Chapter 10: Good To Be Back Again

A/N: Hope you enjoy this chapter :) Reviews are always appreciated!

1 Year Later:

Beth was in her spanish class that afternoon. Mr. Schuester placed her test face down on her desk, and glanced at her with the I-know-you-can-do-better-than-this look. She flipped her test over. A big red F was marked in the corner. She didn't even bother looking at it and shoved it in her bag just as the bell rang. She got up.

"Beth, can I speak with you for a second?" Mr. Schuester's voice said.

She walked up to his desk.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. "This grade isn't like you. I want you to have Shelby sign this note and the test." He handed them her.

She took the papers. "Can I go now?"

"Beth, what's wrong?" he asked again.

"Nothing. God, why can't you just mind your own business?" She stomped out of the classroom. She didn't know why she was upset even. Maybe it was the letters she had spent looking at every day since her 15th birthday. She was just naturally curious, that was all. Like any growing teenager would be if they received anonymous letters six years in a row all on the same date.

She entered her house. "Mom!" She called. "I'm home!"

"In the kitchen, sweetie!" Shelby answered back.

Beth entered the kitchen. Shelby was sitting at the table, a mug of coffee in her hand. Suddenly, Beth noticed the two people, a man and a woman, sitting across from Shelby. The man had a mohawk and the woman had lustrous blonde hair.

"Um…mom?" Beth said.

Shelby smiled at her. "Honey, I'd like you to meet Noah," she gestured to the man, "and Quinn."

Quinn? Beth thought. "Quinn Fabray?"

"That's me," the blonde said as she rolled back her head and laughed. "It's nice to see you again, Beth."

Beth blinked. "Wait. What on earth is going on here? What do you mean, that I've met you before?"

"Honey," Shelby said. "Quinn and Noah are your birth parents. Quinn was 16 when she had you, and I adopted you."

Beth didn't know what to say. "So, you're not my mom?" She asked Shelby.

"Well," Shelby began but Beth cut her off.

"So you've been lying to me for 16 years. You've been pretending to be my mom for 16 years, and now you just suddenly decide to pop the truth on me thinking I'll be happy knowing that my entire life is a lie? Great. Just great." Beth said, as she stomped up to her room. Opening the door, she dug under her mattress and pulled out the letters.

Now she realized everything. Quinn was the one sending the letters. She flopped on her bed and began to sob into the pillow.

She didn't know how long it had been, just that a gentle hand began to rub her back. After a moment, she looked up. "Q-Quinn?" she said.

Shh… it's okay." Quinn hugged her. "Listen, Beth. I'm sorry. We gave you up because neither of us were in the position at that time to take care of you. Puck's family was tight on money, and I had been kicked out of my house. All we wanted was to give you a life you deserved and we knew when Shelby came up to us that she would be perfect for you. So please, if you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me, and not her."

"Thank you," Beth said, looking up at Quinn. "Thank you for giving me a great life."

They smiled at each other.

"I see you still have the letters." Quinn pointed to the envelopes Beth had strewn across the bed.

The younger blonde nodded. "Thanks for that too."

"Oh, you don't have to thank me. It's something that any mother would do. Come on, let's go downstairs."

The two of them entered the kitchen again. "Mom," Beth said. "I'm sorry. I forgive you, and I realize you were just trying to do what was best for me." She hugged Shelby for a moment.

She turned to Puck. "I never had a dad." She said. "But I'm so grateful to have one now." They smiled at each other, and Puck even accepted a hug from Beth.

"Well, I'll leave you guys alone for a while," Shelby announced, and made her way out of the room.

"Okay, how about a pizza for dinner?" Puck asked. The girls both nodded, and he made his way to the front door.

"Well, I guess that leaves just us for a while. What do you want to do?" Quinn questioned.

"Let's talk." Beth said. "Tell me your biggest mistake."

Quinn thought for a moment. "Well, I lied to Puck's best friend and said that he was your father. It pretty much screwed everything up. Eventually he forgave me, but I never should have done it. Now you tell me something."

"Um, well I'm captain of the Cheerios and in glee club."

Quinn's eyes brightened. "I was captain too," she said, "well, before I got pregnant. But that actually gave me a chance to see what it was like not being on top anymore. Do they still have that stupid slushy business at McKinley?"

"Yeah," Beth said. "It's pretty terrible. I mean, I tried to stop it, but there's only so much you can do. You know?"

Quinn nodded. "Is Mr. Schue still there?"

Beth nodded then remembered the note. "Here," she said handing it to Quinn. "Mr. Schuester wanted Shelby to sign it."

Quinn blinked, but then opened it and read it. "He wants to have a conference with her," she said. "About you being distracted and distant lately. Well," she looked up. "I guess we have to pay him a visit. Shall we?"

"Now?"

"Chances are he's probably still at school."

The two blondes linked arms and walked to the car.

Entering McKinley, Quinn walked towards the classroom.

"Q? Is that really you?" a voice that was unmistakably Sue's questioned from behind them.

Quinn pivoted. "Ms. Sylvester," she said. "It's nice to see you." She smiled.

Sue suddenly wrapped her arms around Quinn. "I miss you," she said. "I really do. Nobody's quite as good as you. Well, except for maybe Captain here." She looked at Beth. "Maybe you can stop by and visit the team sometime."

"I'd be glad to," Quinn answered modestly.

Sue nodded and left.

When they reached the spanish room, Quinn opened the door to find Mr. Schue at his desk. She cleared her throat.

"Quinn?" he said, surprised.

"It's good to see you again," she answered. "Beth gave me the note you wrote. But we can explain it all." She began to tell him about how Beth had just met her and Puck, and that whole story.

He nodded. "I'm sorry, Beth. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. By the way, you can retake the test if you want."

She nodded. "Thanks. I'm sorry too, for losing my temper."

"Now Quinn, if you ever wanted to stop by glee rehearsal sometime, we'd be honored to have you."

"I'll see what I can do," she laughed.

They said their goodbyes and made their way back to Shelby's house, where Puck was waiting with 6 pies of pizza.

"Really, Puck?" she asked. "6 pies?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a hungry person." He glanced at Beth and shot her a wink.

"All right, everyone," Quinn announced. "Group hug."

They wrapped their arms around each other, the same thought in all their minds.

Here they were, sixteen years later, as a family. It's good to be back again, they thought. It truly is.

And with that, the three of them smiled at each other, knowing that there was a great future to look forward to. Together.