Update! Whoo! Again thank you all for the reviews, follows and favourites and I hope you enjoy it.
The thing about not being able to walk or talk was that you had a lot of time to just lie around and people watch. You can learn a lot about people by simply observing them and Charlotte had learned a lot in her four short months. Like for instance, her Mommy was a very laid back relaxed lady who liked to read a lot, especially to her, which was really nice cause she got to hear about Goldie Locks and those three bears who didn't seem too happy to have her hanging out at their house and eating their food and about the Snow White girl who lived with really small old men.
Her favourite was the one about the girl who fell down the rabbit hole and met a guy with a mad hat, or was that a mad guy with lots of hats? Anyways that one was her favourite and her Mommy read it to her a lot because that was her favourite book too when she was a kid, she especially liked it when her mom made all those funny voices while she read to her that made it all the more enjoyable and usually made her very sleepy. It was great, and her Mommy also really liked to cuddle, which was something Charlotte really enjoyed when she was ready for bed needed those quiet moments to settle down.
Then there was her Mama, who was completely different. Her Mama liked to sing a lot which was great because she had a really pretty voice and every time she sang, it made Charlotte happy, and it made other people happy. In fact her Mama's voice always made her Mommy smile really big which was something only Charlotte or her Mama could do. She also learned that her parents really liked to kiss a lot, like a lot. They would kiss each other good morning and good night, they would kiss each other hello and goodbye, they never really seemed to stop. Charlotte didn't really get why they did it so much, but her Mom's seemed to like it so she supposed it was okay.
There was also her aunts and uncles, which little Charlotte seemed to have an endless supply of. Her aunts Brittany and Santana were her favourite, Brittany always played silly games with her and made funny faces and danced around, and Santana was always talking about how she would go 'All Lima Heights' if anyone messed with her niece. Charlotte didn't know where Lima Heights was, but from what she knew about it, it seemed pretty rough. But she loved her aunty Tana cause she always gave her presents and cuddled her when her mommy's were out on a play date and couldn't be there to cuddle her instead.
Uncle Puck was her favourite uncle cause he liked to play her silly songs on his guitar, including a song called 'Lesbian Seagulls' which he said he would teach her when she could talk so she could sing it to her Mom's. They also watched sports together, now Charlotte didn't know a whole lot about sports, I mean she was only four months old, but from what she gathered they usually involved grown men either kicking balls, throwing balls, hitting balls or dribbling balls. They also had really pretty ladies who danced and could kick their legs really high.
She learned from uncle No-No that they were cheerleaders, and that her Mommy and her aunties Tana and Bee used to be cheerleaders when they were younger. According to her uncle No-No, her Mommy's flexibility and acrobatics were what made her Mama fall in love with her. Charlotte didn't know what flexibility or acrobatics were, but she assumed they were a good thing if they made her Mama fall in love with her Mommy. Maybe she'd be flexible and acrobatic one day and someone would fall in love with her? That's how love works right? Grown-up stuff was confusing. Sucking your fingers all day and playing roll over with Arthur seemed like more fun anyways, although Charlotte could only manage the lying on her back bit, but Arthur did the rolling over for her which she thought was funny.
Charlotte also had all her other aunts and uncles, like Finn who could lift her up really high, like REALLY high. Uncle Kurt liked to play dress up with her, though Charlotte suspected that was a game more for Uncle Kurt than herself. Aunt Mercedes talked a lot about singing, she was like her Mama in that way and Uncle Sam liked to make weird voices by people Charlotte had never heard of. What exactly is Na'vi? It sounded an awful lot like somebody put Dora on rewind. Uncle Blaine was fun, she loved to tug on his bowties and watch how he put it back together again. Charlotte just couldn't figure out how one piece of material was able to fold into a bow.
Uncle Mike and aunt Tina were fun, they always put on little shows for her since they both worked on stage. Of course there was also her uncle Ben, now he was a lot of fun. Ben was kind of like a little puppy dog, he had a lot of energy and Charlotte's Mama would often reprimand him for being naughty. He did promise to teach little Charlie how to surf when she was older, which was great cause apparently the ocean had even more water than the bath and there was nothing the little girl loved more than a bath, all that splashing around and the bubbles, oh she loved the bubbles. Every day was just full of people of different shapes and sizes, but none of them were a patch on her mom's.
On this particular day, Charlotte found herself lying in her swing chair glancing around the room as her mother's merrily decorated their apartment for the Christmas season. Her Mama had given her a burble to hold onto since she seemed fascinated by the little round decorations, and then sang her a song about a snowman called Frosty. She didn't quite get why her parents were so excited, or why they were decorating a tree in their house when they could have easily went to the park, the park had loads of trees, but she figured she'd just go with the flow. Anyways she had bigger fish to fry, some big guy in a red suit was coming soon and she was getting presents. Maybe he knew her aunty Tana, she liked to give her lots of gifts too.
"She might look like me, but I swear, Charlie grows more like you personality wise every day," Rachel chuckled as she glanced at her daughter's contemplative look as she gazed around at all the activity going on around her. Quinn turned to her wife from fixing the ornaments on the tree with a raised eyebrow, "How do you mean more like me?" she asked wondering what exactly her daughter was doing. Rachel put down the fairy lights she had been trying to untangle. "Look at her, she has that same look on her face you get when you're thinking or being all brooding and cute," Rachel replied.
Quinn turned around to glance at her daughter and sure enough she was sitting there all cute and pensive as she gazed from the burble to Arthur who was lying next to her swing chair, probably wondering whether or not he would retrieve the little festive ball if she threw it, or attempted to throw it since she didn't have the strength or co-ordination to actually do it. She had to admit, she loved that her daughter was picking up on some of her mannerisms, it was almost enough to make her believe that half of her was somewhere in the little girl, in spirit if not in DNA. Not that it mattered to Quinn, blood meant nothing in a family of there was no love or support, and their family had it in spades. If how much you loved a child made you a parent, then there was no denying that Quinn was Charlotte's mother, because she loved her more than life itself.
A knock at the door broke the women from their festive decorating and Rachel padded her way across the penthouse suite to reach the door before opening it to greet their visitor. "Oh my God, Nic, how are you?" Rachel squealed, seeing her college friend for the first time in months. The taller brunette stepped inside and pulled the diva into a bone crushing hug before releasing her with a beaming smile. "I'm great. I just got in from London, the play I'm working on is doing fantastic so I figured I might as well head home for the holidays and catch up with my family and friends and meet this daughter of yours," she said playfully prodding Rachel in the stomach.
Quinn who had heard the entire exchange, walked over to her daughter and gathered her up into her arms, softly patting down the back of her hair to fix it of its unruly state as she walked towards the door to meet her college friend. Nicole noticed the blonde walking towards her and her face melted into an adoring smile as she caught sight of the adorable infant gazing at her with uncertainty in her eyes. Unlike her Mama, Charlotte was a little uneasy around people until she got to know them, taking some time to get comfortable in their presence. This worried Rachel at first, having grown up quite the people person, but Quinn assured her that Charlotte was just a cautious child and would probably grow out of it.
"Oh my gosh, she's beautiful," she sighed once Quinn was standing next to her. Charlotte bashfully rested her head against her mother's shoulder, making her mother giggle at her cuteness. "She's a little shy, don't worry she's like this with everyone she's just met," Quinn said as she wrapped her arm around Charlotte hugging her and gently encouraging her out of her shell. Rachel stood back and guided everyone into the living room, thanking Nicole, who handed her a gift bag for Charlotte. Opening up the bag, the diva gushed over the little Burberry coat staring back at her before taking it out and showing it off to her wife. "Nic it's gorgeous, thank you," Rachel said as she tucked it away.
"Sorry I couldn't come see you guys after the birth, things got a little crazy in London with the show opening up," Nic explained, smiling when Charlotte, who was resting on Quinn's knee next to the brunette on the couch, accepted the finger being offered to her to shake. This was the little girl beginning to open up, usually she just needed to have one of her mom's nearby to make her feel safe in her environment and with the people around her and eventually she warmed up to her surroundings. "Hi there cutie pie," Nicole said as she gently shook the little hand wrapped around her finger.
Charlotte beamed up at the new person sitting next to her, her smile earning a look of awe from the lady who seemed to know her parents quite well. Rachel plopped herself down on the coffee table in front of where her wife and friend were sitting, Arthur coming to rest at her feet. "So Nic, you gonna be around for the New Year's? Santana's hosting a shindig at her house, Ben's flying in, you should come," Rachel suggested as her attention turned to Charlotte who was calling out for her attention.
"You know what, I think I will. Why not? Not like I've got any better offers," Nicole responded with a sarcastic tone, Quinn giggling at her while Rachel smacked her on the knee. "No but seriously, it's great to see you both again, and I'm so happy for you guys, this little one is adorable," Nicole said as she watched Quinn carefully deposit her daughter into her wife's waiting arms. "Looks like somebody is ready for bed," Rachel cooed as Charlotte released a yawn. "I'm gonna go change her and put her down for the night. Say night-night," Rachel coaxed, gently waving one of her daughters hands towards Nicole.
Quinn smiled and stood up moving towards her wife and leaned down to place a kiss on her daughters head. "Goodnight baby, sweet dreams." With one last kiss on the cheek, Rachel stood up and made her way to the nursery, leaving Quinn and Nicole to catch up, though rather briefly. They'd only just made themselves comfortable on the couch when the brunette was checking the time and declaring that she had to leave. "Already, but you just got here?" Quinn whined making Nicole laugh. "I know but I gotta get up early tomorrow to catch a flight to Boston to see my folks. But I'll be back for New Year's, promise," the brunette said, taking in the happiness radiating off her friend.
"Family life really suits you Fabray, I've never seen you this happy. I'm so glad everything worked out for you and Rachel," Nicole smiled at the blush the was creeping up Quinn's cheeks before nudging herself from the couch and standing up, brushing out the creases in her skirt. "It was great seeing you Nic. Try not to leave it too long to visit again," Quinn said as she stood up and pulled the brunette into a hug. Once the pulled away, Quinn showed Nicole out and returned to the living room, glancing around at the almost finished Christmas tree and huffed out a breath. "Meh, I'll finish it tomorrow."
Upon entering her bedroom, Quinn was greeted by the sight of her wife who was standing in front of the full length mirror in nothing but her bra and panties. It had been four months since the diva had given birth but she was already getting back her pre pregnancy body, though it had taken some time for Rachel to get back to her normal morning routine. The caesarean had add a number of weeks to her recovery so the brunette had had to wait a little while before even thinking about taking back on her morning jog. However once she was given the go ahead by the doctor, she was back pounding the pavement of the park and her body was reaping the benefits.
Rachel ran the pad of her finger along the scar on her bikini line, the mark had healed nicely but Rachel was still a little insecure about it. The diva had even been a little reluctant sleeping with her wife for the first time since after the birth, but Quinn had been so encouraging, telling her how beautiful she was and showering her with love and attention, making her feel special and wanted. It had almost been like their first time together and Rachel couldn't have imagined it being anything but special with Quinn.
The blonde, having watched her wife's gaze linger on the scar long enough, moved swiftly across the room and came to a stop behind her half naked wife, her arms wrapping around tan skin, her hands resting upon the smaller one's resting on her wife's lower abdomen, their bodies resting flesh against one another and Quinn began peppering the diva's neck and shoulder with feather light kisses. "You, are beautiful," kiss, "gorgeous," kiss, "incredibly sexy," kiss "and I am the luckiest woman in the world to be able to call you mine," Quinn hushed against soft skin before twirling Rachel around and capturing her lips in a passionate kiss, making the brunette smile.
"Even with my big Jewish nose and scars?" Rachel asked as she rested the palms of her hands against the blonde's chest. Quinn just gazed at her with the most serious look, her eyes shining with the moisture of unshed tears, completely flabbergasted that a woman as beautiful as her wife could be so insecure. Leaning down she pressed a kiss to Rachel's nose before burying her face in dark locks, breathing in the scent that was uniquely her wife. "I love you more because of them, because they make you, you. Because they tell a story that no words can tell. Every line, every crease, every sparkle in your eye, they tell me everything I need to know about Rachel Fabray."
Quinn then trailed her hand down the front of her wife's body, fingers caressing every inch of skin, as they reached their destination, softly stroking the scar that made the blonde's heart swell with such love and joy, she couldn't believe anyone could be turned off by it. "This one right here, this is my favourite. You know why? Because this used to be our daughters home, the place where you carried her, and nurtured her before bringing her into the world and making my life that much more complete. And for that, I think it's one of the most beautiful parts of you."
Rachel gazed up into bright hazel eyes and melted under the warmth of the gaze, this was exactly why Quinn Fabray was the love of her life. Because she understood her like no one else could. Because she made her feel things no one else could make her feel, and because she was devoted to Rachel and their daughter so completely. Quinn always told her that her life was complete because she had her and Charlotte, and Rachel felt exactly the same way, in fact without Quinn and their daughter, Rachel didn't have a life. Simple as that.
"Make love to me?" Rachel asked as she ran a hand through her wife's blonde hair, before resting her head against her Quinn's chest and placed a soft kiss against her clavicle, sending shivers done her wife's spine and arousal coursing through her body as small hands began to roam under the hem of Quinn's shirt. The blonde nuzzled her nose against the diva's temple, her arms rubbing soothing circles against the skin of her wife's back. "Baby, you never have to ask," she whispered against the shell of Rachel's ear, and guiding her wife to their bed she laid her down and lavished the body beneath her with the adoration she believed it deserved. All through the night.
The following morning brought rest and relaxation to the Fabray household, well at least for couple of hours before Charlotte got a little antsy and Rachel decided they should get out of the house to which Quinn was more than enthusiastic about, quickly loading up a new memory card into her camera, hoping to get some nice shots of Charlotte enjoying her first ever snow fall. Central Park was like a winter wonderland around Christmas. Buttoning up in their winter best, making sure Charlotte was well wrapped up and secure of the cold New York weather, the girls set off, hoping that their scarves and hats would be enough to keep them fairly unrecognisable.
Sure they could easily call Puck and have him accompany them, but since he had started actually dating, they wanted him to have some free time to enjoy himself. Although he was an employee, he was also a friend and he deserved to have some down time, just like they did. Having reached their destination, Rachel took over the steering of the stroller, while Quinn indulged in her favourite past time, photography. She loved it, and more importantly, she was very, very good at it. When they reached a park bench, Rachel pulled to a stop and put the brakes on the stroller and reaching inside to lift her daughter out so she could see all the snow and the kids building snowmen.
"Look baby, isn't that pretty," Rachel said as she pulled down Charlotte's hood and Quinn placed a warm woollen cap on her head instead, giving her a better view of everything, and her eyes light up as the gazed around in wonder at all the white powder. While Rachel walked onto the snow covered grass to feel the crunch of the snow beneath her feet, Quinn began snapping away, loving all the little expressions that crossed her daughters face as she absorbed the world around her. It was amazing to see her child growing and taking in the world around her, learning something new every single day.
Turning around, Quinn noticed another keen photographer a few feet away who was also engaging her passion for photography. The girl was about 5'5, with brown hair and pale green eyes, almost grey, depending on the way the light caught them. She was pretty and Quinn, wanting to have some candid pictures of herself with her family, figured it was worth a shot asking the girl if she would take some pictures for her. Glancing at her wife and daughter, and seeing that they were content with enjoying the snow, Quinn made her over to the girl.
"Excuse me, Hi," Quinn said making her presence know, as the young woman was currently busy capturing another image, and the blonde couldn't help but admire the woman's choice in camera, a Leica M9, she was impressed. The girl finally turned around and her eyes went wide when she realised who was talking to her. "Oh my God, you're Quinn Fabray. I'm a huge fan of yours," she rushed out, blushing slightly when she noticed that she was speaking at about a hundred miles an hour. Quinn just chuckled lightly and nodded her head, used to flustered fans at this point in her career.
"Thank you. I was watching you from over there and saw you taking pictures, you a photographer? What's your name by the way?" the blonde asked hanging her camera from her neck. The girl shook her head and glanced down at the camera in her hands. "I'm Bethany. No, I just really love to take pictures. I hope to turn it into a career one day," she explained, nervously tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Quinn nodded her head and pointed to her camera, "Do you mind? Can I see some of your pictures?" she asked and couldn't help giggling a little at the shocked look that crossed the girls face. "No… I mean of course, yeah sure," the brunette said as she moved closer to Quinn, showing her the pictures she had taken while she'd been at the park.
"Wow, these are amazing," Quinn gushed her eyes scanned the pictures. When she walked up to the girl she had been expecting someone who was fairly decent with a camera, she didn't expect to stumble upon a young photo prodigy. The girl standing next to her couldn't help giggling like a little child, one of her idols was complimenting her. Quinn gazed over to her wife and daughter and thought for a second, before turning back to face the girl. "Hey, this probably seems a little crazy, but could you do something for me," she asked and when the girl nodded she, Quinn removed her camera from her shoulder and held it between them.
"Do you think you could take some candids of me and my family? I know you probably have other things to be doing but I'd really appreciate it," Quinn said, chewing on her lower lip in anticipation. The girls face broke into a beaming smile, "Of course, I'd love to," she said, carefully tucking her own camera away before picking up the bigger camera and putting the strap around her neck. Once she had familiarised herself with settings, she watched on as Quinn returned to her family and as soon as she caught the perfect moment, she began snapping away.
With every picture her smile got bigger, it was unusual getting to see celebrities acting so naturally, she felt like she was getting a behind the scenes look and it was a privilege. Before she knew it, the family was approaching her and she lowered the camera, removing the strap and handing it back to Quinn as soon as the blonde was standing in front of her. Rachel smiled appreciatively at the girl and waved. "Hi, I'm Rachel," the diva said, offering her hand which the girl was quick to shake.
Quinn who had been scrolling through the pictures smiled at the end result and looked up at Bethany, "Wow, these are amazing, than you so much," Quinn said, showing Rachel some of the pictures on the camera. "Is there any way I can repay you for these?" Quinn asked. Bethany shook her head, "No it's fine, just getting the opportunity to talk to you is enough of a dream come true for me," she said. Quinn dug into her purse and retrieved a piece of paper from a notepad she kept in their to sketch on when she was waiting around during meeting and wanted to occupy herself, and then pulled out a sharpie.
"At least let me give you an autograph, it's the least I can do," she said and when Bethany finally nodded her head, Quinn smiled and began signing the page, adding a little thank you note. Once Quinn was done, Bethany nervously glanced at Rachel, "Em, could I, do you mind?" she asked gesturing to the page, Rachel beamed, "Of course," she said taking the sharpie from her wife who held the page for her. As soon as she was done, Quinn handed the page to Bethany and the girls face lit up at the treasured piece of paper. "Thank you so much," she said.
"No thank you," Rachel said and her wife nodded. Charlotte, feeling like she'd been quiet long enough decided to make her presence known, making a little awing sound. "She's so cute," Bethany said smiling at the baby resting against the diva's shoulder, making both proud parents smile. Eventually people started recognising the girls, and wanting to get out of their before they had another incident like the zoo, Rachel looked at Quinn, "We should probably take her home and get her out of the cold. It was really nice meeting you Bethany."
Quinn nodded her head in understanding before giving Bethany a hug and thanking her again. After a one armed hug from Rachel the girl made her way off into the park to take more pictures, content in the knowledge she had met two of her biggest idols. "You ready to go?" Quinn asked and Rachel nodded placing her daughter back in her stroller and wrapping her up. Having put her camera away safely into its carrier bag, Quinn took a hold of the handles on the stroller while Rachel wrapped herself around her wife's arm as the blonde led her two girls home, basking in the joy that in just a few short hours, Santa Clause would be making his very first visit to their precious little girl. Life was good.
So that was the last in the fluffy chapters, we will now be delving back into the angst, so get your tissues ready cause it's going to be quite emotional for both girls.
I'm not sure when the next update will be as I have a mountain of assignments to catch up on and really need to concentrate on getting them done before posting again so it may be two weeks or so. So I apologise in advance but I hope the fluff in this chapter is enough to compensate for that.
Please, leave a review, I love hearing what you think. Talk to you soon.