Chapter 9:

AN: I know that some of you guys didn't like the previous three moth time jump, sorry, but I'm doing it again (only two months this time) because I honestly can't think of anything to write in between and I have lots more to write at this part.

Thank you to ilovemycandy for the name idea!

Rachel's melodic voice was pulling everyone in, Quinn especially. She was drunk on the sound of Rachel's proud, beautiful voice. Quinn wanted to go onto that stage right that instant and kiss her secret girlfriend like there was no tomorrow. But she couldn't. If she did, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, and Quinn wasn't ready for that. Rachel glanced across to the wings of the stage and grinned.

"Nobody, is gonna, rain on my, parade!" She sang, raising her arms.

Quinn took in a breath and then she was aware of the person behind her pushing her onto the stage and she had to try to stop staring at Rachel.

That had been Sectionals. Now here they were at Regionals. It seemed ridiculous that so much had changed in such a short span of time. And yet here Quinn was, at Regionals, out and proud, with her gorgeous pregnant girlfriend. Rachel was eight months pregnant now. Judy, Hiram and LeRoy had all agreed to let Quinn stay at the Berry house for the last month of Rachel's pregnancy after the two girls begged and pleaded. Rachel felt more comfortable and safe with Quinn around, and Quinn felt she could help Rachel more easily. Rachel had experienced some more false labour but she could tell it apart from real labour now. The girls, along with Puck, had set up and decorated the nursery, Rachel just doing the painting rather than lugging around all the heavy things. They had painted it in a colour scheme of sage, charcoal and lavender to be gender neutral, as Rachel wanted to be surprised. They had the crib and changing table, which were the main things needed. Quinn really ought to stop worrying, everything would be fine, and yet she couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong.

Quinn did her vocal exercises that Rachel had taught her, and then her girlfriend gave her a kiss for good luck, before Rachel reluctantly went out to the audience seats and the New Directions were called to stage.

Quinn took Rachel's place and performed the routines to the best of her ability, though she knew it couldn't be as good as how Rachel perfected them. She sang the duet with her ex-boyfriend Finn as well as she could, and she just hoped that it was enough.

"How did I do?" Quinn asked Rachel as she came out into the audience after performing.

Rachel's smiled. "Great." Then she winced.

Quinn sat down next to her. "Are you okay?"

"Just the false labour again," Rachel said. "I'll be okay."

Quinn squeezed Rachel's hand to give her strength and then let Rachel cuddle into her shoulder as they watched the other performances.

Vocal Adrenaline were ridiculously amazing and they ended up winning, but the New Directions were still proud. They had gotten to Regionals in their first year as a team! That was a great achievement! Rachel was really proud of them, and suggested that they all go out somewhere to celebrate, but everyone made excuses.

"Quinn?" Rachel suggested.

Quinn shook her head. "I'm a bit tired Rach," She yawned to prove her point. "Maybe another time."

"Okay then…" Rachel wasn't sure what it was, but everyone was acting weirdly. First they had all not wanted to hang out, then they had all practically ran out to cars, and now Quinn was saying she was tired and yet she was dragging her over to a tourist shop. "You like that shirt?" Quinn nodded. "Quinn, its beige!"

"So?"

"It's BEIGE! And it's a hoody, and it looks like someone spilled coffee on it."

"Maybe I'm going for a grungier style!"

Rachel raised an eyebrow and Quinn opened her mouth then stopped when her phone buzzed. She glanced at it quickly then pulled Rachel back out the door. "On second thought, you're right."

Rachel felt another burst of pain for about seventy seconds as it moved from her back slowly.

When they arrived back at the house, there was a banner saying "Congratulations" and everyone from Glee plus the parents were there. There was a giant pile of presents and even a blue and pink cake.

Quinn grinned across at her girlfriend. "What is this?" Rachel asked.

"Your baby shower silly!" Quinn said and then opened the car door. "Milady."

Rachel had opened all the baby shower presents (lots of rattles, toys and bottles- plus an Advanced Math textbook from Brittany…) but by then she was feeling tired so she and Quinn sat down together. Rachel had been feeling the pain more consistently than usual and it hurt a lot more too, but she still wasn't sure. She didn't want to ruin everyone's day by putting a stop to this party if she wasn't even having real contractions. She was a few weeks off. Then she heard a pop.

Quinn seemed to hear it too. She glanced over at Rachel, who was now staring down at her legs.

"What is it?" Quinn asked.

"My waters just broke."

When Rachel stood up water gushed down her legs. By now everyone had realised and were helping Rachel into the car before a couple of them followed to the hospital, but the majority headed home.

Rachel groaned and moaned and made other non-human noises. Quinn was in the room and so was Rachel's midwife, but everyone else had been ushered out.

"Dilation complete!" A nurse shouted as Rachel clutched at Quinn's hand and squeezed until it went numb.

The doctor said, "Rachel, it's time to push. Three for every contraction. I'm going to need you to push on the count of three. Okay?"

Rachel grabbed Quinn's hand with one of hers and held onto a part of the sheet with the other. She gritted her teeth and nodded. "One, two, three."

"Aargh!" Rachel screamed and Quinn dug her finger into the seat she was sitting in, hating to hear Rachel in pain.

The doctor counted to three again and Rachel pushed hard. Quinn was so proud of her strong girl. Another one.

Rachel's contractions were about four minutes apart, so she used that time to try to rest, but Quinn could tell she was freaked out and panicking. So Quinn held her hand and only let go when the shock hit her and she saw in the mirror the doctor had provided, a tiny head emerging. It was barely visible, but she could see it and she pointed it out to Rachel, who pushed with a renewed energy. Screaming and shouting and crying, but never giving up. That was Quinn's girl!

Puck stood up when he was called into the hospital room. The baby had just been born and Rachel's small body had found it difficult to cope so she was resting.

"Where is-" Puck began, then realised he didn't know the gender.

"She," Rachel said from the bed. "It's a girl. She was born premature so they took her to the baby unit."

Puck's heart skipped a beat. "Will she be okay?" He asked the girls.

"They say she should be," Quinn replied. "She wasn't born ridiculously early, but there's still risk."

Puck never would have guessed he would feel so strongly about this tiny person he hadn't even met yet. "Can we go see her?"

As he said it, a nurse walked in with a wheelchair and helped Rachel into it.

"We're just going now," Quinn said. "Come with us?" Puck nodded.

The three of them had made their way down to the baby unit and were at the glass looking in.

"Which one is she?" Puck asked. All three of them searched, and found a baby with her father's hazel eyes and her mother's nose and face shape. She had tubes and wires attached to her but still looked adorable.

"She's beautiful," Quinn said. The three of them just stared for a few moments, then a nurse with a clipboard came over.

"Do you have a name yet?" She asked. Quinn and Rachel had been talking about that. They had liked the names they had thought of before- Savannah, Brooklyn and Hailey- but they had come up with a new one. Skye.

"Skye Savannah Berry," Rachel said, loving the sound of it.

"That's a great name," The nurse said. "You're going to have to stay overnight Miss Berry," Rachel had given birth at 5.02 in the morning and it was now six. "I'll bring you the birth certificate later." As she went past them, she put a hand on each of the teenagers' shoulders in turn. "Skye will be alright," She said. "She's a fighter."

"Just like her mom," Quinn bent down to the wheelchair level and kissed Rachel softly on the lips before the three new parents headed back, Quinn and Rachel to the waiting room, Puck with the job he volunteered for to break the news to the three sets of parents.

Rachel was let out of the hospital two days later. It wasn't what she had expected, to be returning from the hospital without a baby, but she trusted the doctors and nurses, especially her nurse, Alyssa, and Rachel was with her baby every hour of visiting time, seeing as she was on maternity leave now.

Skye's health was up to a reasonable level, so she too was allowed to leave what felt like a long week later. Puck and Quinn both had the equivalent of paternity leave seeing as Principal Figgins knew about their situation, although they both only had a week left.

"Welcome home Skye," Rachel said as she carried her baby into her house. "This is where Mommy, Grandad and Grandpa live." She jogged Skye up and down and then kissed her. "And you too now!"

The three of them took Skye upstairs and showed her around the nursery. "This is the place where you're going to sleep," Puck said, then he pointed to the toys. "And the things you can play with when you're a bit older." Then he gestured to the changing area and covered his nose. "The place which'll be stinky soon," Rachel and Quinn both giggled and Skye looked up innocently at them.

Rachel put her daughter down in the crib but a confused Skye lifted up her arms for her mother. Rachel shook her head. "Sleepy time," She said, but Skye stared back at her.

"She's stubborn like you," Quinn teased.

Rachel stuck out her tongue at her girlfriend and then lifted Skye out of her crib and fed her, before putting her down.

"You have to burp her," Puck put in. Rachel turned to look at him confused. "What?" He said. "I did do some research."

Rachel burped Skye and then put her back in the crib, but she was still crying.

"She has your lungs too," Quinn continued.

Rachel glared at her. "You are being incredibly unhelpful."

Quinn took Skye out of the crib and changed her diaper, which still didn't help. Then Rachel had a genius idea. She told Puck to get his guitar from his car. When he got back, he played a song, and Quinn and Rachel sung. It put Skye right to sleep, and Puck left soon afterwards.

Quinn had decided to stay one more night before going home. The baby monitor was silent, the parents were in their room, all was quiet. Quinn and Rachel lay down on the bed heart to heart. It was Skye's first night home, and the first night that Rachel hadn't been worrying before bed. Quinn could feel the happiness radiating off her girlfriend as she kissed her.

"I thought this was going to be impossible," Rachel declared. "Raising a baby at our age. But I feel like… I know this sounds incredibly cheesy, but I feel like I can do anything when I'm with you."

Quinn linked their hands together, enjoying the feel of something she had wanted to do for a long time. "I love you too," She said.