apparently no one knew what they were fighting about. She figured it'd be big news if Finn had found out the truth about Puck being the father, so she tentatively breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe she'd find out details later from Finn.

Finn still didn't have a job and the bill was due. But Quinn had tried her best to get him to get money for her and it hadn't worked. So she basically gave up. She didn't talk to Finn much for the next couple days, and she went to glee rehearsal in her wheelchair and tried to learn how to "dance" in one of them. She wasn't sure how mad to be at Finn, she could tell he was trying. He was so cute when he tried to do the spin move in the wheelchair and failed miserably. She couldn't resist smiling sweetly at him.

After glee rehearsal, however, Quinn went home and again intercepted the mail, only to discover a past due notice already. She was a bit disappointed that the doctor's office was that fast to deliver one! She had no money still and had no clue what she was going to do. She went about doing her homework and eating dinner with her family and all of that normal stuff. But the next day she arrived at school with an ultimatum ready for Finn. She stormed into the glee classroom that was deserted except for her boyfriend sharing what seemed to be a tender moment with Rachel. She interrupted them loudly.

"We need to talk." Rachel stopped smiling at Quinn's boyfriend and suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"I'll get out of your way," she said to Quinn and Finn, starting to get up.

"Nope!" Quinn demanded. "You stay, I need a witness." Quinn turned back to Finn.

"Do you know what this is?" she handed him the folded piece of paper. He looked at it.

"Oh! This is a past due notice, my mom gets them all the time," Finn replied, almost proud of himself for actually knowing what it was. He seemed a bit oblivious to just how upset his girlfriend was.

"Right." Quinn wasn't that impressed. "But if this sonogram bill doesn't get paid, it's not your phone that's gonna get cut off. You will get cut off!" Finn seemed to finally be getting it. She was mad. His eyes got wide as she continued. "You need to help me with this, Finn. Or else we're gonna go our separate ways." She slammed the notice into his hands as she left in a huff.

At lunch, Quinn was shocked that Puck had baked a ton of cupcakes that were selling insanely well. Like Santana said, they seemed to be so addictive, and she could barely keep up with the dollar bills coming in as she worked as one of the cashiers. She didn't eat any herself because she wanted to eat only healthy food for her baby, not too much sugar and fat. But she licked a little icing off of her finger when it got on it by accident, and it was sweet and delicious. Puck counted all the money they got after all the cupcakes were gone while Quinn tried to clean off the rest of her hands with a napkin. He turned back towards Quinn, smiling with pride at all the money he'd brought in with his Nana's cupcake recipe. Quinn smiled back at him widely without really thinking about it.

After lunch they all were in the glee room, waiting for the "diva off" between Rachel and Kurt for "Defying Gravity" to start. Santana and Matt were talking about the bake sale and acting a bit unlike their usual selves. They were in really good moods and Quinn joined in the conversation when Santana started asking her questions about what Quinn speculated that Puck's Nana's secret recipe was. Quinn then got distracted, however, when Rachel entered the room. Finn got up and touched her shoulder, and then wished her luck and whispered something to her. Quinn felt more jealous of Finn and Rachel that day than she'd felt in a while. She didn't know what to think about her boyfriend being so nice to another girl. But Quinn actually did kind of like Rachel now. That could change if Rachel stole her boyfriend though. She just wished they'd not spend any time alone together and would stop sharing sweet moments like the one she'd walked in on that morning.

Quinn listened to Kurt and Rachel sing, and they both did a great job. She was not surprised to see her boyfriend staring at Rachel while she sang in a way that didn't seem completely platonic. However, Quinn was actually quite surprised when Kurt messed up the high F at the end of the song – she was so sure he'd hit it. She clapped nicely at the end of both and when they had to vote couldn't resist writing down Kurt's name on the little slip of paper even though he'd messed up the note. Quinn couldn't bring herself to actually vote for Rachel after her boyfriend had wished her luck like that.

At the end of the day, Quinn put all of her books back and closed her locker. As she started walking away she heard Puck's voice from behind her.

"Hey, wait up!" he called to her. She swiveled herself to be facing him, wondering what he had to say. He reached into his jacket and pulled out quite a hunk of cash, trying to do it somewhat secretly so everyone else in the hallway wouldn't immediately notice.

"I cracked open the piggy bank," he said. "It's for you. Well it's for it." Quinn couldn't believe he was doing this for her and actually coming through on getting her money when Finn wasn't. She also decided it was only fair that Puck know the baby was a girl.

"'It' is a she," she informed him cautiously, hoping he wouldn't be disappointed to find that out. She stared into his eyes waiting for his reaction. He stared back at her as he took a second to comprehend the news, and then the corners of his mouth perked into the tiniest trace of a smile.

"Cool," he replied. Referring back to his money, he said, "I told you I wasn't a deadbeat." Quinn looked back down at the money, unsure of what to say. She tried to formulate a response while avoiding eye contact with him.

"Look, Puck, this is really sweet, but-"

"I- I can get more," Puck interrupted. He was now the one looking down toward his feet as he continued. "People call me a screw-up because," he started nervously, "I think school is for suckers, but... I got ambition." He looked Quinn right in the eye as he said that last part with conviction. "Get us a house, some stuff, furniture. We could be a family!" Quinn was stunned by Puck's words. After a moment, she responded.

"Finn is your best friend, I-" Quinn tried to protest. Puck cut her off again, though.

"He'd be pissed for a while," Puck conceded. "But then he'd realize he didn't have to deal with all this; he'd bake me a damn cake!" That last word made Quinn realize where Puck had gotten the money from.

"You stole from the cupcake fund," she stated rather than asked.

"No I didn't," Puck denied. Quinn raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Fine, I did. I made all those cupcakes. I'm all about being a team player but my family comes first."

"I get it," Quinn replied after a moment. She really appreciated the sentiment more than she could ever let Puck know. She gently placed her hand on the collar of his jacket before continuing. "And... I'm sorry." She was looking him right in the eye and took a breath. "I should have never called you a Lima loser. You're not. You're special. And romantic. And a good enough person to realize that... we are not going to take money from a friend in a wheelchair." Quinn saw Puck lower his head, understanding. It just wasn't the right thing to do.

Finn appeared behind Puck, still in his wheelchair.

"Hey!" he called out to Quinn, oblivious to the fact that he was yet again intruding on a fairly intimate moment between his girlfriend and best friend. Puck quickly and carefully hid the cash in his pants so that Finn wouldn't see it. Puck then stepped out of the way so that Finn could wheel to his girlfriend, who was forcing a smile for his benefit. "Here," Finn said, offering her an envelope.

"What's this?" she asked, taking it.

"I got a job," Finn answered. He explained about how Rachel helped him get hired at a restaurant by making the employer think that Finn was handicapped and that refusing to hire him would lead to the ACLU barging in. Quinn smiled, unable to be upset at that moment about the fact that Finn was again spending time with Rachel. Her boyfriend had actually gotten a job for her, and she was so pleased that he had come through for her. He then offered her a lift to rehearsal, and so she gently sat down on his lap and let herself be wheeled away by him. As they turned the corner, Quinn took a glance back at Puck, who was still standing there, just watching them leave. Quinn realized he looked a bit sad, and she felt bad for him. He would be meeting them in the auditorium in a few minutes and she hoped he wouldn't look quite so... disappointed then.

Sure enough, Puck was back to acting like his usual self, suggesting they buy some beer with any leftover cash they have after renting the handicap bus, and he then smiled at Quinn, and they shared a moment of pride over knowing they'd done the right thing and not stolen from Artie, but instead helped him. Artie ultimately decided the money should go for a ramp in the auditorium instead of to a bus. Everyone was getting much better at dancing in their wheelchairs in rehearsal that day and Mr. Schue told them that the next day at rehearsal they would get into their costumes and try actually singing while dancing for once – their wheelchair number was going to be "Proud Mary".

After school, Quinn went over to Finn's house and apologized for being so harsh to him earlier. She blamed it on a combination of stress and hormones, and Finn forgave her. Carole was in the next room so they made sure to keep their voices low and never actually use the word "pregnant" in their conversation. After they talked, they watched a sitcom on television together, then went out to the back porch to make-out in relative privacy. Carole poked her head out at one point.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," she said, causing Quinn and Finn to jump apart embarrassed. "I just was wondering if Quinn was planning to stay for supper."

Quinn straightened out her clothing and tried to discretely fix her hair as she replied. "Oh, no, sorry my parents are expecting me home. I probably should get going," she said somewhat apologetically, turning to Finn and then back to his mother. "Thank you, though," she said.

As soon as Quinn had a foot in the front door, her father called out to her, "Quinn, your sister's on the line! Would you like to say 'hello'?"

"Oh, uh, sure!" Quinn called back. She hurried into the kitchen where her father was on the phone.

"Great timing, sweetheart," Russell said softly as he handed her the phone. "I was just about to hang up, so you got home just in time." Quinn nodded as she placed the receiver to her ear.

Quinn mainly listened as Gabrielle talked about her crazy day with her coworkers. Gabrielle was complaining but Quinn couldn't help but be jealous of how normal and wonderful her life sounded. She wished when she was Gabi's age she would have a job and a nice husband whom she loved to come home to just like her big sister. She wished she could still have a nice relationship with her sister and parents then, just like Gabi did. She doubted though that this would ever be a possibility for her, even if she did give up her baby for adoption. Her parents and probably her sister too would never forgive her for getting pregnant, and they would inevitably find out soon, Quinn realized.

She was still listening to her sister ramble on as she glanced over towards her father on the other side of the room. He was sitting at the kitchen table reading the sports section of the newspaper. Quinn adjusted her position slightly and sucked in her stomach, hoping her baby bump wasn't at all noticeable yet to anyone except herself. She bit her lip nervously, wishing she could just tell her big sister right then and there over the phone. She not only wanted to talk about being pregnant, but she wanted to talk to her big sister about her confusing feelings for both Finn and Puck. She needed sisterly advice. She wanted everything to miraculously be okay after the pregnancy was common knowledge and wished for her family to just be there for her and help her through it, and for her fear of them finding out to finally go away. A part of her was dying to just give up and tell them right then and there. But she didn't. She sat there and finished her conversation with Gabrielle, never once bringing up any of the things on her mind.