Spoilers: canon through 1.06 "Vitamin D;" AU with some spoilers after.
Disclaimer: See parts one & two for all pertinent information. I don't own the lyrics to Toto's "Rosanna" or Neil Diamond's "Cracklin' Rosie."
Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and/or added this story to their favorites and/or alerts! I tried very hard not to make this part cheesy; I'm not sure how well did. It could just be imitation cheese.
When I Say I Believe
Rosanna is eleven years old when she asks her mother how she came up with her name. The story that Quinn tells everyone is that one day she ended up watching an episode of the soap opera As the World Turns and just liked the name. She begins by telling Rosanna this who responds with "that's lame." Quinn fixes her daughter with a look before continuing with the real story behind her name.
The summer of 2009, just after Finn and Quinn had started dating, she quickly discovered his love for 80's music, especially power ballads. One weekend they drove up to Cedar Point in Sandusky with a group of Cheerios and football players. In an attempt to appear sensitive, truly a ploy to get to second base, Finn had asked her if she wanted to ride on the carousel. The line was longer than they had expected. As they waited, Finn had an arm around her and absent-mindedly sang, quietly:
All I wanna do when I wake up in the morning is see your eyes
Rosanna, Rosanna
I never thought that a girl like you could ever care for me, Rosanna
All I wanna do in the middle of the evening is hold you tight
Rosanna, Rosanna
I didn't know you were looking for more than I could ever give
Not quite a year since you've been away, Rosanna, yeah
Now she's gone and all I have to say
Meet you all the way
Meet you all the way, Rosanna, yeah
She wasn't sure why the moment had stuck with her but it had. After a few weeks, she couldn't remember what song Finn had been singing but several months later she would.
When Finn had suggested "Drizzle" despite knowing that Quinn was planning on giving the baby up made her determined to never ever let him name any child they might have together in the future. When she'd heard Puck singing "Sweet Caroline"—before she found out he had been serenading Rachel—she had been able to briefly imaging him holding their baby girl and singing to her. She could have named her Caroline if Puck hadn't associated that song and that name with Rachel because it had been their song.
Quinn knew it wasn't just the hormones that caused the lurking resentment she felt towards Rachel once they'd repaired they friendship. Puck might have spent more time with Quinn but she knew when Rachel was on his mind instead of her and their unborn child; he had taken to playing and singing more Neil Diamond songs.
She was tired, her ankles were swollen, her back ached, and the baby had taken up residence against one of her kidneys. Quinn and Puck were sitting in the choir room, waiting for Tina and Kurt to show up. Mr. Schuester had split them into groups of four to practice harmonizing and singing a cappella. Quinn had waddled as gracefully as she could to the restroom. When she returned, Puck had pulled out his guitar and was singing:
Oh, I love my Rosie child
You got the way to make me happy
You and me, we go in style
Cracklin' Rose, you're a store bought woman
But you make me sing like a guitar hummin'
So hang on to me, girl,
Our song keeps runnin' on
Tina and Kurt had arrived then, breaking Quinn from her reverie and startling Puck. Something had clicked in her mind when she'd heard Puck sing the name "Rosie" and suddenly she had a very clear recollection of standing in line with Finn as he sang "Rosanna." Her hand had drifted to her stomach and a dreamy expression was on her face. In that moment, she thought that Rosanna just might be the most prefect name.
Later that evening she became irritated when she discovered that not only was "Cracklin' Rosie" a Neil Diamond song but that it was actually about some cheap Canadian wine.
She decided to scrap the name "Rosanna" and look at other names that were in songs. She couldn't deny that singing had become such a big part of her life, and Puck's too. If it had not been for Finn joining Glee Club, she and Puck would never have hooked up; it made sense that since singing, in a way, led to her conception that her life should be one of song.
She considered Delilah before recalling the story of Samson and Delilah. She liked Georgia, Gloria, Juliet, Lucy, Michelle, Rhiannon, Sadie, Sally, and Sara. She liked all of them but none of them quite as much as Rosanna. Frustrated, she gave up thinking about baby names. As long as she could come up with something at the hospital.
The first time Quinn held her daughter after she'd been cleaned up and swathed in a blanket, she studied her features. Tiny fingers were curled around one of her own.
Oh, I love my Rosie child
You got the way to make me happy
All I wanna do when I wake up in the morning is see your eyes
Rosanna, Rosanna
"Rosanna Fabray."
So Quinn explains that she named her daughter for Finn and Puck, even though neither of them has the slightest idea. And even though it seems cliché, these were the songs they sang to her most often when she was a newborn and when she's sad. Rosanna smiles as she playfully rolls her eyes and says that the story is so convoluted it's no wonder her mother never tells it.
