Author's Note: I apologize for my lateness about updating this, but my life is going crazy with school, family, boyfriend (actually, fiancé now *grinning*) and other stories. I laughed at maxie452's review for To Be a Father. She asked me why all stories end the chapter when Rachel learns the gender of her child. It's funny, I never actually paid any attention to that – maybe it's to keep the readers coming back? I don't know.
A short update to make my guys happy. Hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: Not mine. Just having fun. If I owned Glee, Jesse would never have left.
Summary: At 17, Jesse St. James has his life all planned out. But then Rachel calls. And he's forced to concoct a new plan: one that includes Rachel… and his child.
Fatherhood
Twelve
The minute the words leave Eloise's lips, Rachel has two different reactions. First, her eyes tear up with joy – she's having a daughter! – then, dread fills her heart as she remembers the little girl she met not too long ago, the little girl she watched grow inside her mother's womb, the little girl her own mother chose to replace her with. She feels a squeeze on her hand, and she looks up to meet Jesse's eyes with her own, and the memory of the dark-haired, dark-eyed older version of herself vanishes at the pure ecstasy on her boyfriend's crystalline silver pools.
He's having a little girl. A daughter. The beautiful child he imagined when he tried to envision how his firstborn with the young woman laying on the cot next to him would look like. Jesse smiles as a tear rolls down his cheek, and when his eyes connect with Rachel's, he sees whatever dark thought was going through her mind be replaced by the sheer happiness of learning the gender of their child.
"A little girl", he whispers at her, and she nods, grinning, tear-stricken face lit up with joy. "I love you", he says as he leans down and presses his lips against hers, feeling her lips curl up in a small smile in the kiss.
Eloise, meanwhile, busies herself checking the little girl's vitals, smiling slightly at the unbridled happiness of the young couple. Pressing a few buttons on the sonogram machine, she chuckles when Jesse and Rachel break apart, startled by the sound of the connected printer humming to life. "Okay, Rachel, you can go get cleaned", she instructs and Rachel nods, taking the offered paper tissue to wipe her slightly rounded stomach clean of the transparent gel. With a quick press of her lips against Jesse's, Rachel vanishes inside the nearest restroom, and Eloise picks on the troubled glimmer inside Jesse's eyes. "Jess, everything alright with you?" She asks, concerned, and her cousin sighs deeply.
"Rachel was worried with something just now", he says quietly, following Eloise back to her office. "And, if I'm not mistaken, I think it was her mother".
Eloise frowns, confused. "I thought she has two gay dads?"
"She does", the former Vocal Adrenaline lead settles on one of the chairs across Eloise's desk, running his fingers into his tousled black locks. "But she met her mother a few weeks ago. Rachel's mother is Shelby Corcoran – my Vocal Adrenaline coach, you remember her?" Eloise nods, glancing quickly at the adjoining door that leads to the restroom where Rachel's currently locked in. "Well, after she learned from Rachel's now former glee coach that we were dating, Shelby approached me. She told me the girl who had bewitched me in sectionals was Rachel Berry, her daughter, and she wanted me to befriend her and stimulate Rachel into searching for her".
"And?"
"Well… I did. I carried on with my relationship with Rachel and when she told me her dream was to meet her mother, I snuck into one of her baby memorabilia's boxes a tape Shelby had given me when assigning me my task. By then, believe me, I was deeply and irrevocably in love with Rachel, but…"
"But it had to be done", Eloise whispers, knowing how, deep down, Jesse isn't one to not go against what he thinks is right.
"Yes", Jesse nods. "Rachel listened the tape and a week after, she snuck into Carmel's auditorium, where we were rehearsing our Lady Gaga number – she thankfully didn't see me –, and she heard Shelby singing. She recognized the voice right away – isn't Rachel taking too long there? – and they talked". Jesse pauses, eyes darkening and fists clenching. "Shelby then decided Rachel didn't need her and told Rachel they should be thankful for each other from afar", he quotes perfectly, the memory of that night, the anger he felt, burning red hot inside him.
Eloise gasps. "Holy shit", she mumbles, shock coloring her face.
Jesse laughs bitterly. "That's not even the fucking end of it, Ellie. Shelby then went on to adopt the newborn baby of Rachel's teammate. A girl, by the way, that made her high school mission to turn Rachel's life hell".
"Fuck".
"That's an understatement", Jesse's fingers run again into his hair. "I know Rachel's freaking out thinking she can't be a mom, since she has no role model to look up to. She never said anything, but I just know it".
"That's bullshit", Eloise says as she leafs through Rachel's sonogram photos, Jesse chuckling darkly as he nods his assent. But they allow the subject to die as the lock from the closed door clicks open and Rachel walks out, red-rimmed eyes and cheeks slightly sticky from tears but otherwise unruffled. Jesse and Eloise exchange a meaningful glance but neither of them comments neither the long time she took inside the bathroom, nor on the visible signs of her recent tears. She gives Jesse a brilliant smile and sits down next to him, lacing her fingers with his.
"So, everything fine with me and my daughter?" Rachel asks, and Eloise smiles and nods.
"Everything's perfectly fine". The physician replies, and the pregnant girl smiles. "See you guys next month".
Rachel and Jesse leave Eloise's office with a big grin on their faces, talking excitedly about their baby girl – a daughter! They're still coming to terms with that – when Rachel's phone rings. Sweet Caroline. She laughs and Jesse frowns slightly. "It's Noah", she answers to the unspoken question, and he chuckles and nods. "Good morning, Noah, how are you this fine morning?"
On the other side of the line, Puck chuckles. "Morning to you too, Berry. How are you and St. Baby?" He asks, and Rachel laughs, a carefree, joyous sound that puts a smile on Jesse's face. He wraps an arm around her waist, caressing her slightly rounder baby bump – a baby girl bump! He can't get over that, not quite yet – as he presses a kiss to her cheek.
"Hey, Puckerman!" He calls, and Rachel giggles and Puckerman chuckles.
"St. Baby? Who came up with that?" She asks Puck as her arm comes to rest around Jesse's waist.
"Who do you think? Brittany. She says your couple name with St. James is St. Berry, so it's fitting that you guys' baby name is St. Baby – at least until you guys find out what it is and pick a name", he explains, and Rachel laughs, nodding.
"Well, as it turns out, you have amazing timing, Noah. Jesse and I just came from my OB/GYN and we just found out what we're having".
"You did?" He asks, anxiously. "What is it?"
She hesitates, mind flashing to the day in the hospital, just over three months ago, where Noah was forced to give away his daughter (to her mother), and she wonders if it's the right moment to tell Noah that she gets to have – and keep – her own baby girl. She throws Jesse a panicked look, and he sighs and takes her phone from her hand.
"Hey, Puckerman, it's me. Why don't you round up the guys and crash down over the Berry home later? Yeah, you know – the usual crowd: you and Quinn, Brit, Satan, Mike, Matt…" He silences, surprise coloring his face. "Uh… Sure, if they want to. They won't attack Rach, right?" Rachel frowns at this and he holds up a hand to her, still talking to Puck. "Uhuh. Okay then. Come by, say, seven? Seven thirty. Bring movies. We'll make it a pizza-plus-movie night". He chuckles. "Cool, man. Later".
"Who won't attack me?" She asks as soon as he hangs up. "And, good Lord, how are we going to tell Noah and Quinn that we're having a daughter? They just gave up their own, and you remember the last time we discussed the baby with the guys? They freaked. Noah fell apart and so did Quinn. I can't begin to fathom how they'll react to the news that we get to have and keep our baby girl".
"Artie and Tina are over the Puckerman household and I guess they asked Puck if they could tag along for our pizza-plus-movie night. That's what he asked and since they were pretty vocal on how of a slut you are for being back with me and pregnant with my daughter-"
"You won't stop saying that anytime soon, will you?" She says, laughing, and he grins.
"It's awesome that you know me so well", he says and carries on, "I had to make sure they weren't going to attack you verbally the minute they caught sight of you".
She nods slowly, understandingly, as she laces her fingers together with his and they start the journey towards the parking lot where he left his car. "You weren't so protective of me before", she muses aloud, and he snorts.
"You're kidding, right? You didn't see me being protective of you. Sure, when you needed my protection the most I bailed, but…" He sighs. "Look, Rach, what we had before was a mess. I was attracted to your talent and you wanted to get back at Finn. You triple-casted me and I got back at you by egging you. We started and ended all wrong. But somewhere along that disorganized road, we started something beautiful". His hand moved slightly over her small bump. "And that first phase of our lives was hectic but it gave us our daughter. It gave us each other. I like to think we're in this for all the right reasons. Don't you?"
Her eyes are swimming with tears by the time he's done with his little speech and she sniffles, nodding, a smile curving her lips as her hand curls around the back of his neck and forces his face down against hers, their mouths connecting in a passionate kiss. They stay wrapped in their warm embrace when she pulls out, panting, and breathlessly states, "We're in this for the best reasons, Mr. St. James. You bet your ass".
He laughs and tugs her towards the car.