It had been foolish, really, to think that she could keep Beth from her Father. He was a naturally suspicious person and had checked her email and social networking sites in the past. Quinn had been avoiding Facebook, not purposely but with everything that had been going on, it just hadn't been priority.

She had not realized that Shelby had slipped up in their normal routine, accidentally tagging the young Mother in the pictures she had gotten the day Quinn and Santana had visited.

Her Father had called her to his study shortly after she had gotten home from Santana's. She knew something was wrong as soon as she met his cold gaze and noticed his set jaw.

"Take a seat." Russell said firmly and Quinn had silently obeyed.

"...What's wrong, Daddy?"

"What's wrong?" He echoed back, incredulously. "I'll tell you what's wrong!" He cried, leaning forward and bringing the meat of his hand down loudly against his desk.

"You've been visiting t-that... Abomination!" He sputtered angrily, his face flushing with his fury.

Quinn's heart stuttered in her chest and her gut twisted painfully. She felt as though all of the air had been sucked from her lungs. "H-how?"

"That woman tagged you on Facebook and you were with that Mexican girl, too! What are you thinking, Quinnie?" He asked, disgust twisting his already hardened features.

Quinn glanced toward her lap, her fingers twisting in the fabric of her bag as she fought to keep the tears burning her eyes at bay.

"I forbid you from seeing that woman and that thing again."

"That thing is my daughter and she has a name. It's Beth." Quinn responded softly but firmly.

"That child was and still is a mistake, you don't need to offer it or its Mother your charity."

"My charity? What does that even mean, Daddy? Shelby has been gracious enough to let me see Beth, I want to see her!" Quinn bit back, her voice rising and gaining strength.

She was surprised when her Father did not respond at first and her eyes slowly rose to meet his. He was visibly trembling and his hands were clutched into tight fists on the top of his desk.

"You are not to talk to that woman again." He repeated evenly, "Or that Mexican, unless it is for school."

Her eyes fell back to her lap as he continued, "If I find that you have disobeyed me again, you will lose the privileged of using your car."

Quinn's eyes flicked back to her Father's, the hard edge was now mostly gone. The lines that had twisted across his face had also relaxed considerably.

"I will also keep the money we have been putting away for your college tuition." Now she knew why his expression had made such a large shift, he knew he had won the argument.

She could survive without her car and she could also get a job to pay for school. It was the combination of the two that would make things difficult. She would have to find a job close enough to a bus route and would have to quit Cheerio's. The squad was one of her best chances to get a full or at the very least, partial scholarship but without it being a guarantee she couldn't risk it. She needed to get out of this town and he knew it all too well.

The girl sat still, feeling smaller than she ever had in the overly large chair. "Yes, Daddy."

Quinn blinked, her own words echoing in her mind as she slammed her car door closed. She wanted to talk to them, both of them but she had to be careful. She needed to have a plan first, because of the consequences.

Her Father's own suspicious tendencies had transferred onto her, unfortunately. She felt as if he was always watching now.

Quinn sighed, it was going to be much easier to explain the situation to Shelby, once she figured out how to contact her without being caught.

Santana on the other hand... Would be much easier to pull aside during school hours but Quinn doubted that the other girl would even believe her right now. She had slipped up, voicing her ever present insecurities about Brittany. In that moment, her frustration had shifted to fear and anger. She had used the words to push the other girl away so that she would have time to think.

She was worried that she had pushed too hard.

Quinn ignored the muted conversations in the hall around her as she made her way to her locker. Her eyes flicked over toward Santana, the brunette looked sad and extremely tired.

Santana caught her staring but just like the many times before, Quinn kept their eyes locked. The only difference was that she lingered longer this time and didn't look away first. An apology lodged in her throat.

She shook her head when Santana looked away, back to her things. "Who am I kidding?" The blonde thought as she turned back to her own locker.

They hadn't changed that much, Santana was still the same stubborn and quick tempered girl. If she found out about Quinn's situation she would no doubt find a very big way of getting involved.

That was the opposite of what Quinn needed, she needed time and a plan.

xxx

"So what's up for tomorrow?" Puck asked as he caught up to Santana in the crowded hallway.

"She's not coming."

"What? Why not?" The Mo-hawked boy asked, his dark brows high on his forehead.

Santana sighed, "I don't know. She didn't exactly want to talk."

Puck frowned, "I thought you two were... You know, getting closer and shit?"

The shorter brunette shrugged and stared blankly ahead, "What'd you do to fuck that up, Lopez?"

She stopped suddenly, her dark eyes flashing. "Shut the fuck up, Noah!"

He stopped beside her, his hands up, palms out. "Woah, what's with the hostility?"

Despite her obvious disadvantage in height, Santana managed to step toward him menacingly. "Out of the two of us, I am definitely not the one who fucked up with Quinn." She snarled before stalking away and down the hall.

Puck watched her until she disappeared around the corner, his lips set into a frown.

xxx

While she wanted space, Quinn was beginning to think that Santana was ignoring her. Sure, they had locked eyes a few times throughout the day but Santana had started to look away more quickly.

The blonde wondered if Santana was actually trying to give her what she had asked for, or if she was just trying to get her to cave and talk.

Despite their improved relationship, they had always had some ulterior motive behind their interactions. Keeping that in mind, Quinn had made sure to be as handsy as possible in practice.

The two of them were cleaning up after when Santana finally broke her silence on the matter.

"What the fuck, Quinn? Why are you doing this? You wanted space." The brunette snapped, folding her arms over her chest.

"I don't know what it is that I'm doing, Santana." Quinn responded evenly, bending down to pick up a cone.

"Right. Well, I'd love to give you what you want... Quinn. And what you wanted is space. Unless that's changed?" She asked, stepping closer as the other girl straightened up.

The blonde bit her lip, "No, it hasn't." She confessed, her eyes dropping to the turf below.

She didn't see Santana purse her lips, "Figured. Don't play games with me, Q."

Quinn's fingers tightened on the mesh bag in her hand. Obviously she had been wrong, maybe Santana had changed...

"Okay." She said quietly, her teeth still worrying her lip. "What happened earlier, between you and Puck?" She asked, her voice soft.

Quinn didn't need to be looking directly at the brunette to see her body stiffen.

"Don't worry about it." Santana responded curtly, her anger toward the Mo-hawked boy flaring back up in her chest.

"I've already heard bits and pieces, Santana. I want to hear it from you."

The shorter girl grit her teeth, a new anger twisting in her stomach. She thought back to the way Quinn's body had reacted toward Puck, temporarily making her forget her anger with him while she had inhabited it.

"How is it that you can overlook what he did?" She asked suddenly, her voice sharp. Santana narrowed her eyes when Quinn remained silent, "He took advantage of you, he ra-"

Quinn shook her head, "N-no, we both made a mistake..."

The brunette's jaw flexed, "He knew what he was doing, Quinn. You aren't the only one he has done it to. You're just the only one that we know of who has ended up pregnant..." She added in a lower voice.

"He's my friend, our friend, he wouldn't do that..." Quinn argued weakly, her insecurities rising to the surface.

"Our friend? Maybe he's your friend now, thanks to Beth and his guilt. He knows that he almost broke up your family. He knows what it is like to not have a Dad. He wants to be there for Beth and he didn't want to be the reason that your Dad left. That's it. Don't give him more credit than he deserves."

Quinn's eyes were still trained on the turf and Santana could see the tears welling up. She knew that the blonde was a lot like herself in the fact that they were surrounded by a lot of false friends. The girls talked to them at school and came to their parties but it was all for the popularity and gossip.

They all just wanted to be popular and many of them would turn on their Captains if a good opportunity presented itself.

She knew that Quinn only really allowed a few people to see the real her. Puck had taken advantage of that and if Quinn wouldn't hate him for it, she would.

"He doesn't deserve your forgiveness... I get you wanting to keep the peace for Beth but you have to do what's good for you too." The brunette said gently, stepping closer to take the mesh bag from Quinn.

"How can you say all of this? You told me that I stole your man, where were you when I was pregnant? When I needed my best friend?" Quinn asked, her voice cracking over the words.

Santana paused, regret darkening her features. "I was an idiot. I tried to keep him from you and Brittany... And I fucked that up both times. I was hurt, angry and immature. I should have been there. I'm sorry." She said, angling her body away as her own tears burned her eyes. She didn't deserve Quinn's forgiveness either.

The blonde watched silently as Santana collected the rest of the cones before heading inside. She may not have said it aloud but she knew that the other girl was right, no matter how much she wanted to believe otherwise.

xxx

"How was school today?" Maribel asked as she drove toward their home.

"Okay. You don't need to pick me up tomorrow... Puck and I are going to help Shelby move some furniture from a storage unit."

The older woman arched a slender brow, "I thought you didn't like that boy anymore?"

"I don't. He's a pig, I'm just doing it to help Shelby."

Maribel nodded and remained silent for a moment before speaking up again. "Is Quinn going?"

Santana sighed, she had been expecting that question. "No."

"She doesn't want to see Beth?"

Santana shrugged, "She couldn't go, wouldn't say why."

The girl watched her Mother give another quiet nod before getting lost in thought. The older woman's 'thinking face' worried her but she didn't bother asking. She wasn't sure that she wanted to know right now. She was emotionally and physically drained and just wanted to get home for an early night in.

xxx

Santana woke up Friday less than enthused. She was not looking forward to spending her evening with Puck, especially after their blowout the day before.

Her day passed slowly and Santana found that the only person she could talk to was Tina.

"I'm sorry, I really thought those cookies would help... If they even worked at all."

"They did, for a little." Santana said, leaning back in her chair as she pulled her hair up into her signature high pony. "Don't worry about it, I don't even know what is going on with her really. How're you doing?"

Tina smiled, "Better, thanks. I really like Mike, it was just confusing at first... Seeing Artie with someone else."

"I know what you mean..." Santana said, her eyes flicking toward where Brittany was eating nearby.

Tina smiled sadly, "So you two were together."

It wasn't a question and the lack of surprise sent fear streaking through the Cheerleader.

"What?"

"You and Brittany, you two were dating... Weren't you?" Tina asked, clearly second guessing herself a little now.

"Uhm, kind of..." Santana responded quietly, glancing around her as heat rose up the back of her neck.

"What's wrong?" Tina asked, tilting her head to the side slightly.

Santana leaned in toward the other girl, "You're cool with that...? I mean, you don't think that it's weird?"

Tina barked out a small laugh, "No, of course not! Kurt is gay and we all still love him."

Relief flooded Santana and she shook her head slightly. "I wouldn't say that love Lady Hummel." She corrected playfully.

Tina rolled her eyes but smiled regardless. "Don't lie, Satan."

The two laughed before Santana grew serious again. "Do you think that anyone else knows?"

The other girl quickly sobered up as well. "Yeah, they do... You two were adorable but uhm..."

"But what?"

"You were kind of obvious... With all of that pinky linking and eye sex." A blush crept over Santana's cheeks and Tina smiled sympathetically. "You were obvious to us Gleeks, I can't speak for the rest of the school though."

"Yeah." Santana said, feeling a little better that it might not have been school wide knowledge. "I'm just, I'm still figuring stuff out... You know?"

Tina nodded, "I understand. Just remember, we'll be there for you." The younger girl offered with a genuine smile.

"Thanks, Girl-Chang. You're okay. Just no more baking experiments." Santana said, her voice serious despite the small smile that was tugging at her lips.

xxx

"You ready to go?" Puck asked stiffly, slamming the trunk door of his Jeep shut.

"Yeah." Santana said, walking passed the boy and hopping into the passenger seat without another word.

"We going to talk about this, Lopez? Or are we going to be like this all night?"

"It's not just tonight, Puck." Santana corrected with a sigh, "My feelings might change momentarily if I forget what you did... But then I remember and I can't see you differently."

She watched hard lines etch themselves across his profile. "She's forgiven me, why can't you?"

"She shouldn't have." Santana responded simply, averting her attention to the scenery moving passed her window.

She had not forgiven him and she did not plan to.

xxx

"Thank you guys, so much. I'll bring some drinks out, any preference?"

"Water, please." Santana said, wiping her brow as she jumped down from the passenger side of the U-Haul.

Puck nodded in agreement, as he tightened the bandana around his forehead. "Yeah. Same here, please. We're going to start unloading this." He said, patting the trailer beside him.

A few minutes later, Shelby re-emerged from her home with three water bottles and a baby monitor.

She gave an impressed whistle as she watched the teens unload part of her bench swing for her garden. "You guys work quick!"

They had already unloaded a couch for her basement, four plastic lawn chairs and her chiminea.

"Not much daylight left." Puck said as they made their way back for the other pieces of the swing.

Shelby frowned as she settled herself down on her porch steps, "You guys don't have to do it all today..."

"You only have the storage unit till the end of the month, right?" Santana asked, pausing by the truck.

"Well, yes..."

"We want to help you so you don't have to pay for another month." The younger brunette said with a smile, "Don't worry, we've got this."

xxx

Two hours and a water bottle and a half later, Santana and Puck were unloading the last piece of furniture.

"Thank God this is the last of it..." Puck huffed as they carried Shelby's stone table out into the back yard. Santana looked toward the older woman but she was busy playing around on her phone.

"Anywhere specific you'd like this?" She asked, glancing toward the phone curiously when she noticed Shelby's upset expression.

"Uh, could you put it up here...?" She answered quickly, motioning toward the empty space toward the far corner of the porch.

"What's wrong with her?" Puck asked in a hushed whisper as they carefully made their way up the steps with the heavy table.

"I don't know. I'll ask her when we're done here if you want to go check on Beth." She offered, also for her own sanity. She had spent the entire evening with the Mo-hawked boy and she really wanted some time away from him before they were stuck alone in his Jeep again.

"Sure." Puck said, giving a slight shrug of his shoulders as they rotated the table into position before setting it down. "Do you want any help with the chairs?" He asked, his eyes flicking quickly toward the door that led inside.

"Nah, I got it." She said, waving him off before heading back into the yard for the matching chairs. On her way back up, she noticed that Shelby was no longer playing around with her phone.

"What's up?" Santana asked as she slid the metal chair into place.

"It's just... I've been trying to get a hold of Quinn since yesterday and she hasn't returned any of my calls or texts."

Santana bit the inside of her cheek and waited for the older brunette to continue.

"And while I don't think that she would do this... It rings once or twice before sending me to voicemail... She isn't avoiding me, is she?" Shelby asked, disappointment evident in her tone.

"I don't know." Santana confessed, "I mean... I hope not. She seemed so happy to be spending time with Beth and I know she appreciates everything you're doing for her and Puck."

"So she hasn't said anything to you at all?"

"No." Santana breathed out in a sigh, "She's been... Distant and upset the last few days."

"I see." Shelby said with a frown, "I'm going to try her again quick. Thank you, Santana. Meet me in the kitchen and I will have a fresh drink for you."

Santana nodded before she made her way back down to where the other three chairs were still sitting. Regardless of what was going on between her and Quinn, she hoped that the blonde wouldn't ruin her chance to stay in Beth's life.

Sighing, the brunette made quick work of the chairs before making her way inside. The sliding glass doors led in from the porch and into the dining room. The room itself was dark, the only light was spilling in from the kitchen and the fading sunlight from outside. Santana slid the glass door closed behind her and slipped her shoes off on the mat before padding toward the kitchen.

Shelby was leaning against her kitchen counter, facing away from the younger woman. Her body was rigid, her spine perfectly straight. Her cell phone was pressed to her ear and although she couldn't hear the words being said, she could tell that the man on the other side of the line was yelling.

She stood there silently over the threshold of the two rooms for several minutes as the call continued. Shelby tried speaking up a few times but fell quiet each time.

Finally, Shelby uttered a quick and annoyed goodbye. Her head turned to look over her shoulder as Santana stepped closer.

"I thought you were calling Quinn?" She asked, not really caring if she seemed rude.

"I did." Shelby said, angling her body so that she was facing the shorter brunette. "That was Mr. Fabray that I was speaking to."

"Russell? Why would he..." Santana's eyes widened then as realization dawned on her.

"He said that Quinn doesn't want to see me or Beth anymore."

Santana shook her head, "He's lying. He doesn't want her seeing Beth, he's a control freak."

Shelby's features softened a little, sadness obvious in her brown eyes. "Are you sure about that? I thought that I wanted to be in Rachel's life too but it was too difficult for me."

Santana nodded and rubbed at the back of her neck. "I understand that but Quinn, she's different..." She averted her eyes from Shelby's and noticed the keys laying between them on the counter. "Are those Puck's?" She asked, eying the worn metal as she waited for a response.

"Yes, they are... Why?" Shelby asked, watching as Santana lurched forward to grab them.

"I've got to go see something... Tell him I'll be back soon." She said hurriedly, moving for the front door. She heard Shelby call after her but she ignored the woman as she rushed outside.

It was only about a fifteen minute ride to the Fabray home but she was sure it only took her nine.