-/-

"So...you were just going to give her your baby?"

My mouth is dry. Quinn sits cross-legged on my bed, hands clenched in her tousled blonde hair. So apparently the 'more important baby' I subconsciously hated never even existed at all. Terri Schuester is not pregnant. And had all went as planned, she was going to take Quinn's and pass it off as her own. What the hell?!

"Rachel, I had no idea what was supposed to happen," she says. "Terri gave me money for supplements, doctor's appointments... I had no way to pay for them myself. And I knew exactly where my baby was going. You know Mr. Schue, he's such a great guy."

My jaw clenches.

"I knew him and his wife would give my baby a better life than I ever could," she continues. "I mean, I'm kicked out of my own house for crying out loud."

This is crazy. I'm not even sure that this would be legal! And to give it to him?! The very person I'm making sure is not involved with my baby?! And how am I just hearing about this, we tell each other about every little thing! "Does Finn know?" I ask incredulously.

"No."

She suddenly looks very uncomfortable, which alarms me. Finn didn't know that the adoptee of his baby was going to be his very own teacher?! Unknowingly?! Quinn presses her fingers to her temples and lets out a low, long sigh.

"Rachel," she starts, "I...we trust each other, right? I mean, I know last week I screwed up, but I'm really the only person you talk to. And I'm fairly certain that you've only told me about the rape. So I can tell you something...right?"

"Yes," I answer, suspicion tracing my voice. What more has she not told me?

Quinn takes a deep breath. "Finn is not the father. Puck is."

My jaw drops. "What?! You've been lying to him this entire time?!"

"It was a mistake!" she exclaims. "It was over the summer, he got me drunk on wine coolers and I just...let him do his thing. It was the lowest moment of my life, I didn't want to cheat! And I've never even had sex with Finn, don't ask me what he thinks happened."

"Does-"

"Puck knows," she confirms. "He wants to be the father, but it has to be Finn. He's been helping me with money, too. And he said that Mercedes knows, he told her for some reason, so I've been talking to her about it." Quinn looks up from her hands and into my eyes. "She wants me to tell Finn the truth. She...she even told me she'll take me in after he-"

Suddenly she chokes on her words, tears spilling over her eyes. "Dumps me," she finishes. "But how the hell am I supposed to tell him?"

I don't know what to say. I really don't. How could she be hiding so much inside all this time? She told me about her body problems, money problems, other little things...how could she let on so much and yet keep this a secret? Not only from me, but from Finn!

"Quinn, you have to tell him!" I say. "It would be cruel to keep this from him! And a secret like this is just going to eat you up inside, it'll drive you insane."

"It already has, trust me," she says quietly.

"Sit down with him, have a civil conversation," I advise. "Don't let him find out from Puck or anyone else. It has to be from you."

She nods, wiping away tears. "You're right, Rachel. Thank you."

She gives me a tight hug, grabs her purse, and slips out of my bedroom. What a crazy situation! Then again, I'm in one too. But I can't even imagine lying to the person I love every day, leading them on like that. And what an awful thing to lie about!

Wait a minute.

I really am doing the same thing, aren't I? My dads have no idea about what's going on; I'm basically lying to them! Oh, I have to tell them. I have to get this over with. They're going to find out sooner or later, and the longer I put it off, the worse the outcome will be. Besides, I've known for three weeks and I haven't had a doctor's appointment. When am I supposed to go to the doctor? When am I supposed to do...anything? I have no idea how to approach this, I need their help.

I need their support.

-/-

"Rachel, sit down."

I freeze on the stairs, my hand beginning to tremble on the railing. My dads sit solemnly at the kitchen table. Daddy's face is too stiff, as if he's trying to mask his true feelings, and Dad just looks plain serious. Only one thought occurs to me- they know.

I silently walk down the last few steps and I sit down at my spot at the table. I'm afraid to say anything, to initiate the conversation, so I remain quiet.

"Rachel," Dad sighs, "Edna called us this afternoon, right after you got home from school."

I can feel my blood freeze in my pulse. Edna is the school nurse, one of my dads' close friends. God, of course she's heard the news, it's all over school! Oh my god, they know!

"She told us that there's a rumor about you going around school," he continues. "A, uh, particularly big rumor."

The silence is deafening as I watch him choose his next words. He knows that I know what he's about to say. Daddy, sitting beside him, is completely motionless.

"Uh...people have been saying that, um...that you're...pregnant," he hastens.

The ringing in my ears have returned.

"Of course," Daddy adds desperately, "we know how rumors are, and how your peers have been treating you. High school is rough. Rumors are usually untrue, and we know that you're a perfectly smart, responsible young lady. And-"

Dad cuts him off with a simple wave of his hand. He sighs and stretches his mouth into an exhausted smile, obviously trying to relieve tension. "Rachel," he says, "this rumor isn't true, right?"

He tries to ask this light-heartedly, as if it's a joke. Usually a rumor like this would be. But this is not a usual situation. My heart wrenches as I watch his hopeful smile slowly fade with my continued silence.

I take a shaky breath; it's amplified in my ears. I feel a hot tear drop onto my lip; they see it and their faces fall.

"It's true," I whisper.

A loud 'oh!' slips out from Daddy involuntarily as soon as I say it. He presses a clenched fist against his mouth and his eyes are glassy with tears. Oh my god, what have I done?!

Dad hasn't seemed to process it yet. He sits there, blinking at me, unable to understand. "What?" he asks.

"I-" I try to talk but my throat is incredibly swollen. "I'm having a baby."

"No!" Daddy cries out, now openly weeping. He reaches across the table and touches my face, stroking my cheek. "No, Rach! You can't have a baby, you're my baby!"

"Oh Rachel," Dad says softly. "What were you thinking?"

I'm now crying, too. This is the most humiliating thing I've ever done in my entire life! "I'm sorry!" I wail. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"What happened?" Dad asks, his voice wavering.

Ugh.

"I..."

I could tell them what happened. God, how easy would it be to let those three words spill from my lips. How easy would it be to place all of the blame on him. I know I'm going against everything I believe in as an independent woman, not speaking up. Maybe I could-

"I went to a party."

And there went the last bit of respect I had for myself.

"I was drunk," I lie. "I don't know who it was."

They look at me, crushed. Completely crushed. I did this to them. Not him, not anyone else. Me.

Dad rubs his temples, still shaking his head in disbelief. "Rachel..." I know what's coming.

"How could you be so irresponsible?"

I'm sobbing now. I can't help but collapse my head on the table. "I don't know!" I cry out.

"How long have you known?" Daddy asks.

"Three weeks."

They both sigh. I feel him put his arm around my shoulder and he kisses my hair. "Are you sure? We really need to get you to a doctor, sweetie."

"I'm sure," I murmur. I raise my head up, eyes sticky. "You're not going to throw me out, are you?"

"Of course not!" Dad exclaims. "Whatever would make you think that?!"

"Quinn's parents did," I answer.

"Really?" Daddy says. "That's awful. So that's why you're friends."

Dad aimlessly runs his thumb over my smooth wrist. "Do you want the baby, Rachel?"

"Yes."

"You have to be sure," he says. "Raising a baby is a big responsibility. Your dad and I aren't going to do it for you, you know."

"I know that!" I respond, suddenly irritated. "And I'm sure. I've been thinking about it a lot."

Daddy looks thoughtful. "You have been so distant lately. And sad. Now we know why." He looks up. "Last month, that black eye-"

"That didn't have to do with it," I quickly finish.

We're all silent for a long moment. Then abruptly, Daddy starts crying again and he covers his face. "I just feel like such a bad parent!" he says. "How could I not notice something was wrong?"

My heart sinks. "Don't say that. You're the best dads I could ever ask for," I try. "You didn't do anything wrong."

I look up at them again with heavy eyes.

"I...I did."

-/-