PLEASE READ - Hi, guys! To avoid confusion, I'm going to explain what I'll be doing with the story from here on out.

From this point on, I'm going to be doing some time hops. For example, in the last chapter, Beth was seven and now she's 11. I will try to make the ages of the characters very clear and if anyone is ever confused, please let me know!

Alright, onto the chapter. This is very Beth-centric, because you've never really seen her deal with Quinn's death. More letters from Quinn are also on the way, including her first letter to Beth.

Enjoy!

In sixth grade and at 11 years old, Beth was very aware that she did not have a normal, conventional family like most of her friends did.

For example, her best friend Stella lived with her mom, her dad, and her little brother. Her friend Griffin lived with his single dad, because his mom had died when he was four. Even a girl in her class named Brooke who had two gay dads, and another boy named Luke who went back and forth between his divorced parents still had a more common family situation than Beth did.

Yes, Beth knew that her family situation was highly unheard of and confusing to most people she met.

She had her mom, of course. Beth loved Shelby with her whole heart and would always be grateful to the woman for adopting her. Because it was the just the two of them living in their house together, Beth and Shelby were very close. They were almost always open and honest with each other, and Beth knew that Shelby tried her hardest to provide Beth with everything she needed.

Thanks to Shelby's joy as a high school choir and glee director, Beth was in the midst of growing up in a world of song and dance. Whether it was doing her homework in the auditorium while her mom's students sang in the background, or attending glee competitions with the team on the weekends when no one was available to watch Beth, the little girl was already very well-versed in the world of show choir, glee club, and musical theater.

Of course, she had Rachel to thank for that as well. Beth adored her adopted sister and was just as excited as everyone else when the brunette diva landed her role as Fanny Brice in Broadway's revival of Funny Girl. Shelby took Beth to New York to see Rachel perform on her opening night, and it was one of the most magical nights of Beth's life. Rachel had been giving her singing lessons since she was seven and Beth had grown up listening to the sound of Rachel's voice. But seeing her older sister on stage for the first time was something Beth knew she would never forget. While she didn't get to see Rachel as much as she saw the others, due to her sister living in New York, Beth still loved her fiercely. She and Rachel called each other Big sis and Little sis.

Beth had another older sister figure in Brittany. The little brunette was completely in love with the tall blonde dancer. Shortly after meeting Brittany and establishing their Baby B connection, Beth had started to call Brittany her twin and had continued to do so as their relationship grew. After meeting Beth and spending that entire summer in Lima, Brittany had decided to drop out of MIT, move back home, and open her own dance studio. She now ran classes six days a week, some of which Beth attended. However, Brittany also taught Beth privately and was incredibly proud of how naturally talented she was turning out to be. She affectionately still used the nickname that Quinn had christened them both with. Beth was growing up but she still wasn't huge on physical affection – Brittany was the only person she would still reliably cuddle with.

Then there was Puck. Because he had been a part of Beth's life almost since she was born, Beth felt completely comfortable around him and confidently viewed Puck as her father. Puck went back and forth between Lima and LA, constantly chasing after a new project, whether it was expanding the pool cleaning business he now managed, or back-up singing/playing for Mercedes whenever she called him down to California. However, no matter where he was, he never failed to be there for Beth. He was at nearly all of her dance recitals, and the ones he couldn't be at, Shelby filmed for him so that he could watch. Their father-daughter bond was very strong, and Puck constantly thanked his lucky stars that he got to be such a big part of his little girl's life.

And, after the day at the pond during that first summer, Santana had become a shining light in Beth's life. She, much like Puck, went back and forth between New York for Rachel and work, and Lima for Brittany and Beth. Santana had never missed a dance show or school play that Beth was in. She called the little brunette everyday that she couldn't be with her in person, whether it was to say goodnight, ask about how a test in school went, or simply have a five-minute conversation just to check in. To Beth, Santana was more than just another big sister, or a second mom.

Beth had special bonds and connections with all of the adults in her life, but she had something extra with Santana – they were each others living reminders of the mother and best friend they had both lost. For Santana, Beth was her little Quinn. As she got older, Beth continued to look more and more like her birth mother. At times, though the occurrences were rare, it was still hard for Santana to be near Beth without feeling a dull ache in her chest. However, those times were few and far between and for the most part, Santana felt nothing but love and joy around Beth.

For Beth, Santana was the closest thing she would ever have to Quinn. Santana never failed to comply with Beth's requests of stories about Quinn. The Latina had even given Beth one of Quinn's old sweatshirts that the blonde had once left at her house, which, because it was so oversized, Beth now wore constantly around the house. Santana gave Beth the connection to her birth mother that she wanted so desperately, and Beth gave Santana the connection to her best friend that she needed to heal her pain. Just as Santana had called Quinn by her initial, she called Beth B and the little girl called her S.

So, Beth was not blind to the fact that her family was unlike anyone else's. However, she never once let that bother her and wouldn't have traded the adults in her life for anyone or anything. They each gave her something special, and she wouldn't have had it any other way.

Griffin James was in love with Beth Corcoran.

Sure, he was only 11 years old. But he knew that he loved Beth. They had been in class together since kindergarten, and all he knew was that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He also thought she was super smart, sweet, funny, and had felt that way since the first time he saw her on the first day of kindergarten.

They weren't best friends – Stella St. Claire was Beth's best friend – but they were good friends, and that was enough for Griffin. He loved joking around with Beth and enjoyed the time he spent at her house on play dates, especially when any of her extended family members were there.

Yes, Griffin was aware of Beth's odd family predicament, but that mattered not to him. The fact that she had a mom, a birth mother angel, two sisters, a dad, and a…whatever Santana was just made Beth that much cooler in his book. He had an angel of his own; his mom had passed away when he was four, so he understood how hard not having a real mom around was for Beth.

He liked to think that gave them a special connection.

It was exactly why he knew just what to say to Beth when he found her crying during recess one day.

"Ssup, Beth?"

Beth looked up at the sound of Griffin's voice, hazel eyes flashing, but relaxed as soon as she saw that it was him.

"Hey, Griff," she replied quietly. Griffin took a seat next to her, and gently bumped her shoulder.

"You wanna talk?"

Beth wiped her eyes. "Tomorrow is Quinn's birthday," she said, smiling sadly through her tears. "It's hard every year, but I never really know how to deal with it."

"Can I put my arm around you?" he asked her, with full knowledge that sometimes she couldn't stand being touched and she nodded, appreciating his effort to ask first. Griffin put his arm around Beth and looked out at the playground full of happy, busy kids.

"We're not like them," he mused. "They're all totally happy and carefree. Well, no. That's not true. Everybody has problems. But they'll never know what it feels like to lose and grow up without their moms. It's hard for me and Dad to deal with Mom's birthday every year, too. You wanna know what I do when I miss her?"

Beth nodded and Griffin continued.

"I go visit her grave. I love Dad, but sometimes I need to talk to Mom. He drives me to the cemetery and camps out in the car with his newspaper while I sit with Mom and tell her everything. I also write her tons of letters throughout the year, every time I need to talk to her or tell her something, and then on her birthday, Dad helps me burn the letters and we spread the ashes in places that Mom loved to go to, like the park or in the garden."

Beth looked into Griffin's warm brown eyes and he smiled sweetly at her.

"I understand, Beth," he said simply. "I know you love Shelby, but Quinn was your mom, too."

More tears welled up in Beth's eyes. Griffin was right; he did understand. She rested her head on his shoulder and he gave her a squeeze. They remained in that position until the bell rang, signaling the end of recess. Griffin stood up and offered Beth his hand. She smiled up at him and accepted his help to stand. He reached out and wiped out the last few tears from her face, and she caught his hand, gently squeezing it.

"Thank you, Griff," she said softly. "Next time you visit your mom, tell her she gave birth to a wonderful boy."

Griffin gave her a goofy grin as they began to walk back to their classroom.

Yep, it was official. He loved Beth Corcoran.

The next morning, thankfully a Saturday, Beth walked into Shelby's room and stood in the door frame.

"Mom? Can I ask you something?"

Shelby looked up from the novel she was reading and smiled at her daughter. "Of course," she said, closing the book and patting the bed. "Come join."

Beth scrambled onto the bed and sat with Shelby. "You know what today is, right?" she asked, in a serious tone of voice.

Shelby nodded. She knew.

"I want to visit Quinn's grave. And I'm very sorry because you know I love you so much but you can't come. I don't want it to be weird for you. I want Santana to take me. I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings."

But Shelby only nodded in understanding. "Beth, you know I never question your relationship with Quinn or Santana," she said, and it was the truth. Shelby knew her daughter shared a bond with Santana, just like she knew that Beth still felt a very special connection to her birth mother. She was completely supportive of everything Beth did, and this was no exception.

Beth looked relieved and gave Shelby a hug. "Thanks, Mom," she said. "I'm going to call Santana now, okay?"

"Okay, honey."

Two hours later, Beth stood in front of Quinn's grave with Santana sitting beneath a tree roughly 50 feet away. A solid distance so that she wouldn't be able to hear what Beth was saying, but close enough for her to keep an eye on the little brunette.

Beth stared down at the marble headstone. She had never visited before.

LUCY QUINN FABRAY

Feb. 1, 1994 – June 7, 2015

"It is by suffering that human beings become angels."

Beth sat down in front of the headstone and traced the letters of her mother's name.

"Hi, Mommy," she said softly. Beth had long outgrown referring to Shelby as Mommy. It was a now a name she reserved strictly for Quinn. "Happy birthday. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to come and visit."

She finished tracing Quinn's name and moved onto her birth and death dates.

"I really miss you," she continued. "I miss you and every single day something happens that I wish I could tell you about." She started to trace the quote written on Quinn's head stone. "This is a beautiful quote. Daddy always says that you are our angel, especially mine, and I know that you suffered a lot when you were here so I'm glad that you're an angel now."

Beth sighed. "I'm so confused sometimes, Mommy. I love Shelby so much, but she's not you. I know she's my mom and I appreciate her so much. But I really wish you were still alive. Would things be different?" she mused. "Maybe. I would probably feel even more confused than I do now. But that will never stop me from wishing you could be part of my life."

She felt tears beginning to sting her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "Thank you for leaving me with Santana and Rachel and Brittany and Daddy," Beth went on as she played with the flowers that were growing next to the grave. "I love them all with my whole heart. Especially Santana. Sometimes, even though I'm just a kid and she's a grown-up, I worry about her, Mommy. She still misses you so much, and I can see it in her eyes whenever we talk about you. But she is so brave and so protective all the time. Sometimes I forget that she gets hurt, too."

Santana felt her heart constrict as she watched Beth start to cry. She knew how hard this had to be for her.

"I remember the first day I came to see you in the hospital, you know," Beth said, wiping her eyes as tears fell down her face. "I remember sitting on your lap and laughing with you and Daddy while we talked. I wish we had gotten more time together. I know that Daddy does, too. I caught him looking at a picture of you and crying once. I wish that I could do something to help all the people you left behind. They all still miss you so much, Mommy, and I know that sometimes being around me makes it harder for them."

Beth started to sob, and Santana felt wrecked. Despite the fact that Beth was incredibly mature for her age, that didn't matter – she was still a little girl and she missed her mom. Santana knew that, very much like Quinn, Beth could only handle so much emotion before completely breaking down, and that the sound of heart-wrenching sobs meant it was time to go.

"Hey, B?" she called out, pretending not to notice that Beth was crying. "You almost ready to go?"

"Yes," Beth choked out. "I'll meet you at the car."

Santana nodded and started to make her way out of the cemetery. As she passed Beth, she kissed the girl on her forehead and dropped a white gardenia she had brought with her at the foot of Quinn's headstone.

"Miss you, Q," she murmured before walking away. Beth toyed with the gardenia before looking back at the marble grave.

"Despite knowing sometimes it's hard for Brittany and Daddy and Santana and Rachel, I never feel anything but proud when people tell me how much I look and act like you. I love you so much and I wish you were here. But you're not, so all I can do is hope that you're watching over me. All I will ever want is to make you proud. I love you. Happy birthday, Mommy."

Beth kissed her fingers, gently touched her mother's headstone, and walked back to the car. By the time she climbed into the backseat, she had stopped crying. Santana turned around before starting the car and looked into the familiar hazel eyes that she knew so well.

"You okay, baby girl?" she asked, and Beth nodded.

"Yeah, S. I'm okay."

Thanks for all the lovely reviews, they are always appreciated and you guys are all such sweeties xoxo