Hi everyone! Welcome back! Before we begin, I just want to express my gratitude for your response to the last chapter of Let Us Love You. I'm so glad you enjoyed the conclusion of that story and appreciate all of your continued support.

Everything in Between is a series of one-shots taking place before, during, and after the three-part You and Me series. The one-shots will be a combination of prompts submitted by you amazing people, deleted scenes from the series, and other ideas that I can come up with. Most of the one-shots will range between the G-T ratings, and any additional content warnings will be at the beginning of the chapter.

Thanks so much for returning to this universe with me, and thank you to Wolvezzz for this first prompt!

Chapter 1

October of Quinn's Senior Year, Post-Let Us Love You

"No."

Quinn lets out a pitiful groan, her brief sense of relief from getting the question off of her chest short-lived to say the least. She grips the edge of her chair, trying not to look away from Beca even though Beca, herself, is shaking her head with her eyes closed. "Mama…"

Beca shakes her head with even more finality. "No. You're not going."

At the other end of the dinner table, all of the chairs empty except for hers, Beca's, and Quinn's, Chloe bites back a smirk. "Bec…"

Beca's jaw drops open a little wider at the sight of her wife seemingly agreeing with Quinn's absurd question. "You can't be on board with this?"

It's almost painful, how hard Chloe is trying to hold in her laughter. "Beca, she's seventeen."

"So?"

"So… she's plenty old enough to go out for a few hours on a Friday night."

Quinn moves her hands to her lap, pressing her nails into the skin of her palm. It really shouldn't be this big of a deal – it's not a big deal to her. Not in the way Beca is making it seem. Honestly, she was hoping that she could just tell Chloe and that would be the end of it. But of course not… of course Chloe would want her to ask Beca herself and wouldn't take "but can't you just ask her for me?" as a question. Even though Chloe had promised her that she is on her side and would soften any sort of reaction from Beca, Quinn was petrified waiting for her siblings to leave the table after dinner, and even more so when she finally forced herself to ask. Which, yes, shows that she knew it would be a big deal to Beca - but it's not a big deal to her. At least, she's not trying to make it be. "It's just pizza and a movie. And the movie is at eight… I'd be home by like ten-thirty at the latest."

Beca scoffs, suddenly becoming very interested in the ring of moisture on the table from her wine glass. "Mhmm… just pizza and a movie."

Quinn turns her nose up. "We're just friends. There's nothing else going on there."

Beca gives her a sideways glance, an eyebrow slightly quirked. "Really? Does he know that?"

Quinn flushes red as Chloe lets out a small, mildly-chastising, "Beca."

"What?! It's a serious question! If she's going to go on a date," Beca grimaces at the word, "we should at least talk about their intentions."

"There are no 'intentions'! We're just… hanging out! I don't know!" Quinn's embarrassment has caused her cheeks and ears to become a permanent shade of pink (and deepening with every passing second). This is exactly the kind of conversation she wanted to avoid having. Yeah, she knows that it probably isn't as innocent as 'hanging out', but Quinn also knows that she hasn't given much thought as to whether or not this 'date', or, whatever, even means anything. She likes Nico; they sit next to each other in Calculus and they have a few other classes together. He's funny and is able to carry on a conversation. And really, when Nico had asked her to go see this movie on Friday, she hadn't thought much about it. She agreed, just saying that she needed to ask her moms, but of course, Izzy had pointed out with her mirth-filled expression that it is, in fact, a date, whether Quinn knew it or not.

It isn't like Quinn is inherently naïve when it comes to this sort of thing – she isn't. But it isn't like she's been actively seeking out a partner, either. Why would she? She had far more important things to worry about before coming to live with the Mitchells, and then once everything settled down in that department, Quinn just didn't really see the point. She still doesn't.

Chloe can see her daughter floundering under Beca's scrutiny, and while she doesn't have any regrets making Quinn ask Beca herself, she does feel bad about how quickly Beca shot her down. Chloe knew that it wasn't going to go over easily – Beca nearly had a stroke when Macy went out on her first official date and she was in college – but in her opinion, Beca is being a little bit over dramatic.

Beca shoots a glare in Chloe's direction, because she is so not helping this situation. "Do we even know this kid?"

Chloe holds up her hands in slight surrender. "I had Nico in class last year. And even if I didn't, this is not the first time Quinn has mentioned him."

"—Yeah but this time is a little different, don't you think?"

"Beca, you're being a bit ridiculous." Chloe levels her own warning look at Beca, knowing that Beca won't give in unless she takes control of the situation. Not when Quinn is sitting there stewing in her own embarrassment. Chloe can't exactly blame her; she would've shut down if her mother had reacted the same way, too. It's abundantly clear that Quinn isn't even sure what to make of this, let alone how to defend it to a protective, yet close-minded, Beca. She turns back to Quinn, who has lowered her gaze to the table in front of her. "You can go, love. Thank you for asking us."

"Chloe!"

Quinn lets out a relieved breath. "Thank you."

"Oh no, not so fast." Beca holds up a sharp finger as Quinn tries to make an escape. She's playing catch-up at this point, but she is not about to let this whole date-hang-out-thing become some free-for-all. "He will pick you up here, and we will meet him, and you will check in periodically throughout the night."

Quinn softly sighs, looking helplessly back to Chloe. "Mom?"

Chloe just shrugs. "Sorry, kiddo. I got you this far."

Quinn shifts from one foot to the other, contemplating whether or not she should cave. Eventually, though, she does just that. "Ugh. Fine."

A triumphant smile spreads across Beca's face. "Good."

With an eye-roll and a wave of her hand, Quinn just murmurs something under her breath, and heads in the direction of the stairs.

Beca is left to squirm under Chloe's stare. "What?"

"Really? You had to react like that?" Chloe leans back in her chair with her arms crossed over her chest.

Beca sinks lower. "She's too young to date."

A light laugh flits past Chloe's lips, reminding her once more, "she's seventeen, Bec."

"Exactly."

"We met when you were seventeen. And we both dated before then."

Beca's eyes widen. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Slowly, Chloe pulls herself up from the chair and makes her way over to Beca. She wraps her arms around Beca's front, pressing a soft kiss into her temple. "It's just pizza and a movie. She'll be fine."

"This is stupid. Remind me why I'm doing this again?"

For Quinn, as the rest of the week passed, her Friday night plans remained 'just' pizza and a movie in her head. She went about her life as she always does: going to and from class, sitting by Nico in Calc and waiting in Chloe's room while she packs up her things at dismissal. The movie was always at the back of her mind, especially with Izzy's constant reminders and her siblings' seemingly never-ending questions. But by the time Friday night actually rolls around, to Quinn, it is no longer looking like just pizza and a movie. Suddenly, despite all of her claims otherwise, it seems like something so much more.

Izzy laughs from her position on Quinn's bed, Quinn's pillow in her lap. "Because you're friends and when a friend asks you to hang out, typically, you say yes."

Quinn continues to riffle through her closet, looking for a replacement for Shirt Option Number 3. "Is he my friend though? Because according to you, and according to Beca, and Chloe, and Macy, he's trying to get a different title."

Izzy stares at Quinn's back as she refuses to reemerge from the depths of her closet. They've been having this conversation all week, and Izzy knows it's about time that Quinn has finally started to crack with nerves. All teasing aside, she knows when Quinn needs her to be straight forward. Now is exactly that time. "If you don't want anything to come of tonight, nothing will. If you want to keep being friends, that's fine. You don't owe him anything."

Quinn turns around with a huff, plopping down at the end of the bed, and finally looking Izzy in the eye. "But?"

"But nothing. You don't have to do or say anything that you aren't comfortable with."

Quinn rests her head against the wall, staring off out the windows on the opposite side of the room. "I just don't want to make it weird."

"How would you make it weird?"

Quinn groans a little bit more, seeming to sink lower against the wall. She pulls her legs into her chest, resting her chin on her knees. "I don't know. What if he wants to start getting all deep and personal and is asking a whole bunch of questions to 'get to know me', or whatever?"

"Quince, you've been in the same class as him all year. It's not like this is some blind date with a total stranger."

She blows out a puff of air. "But what if this whole thing blows up and then it's totally awkward at school…"

Izzy crawls over the mattress so she's sitting facing Quinn. She lifts her eyebrow and meets Quinn's gaze. "You're overthinking this."

A small snort escapes Quinn's throat. "Says the person that's actually been on a date before."

Izzy barks out a laugh. "Yeah, because smoking with Damien counts as a date."

Some of the tension starts to leave Quinn's body with the easy banter. "It counted as one to fifteen-year-old-Izzy."

"Shut up." Izzy shoves Quinn's knee gently, before sobering. She gives Quinn's hand a brief squeeze. "You're going to have fun. And if you're not, I have no problem calling you in the middle of it and pretending to be in a crisis."

Even though Quinn can hear the humor in Izzy's voice, she takes comfort in the comment knowing that, if it came to that, Izzy would do exactly as she just promised. "Thank you."

"Of course."

The two teens fall silent, neither one of them feeling the need to carry on the conversation, and instead sitting together in Quinn's anxiety. Nonetheless, they both hear the light tapping on the door, followed shortly by Beca poking her head into the room. "How's it going in here?"

Quinn forces a half-hearted smile on her face that doesn't come close to meeting her eyes, before turning back to look out into her bedroom. She's stressed enough as it is; Beca's warnings won't help.

Beca eyes her daughter carefully. How her legs are pulled into her chest, her fingers wringing together as she hangs her hands over her knees. Izzy catches her gaze, giving her a half-smile before turning her attention back to Quinn. Beca leans up against the doorframe. "You staying for dinner, Izzy? We're just ordering pizza."

Izzy nods. "Sure. Thank you."

"Of course." Beca shifts her weight from foot to foot, never really looking away from Quinn.

Izzy picks up on this and starts to push herself off the bed. "I uh… I told Rosie and Ava that I would read one of their new books with them, so I'm just going to uh… go and do that." She gives Quinn a quick wave and slips past Beca to head down the stairs to where she can hear Jordan playing the piano, and Chloe talking to Tucker in the kitchen.

Beca, on the other hand, closes the door softly behind her, and sits next to Quinn. She nudges her daughter with her shoulder. "What's going on, you?"

Quinn scoffs, running a nervous hand through her hair, but doesn't answer.

"Are you excited?" Beca isn't thrilled about the fact that her daughter is going on a date, as proven by her original reaction. Of course, Chloe has chastised her many times since that first conversation about how she acted, so Beca's been trying to be more… low-key about her displeasure.

It's not that she doesn't trust Quinn, or think she can handle it, because she knows how capable her daughter is. It's more so the fact that she doesn't trust this Nico kid and she does not want Quinn to get hurt.

"Kind of hard to be when everyone's making such a big deal out of pizza and a movie." Beca quirks an eyebrow in a silent warning, and the stare that results from the action is enough for Quinn to finally turn and look at her. "Sorry."

"Uh huh… want to try again? Tell me what's bothering you?"

Quinn falls silent, sorting through her thoughts to try and make sense of it all, as she so often does. Ever since she first moved in with the Mitchells, that's how it's always been: her trying to work everything out on her own. Luckily, as she got more comfortable, she started to realize that she could count on Beca and Chloe to help her work through her struggles. She still tries to figure it out on her own – and she probably always will – but that doesn't mean she doesn't appreciate talking to her moms. She takes a deep breath. "I feel like everyone is making this into something that it's not. You, Izzy, Mom, Aunt Macy… it's all stressing me out."

A soft sigh escapes Beca's mouth as she slouches deeper into the bed, instantly feeling guilty. Her explanation also explains to Beca why Quinn has been off this week. "I'm sorry, kiddo, I didn't… I didn't realize."

Quinn shakes her head, starting to pick at a hangnail on the side of her thumb. "I knew that it was probably a date. I just… it caught me off guard and I didn't really think about it when I said yes."

Beca keeps her voice soft, not wanting to scare Quinn away. "If you don't want to go, Quinn, you don't have to go."

"I do want to go, that's the thing." She pushes herself up further against the wall. "We're friends. I like hanging out with him at school, I just don't want this added pressure of it being a date, you know?"

Beca nods an understanding. "I get that. And Quinn, you don't have to call it a date if you don't want to. You don't have to date anyone if you don't want to."

Quinn scoffs. "You dated Mom when you were in high school, Mama."

Beca's jaw unhinges slightly as she struggles to come up with something else to say. "Well – yeah – but that was only because we were both comfortable doing so, and sometimes those things just… happen. It doesn't mean that it's going to happen to you and it certainly doesn't mean that you have to force yourself to do something that you aren't comfortable with." She keeps her gaze locked with Quinn's hazel orbs. "And if we're being honest here, I wasn't ready to start dating when I first met Mom. We took our time, and we only started seeing each other when we both thought we were both ready."

Quinn seems to consider this, asking after a few moments, "did you date anyone before Mom?"

Although thinking about the topic of Tara, and, consequently, Tyler, still brings her discomfort, the pain has undoubtedly dulled over the years for Beca. She knows she'll never be able to forget what happened, but thankfully, she's healed over time. "I did. One other girl."

Quinn quirks her head to the side. "What happened?"

Beca gives her a barely noticeable shrug. She isn't going to lie to Quinn – she'd never lie to her kids – but she isn't going to tell her the full story, either. There will be plenty of opportunities for that to happen in the future, if Quinn or any of her kids are curious, but now is not that time. "Besides the fact that we were not meant to be together, some things happened, it got kind of messy, and then I had to move, and I never saw her again."

"Did you love her? I mean I know you and Mom are like, soulmates, and were meant to be together, but still. She was your first girlfriend."

There's no hesitation in Beca's answer, even though Quinn seems sort of ashamed to ask. "No. No, I didn't."

Beca can see her daughter's piqued curiosity from miles away. She looks exactly like she always does when the two of them are sitting down and talking about either something that happened when Beca was younger, or she is telling her and Chloe something that happened while she was in the system. Beca doesn't mind – she loves it when they get to have these conversations, and she's so grateful that Quinn feels comfortable enough to share things with her and talk with her about topics that may tend to be on the more vulnerable side of the spectrum. But Quinn is still young, she's still Beca's daughter, and she's not going to expose her to second-hand trauma if she doesn't have to.

Quinn finally drops her hands back into her lap. "What happened between you two? Why'd you breakup?"

Finally, Beca gives her an easy smile, bringing the conversation to an end. "That is a story for another time, love. Right now, we have to finish getting you ready for your not-date, yeah?" She pats the mattress for emphasis. "Come on. Mom told me to tell you that you should wear your light purple sweater. It makes your eyes pop."

Quinn snorts, knowing that that is exactly something Chloe would say. "Okay. I will."

Beca leans over, pressing a kiss into the side of Quinn's head. "I'll let you get ready. Shout if you need anything, alright?"

"Will do." A faint blush rises to Quinn's cheeks as Beca stands from beside her on the bed. "Thanks, Mama."

Beca shoots her a wink, heading toward the door. "Always."

Shortly after talking to Quinn, Beca finds herself pacing the length of the kitchen, with Chloe not far away, jumping at every slight sound that might remotely resemble the slamming of a car door. The time is inching closer and closer to six-thirty, which is when Nico is supposed to be arriving at the house to pick up Quinn. With each passing minute, Beca, Chloe, and Izzy – all gathered downstairs while Quinn continues to fuss up in her room – become more and more impatient. The only thing that seems to be mildly helping, is the sound of Jordan practicing the piano – he's gotten quite good, even with a little less than a year's worth of experience under his belt – in the living room.

Finally, at six-twenty-two, the unmistakable sound of someone coming up on the front porch, followed by the ringing of the Mitchell's doorbell, fills the house.

Beca and Izzy jump in surprise, while Chloe lets out a quick 'yelp' at the sudden development. The sounds from the living room – including those from Rosie and Ava coloring together while lying on the carpet – completely disappear, while Tucker barks in warning.

Beca turns her attention to Izzy. "Do you want to go check if Quinn is ready?"

Izzy immediately agrees. "Yeah, I'll go see if she's good." She heads upstairs shortly after Chloe and Beca express their gratitude, leaving the two moms to exchange brief, yet nervous, looks.

Time seems to be passing quickly, with Chloe finally starting to head toward the front door. She knows how nervous Quinn is, and doesn't want to do anything to rush her, but maybe, if they do introductions before she comes downstairs, it might take some of the pressure off. She lightly grasps Beca's hand on the way by. "Be nice."

Beca grumbles behind her, close on her heels. "I'm nice."

"Uh huh..." Chloe's eyes are filled with mirth as she gives Beca one last fleeting look, before reaching out to open the door. She genuinely smiles at the boy standing on the front porch. "Hi, Nico. It's so nice to see you again."

Chloe opens the door wider, allowing their visitor to step inside of the house. He wipes his palms on the thighs of his jeans, waving awkwardly at Chloe as the door closes behind him. "Hi, Mrs. Mitchell… how are you?"

"I'm well, thank you." Chloe takes a step back, standing next to Beca as she tries to focus on Nico, on any sounds that may be coming from upstairs, and on the fact that her three youngest kids are not-so-sneakily joining them in the front entryway (they, too, were told to be on their best behaviors – both by their moms, and by Quinn, especially after they heard some of Beca's questions about the night). She keeps her hand firmly on Tucker's collar to make sure he doesn't jump on the teen. "Nico, this is Quinn's mama, Beca."

He takes a brief step forward, holding his hand out to Beca in introduction. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Mitchell. Quinn's told me a lot about you."

Beca gives his hand a firm shake, trying to get a read on the kid before she sends her daughter off with him for the next few hours. It's clear that he tried in his appearance; a nice button down shirt – only slightly wrinkled – and his hair, a few shades darker than Beca's, is combed into place. "Likewise."

Chloe watches as Nico bristles at Beca's short answer, and desperately tries to recover the conversation. "So, what's the plan for tonight, Nico?"

"Oh, um…" he wipes his hands on his jeans again, and Beca swears she can see a thin sheen of sweat on his tan skin. "I think we're going to go get pizza at Betty's, and then see the eight o'clock showing of—"

"Sorry!" Quinn's shout carries from the top of the stairs as she struggles to juggle her bag and her phone, with Izzy following behind her, rolling her eyes in amusement at her best friend's actions. They quickly make it to the bottom of the stairs where Quinn, breathless and red in the face, looks between Nico, her moms, and her siblings. "Sorry, I thought I had a few more minutes. Nico, you know my mom, but this is Beca, my mama, and then that's Ava, Rosie, and Jordan, my siblings, and this is Izzy."

Nico seems to smirk at Quinn's scatteredness, but doesn't draw attention to it. "The best friend?"

Quinn lets out a breathless smile, flicking her attention to Izzy, who is leaning up against the banister of the stairs (looking pleased that he remembered her role in Quinn's life), before turning back to Nico. "You got it."

Nico gives Izzy a quick wave, looking more at ease with her than Quinn's moms, before he turns to the kids, all three of them standing to Beca's left and watching him carefully. "Hey, guys. It's nice to meet you."

Jordan diplomatically steps forward, hand outstretched. "I'm Jordan, Quinn's younger brother."

Nico shakes his hand with an amused expression. "It's nice to meet you, Jordan."

Rosie, too, joins Jordan a little away from where Beca is standing. She folds her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at Nico. "Are you Quinn's friend?"

Quinn chuckles at Rosie – no longer shocked by the questions she comes up with, or how brave she is in asking them – but Nico, once again, seems to blush. "I am."

She stares at Nico for a little longer, before turning to face Jordan. "How come we can't like him, again?"

Jordan's face grows beat red as Quinn, Beca, and Chloe look at the pair in shock, Izzy's stifles a laugh, and Nico looks thoroughly embarrassed. "I-I didn't say—"

"Yeah huh. You said we couldn't like him 'cuz if he tries to kiss Qu—"

Jordan clamps his hand over Rosie's mouth, offering his moms a sheepish and apologetic smile, and then turns to Quinn. "Sorry."

Quinn doesn't get a chance to answer because moments after Jordan's apology, Ava finally moves from where she has been leaning up against Beca's leg. She keeps her head down as she walks behind Jordan and Ava, all the way until she's standing beside Quinn. She lifts her arms up, Quinn's face contorting in confusion as she watches her youngest sister.

Ava, though now having over a year of living with Beca and Chloe under her belt, still struggles daily with anxiety and a general unease around strangers and unfamiliar situations. Yet, it tends to be worse out in public – not really at home, and certainly not when the entire family is within arms' reach. So, Quinn, although not sure why Ava's acting like she does when she's having a rough day, lifts her onto her hip – never, no matter who she is around, will she ignore her siblings' silent needs.

But as soon as Ava settles onto Quinn's hip and doesn't nuzzle her face into the crook of Quinn's shoulder like she typically would do in this situation, and instead, lays her head down and stares straight at Nico with the slightest hint of a smile on her face, Quinn knows exactly what she's doing.

It's made even more obvious when Ava wraps her arms around Quinn's neck, tightening her legs around her waist, while never once looking away from the teen.

She's telling Nico, silently yet loud and clear, not to mess with her sister.

Beca is the first to burst out laughing, followed quickly by snickers from Chloe and Izzy, while Nico seems to pale under Ava's watchful gaze.

Quinn rolls her eyes, but plants a kiss on Ava's head nonetheless, before lowering her to the ground. "Go see Mama, tough guy."

This time, Ava is the one to break out into a grin, knowing that she accomplished her mission. She skips over to Beca, who is looking remarkably proud for someone who told the kids to behave when Nico came over.

Chloe just shakes her head in amusement, knowing full well what Beca is thinking – she's wishing she could do something similar. "Quinn, do you have money? Your phone?"

Quinn pats her bag. "Yes and yes."

"And you'll keep us updated throughout the night?" Beca asks with a slight warning tone.

Quinn nods. "Promise." Nico starts to move toward the door, and everyone else seems to be getting the hint that these introductions are coming to an end. She quickly says goodbye to Izzy, who whispers in her ear to call her if she needs anything, and then moves on to her siblings. She playfully glares at Jordan, but ruffles his hair nonetheless, and lifts Rosie briefly enough to give her a kiss on the cheek. She moves on to Beca, giving her a hug and Ava a gentle squeeze as well, and lastly finishing up with Chloe (who also tells her to call if she needs anything), and gives Tucker a good scratch behind the ear, finally turning to Nico. "Ready?"

Nico, for the first time since stepping inside the Mitchell house, looks relieved. "Ready."

"Bye, sweetheart. Be careful." Chloe holds the door open for them as they head out onto the porch, noting for the first time since Quinn came downstairs, that she still has a death-grip on her phone.

"Bye, guys."

"Have fun," Beca calls after them, watching with Chloe as Quinn and Nico make their way across the front lawn.

Quinn waves to them one last time before climbing into the passenger seat of Nico's car, the door closing behind her.

"She's late."

"She is not late."

"It's ten-twenty-seven, Chloe."

"Exactly. She has three minutes left before she said she would be home."

"She's going to be late."

"Will you sit down please?"

Beca finally looks over at where Chloe is still snuggled underneath the blanket, the spot where Beca had been sitting next to her, empty, as she lifts the shade away from the window so she can watch to see any cars that may drive past their house.

They've heard from Quinn a few times throughout the night. Once when they got to the restaurant, once when they left, once when they were waiting for the movie to start, and once thirty-five minutes ago when she said the movie had ended and they were headed home.

Except that was thirty-five minutes ago and they haven't heard from her – or seen her – sense.

Perhaps Beca is more on edge now knowing how nervous Quinn was about this not-a-date-date, or maybe she's just nervous because her baby girl is out with a boy for the first time in her life and she's petrified – but still. There are three minutes before she promised she would be home, she hasn't heard from Quinn in thirty-five minutes, and Chloe is not sharing her worries.

She sits down on the couch with a petulant huff. "How are you not concerned?"

Chloe gives her the same amused smirk that she has been giving her ever since Quinn first asked if she could go out with Nico. "It's not that I'm not concerned, it's that we don't have anything to be concerned about yet, Bec. It's not even ten-thirty, and we know they're on their way."

Beca frowns. "Supposedly."

The dark living room – lit only by the lamp on the table beside the couch – is illuminated even more by a sweep of headlights as a car seems to pull into the Mitchell's driveway. Beca's eyes widen as she jumps up, moving back to her perch at the window, and pulling the shade back just enough to see outside.

"Beca! Stop stalking them."

Beca waves a hand behind her, brushing away Chloe's admonishment. "Don't you want to see what they're doing?"

"No! I want to give our daughter some privacy."

Beca doesn't seem to hear as she murmurs, "I can't really see anything… the lights in the car are off."

"Beca, get away from the window."

A car door outside slams shut, followed by the sound of someone driving on pavement, and then another sweep of the headlights across the living room walls. Beca stays in her position, trying to trail the car with her eyes, before jumping back onto the couch when she can hear the garage door trying to be unlocked.

Chloe folds her arms over her chest as Beca tries to get back in her seat in an attempt to look as casual as possible. "You're ridiculous."

She pecks a kiss into Chloe's cheek. "But you love me anyways."

Chloe scowls, but leans against the back of the couch. "Mhmm."

Someone steps across the hardwood in the kitchen, and seconds later, Quinn pokes her head into the living room. "You guys are still up?"

"Of course, we are, sweetheart. We had to make sure you got home safely." Chloe brushes aside her mild annoyance – and amusement – from her wife, instead turning all of her attention to Quinn. "How was your night?"

Quinn, her hair now pulled up into a bun, rests her bag on the armchair. As she steps further into the light, both moms take note of the soft smile that's on her face – free of the tension that they have grown to notice over the last week. "It was fun."

Beca clears her throat, as though forcing herself to get the words out. "Yeah? How was the movie?"

Quinn shrugs. "It was fine. The pizza was better."

Beca and Chloe laugh at this, the older women starting to relax as well. "That's good, I guess."

"Yeah…"

Chloe eyes her daughter carefully. How she's standing sort of in the middle of the living room, not quite moving to greet her moms, yet also not moving to walk upstairs to her bedroom. She's playing with her phone in her hand, tapping the device against her open palm. There's something on her mind – that much is obvious – and as much as Chloe wants to know what's going on, she's afraid to push. She slides over a little bit on the couch. "Want to join us for a bit, love?"

Quinn hesitates even more, but eventually, once Beca moves over, too, she snuggles into the middle seat between her two moms, settling into the worn cushions. Their presence, and how they move in around her, takes all the weight off of Quinn's chest. She rests her head on Beca's arm, Chloe already moving to lightly massage her head. Her confession comes a few moments later. "I don't think I'm ready to date."

Beca and Chloe meet each other's gaze over Quinn's head. They had talked about what Quinn told Beca before she left, after they put the younger kids to bed. Chloe was over the moon that they had had that conversation and that Quinn could get some reassurance before she left – but both Chloe and Beca have been curious about how the actual night would go.

Beca lays her hand on top of Quinn's. "No?"

"No. I don't think so."

Chloe keeps her voice soft, knowing that there is absolutely nothing wrong with what her daughter is saying, but also wanting to make sure that there isn't a bigger reason behind her disclosure. "Did something happen while you were out, Quinn?"

Quinn shakes her head carefully but answers vocally as well. "No. I just… I don't think I really want to right now."

Beca doesn't hesitate to respond. "That is one hundred percent okay, Quinn. You need to do whatever makes you feel comfortable."

Chloe hums in agreement. "And if Nico is as good of a friend as he seems, he'll understand that."

"Yeah, he was pretty cool about it."

"You already talked to him?"

"A little when he dropped me off. I just told him I didn't think I wanted to date anyone right now – not just him."

Beca gently kisses the top of Quinn's head, the teen settling deeper into their embrace. She gives Chloe a soft smile when she looks up at her. "We're proud of you, kiddo."

She can feel Quinn's eyebrows furrow as a small snort escapes her throat. "Why? Because you don't have to worry about me going out on any more not-dates any time soon?"

Beca rolls her eyes at Quinn's humor, but shakes her head all the same. "No. For knowing what you're comfortable with and knowing where your boundaries are."

"And for not being afraid to tell people what those boundaries are." Chloe tucks a stray piece of Quinn's hair behind her ear. "It's just another thing that makes you spectacular, Quinn."

Heat rises to Quinn's cheeks just like it does every time her mothers compliment her and remind her just how special she is.

Despite the swell of embarrassment that she always feels, Quinn knows she'll never get tired of hearing just how much Beca and Chloe love her.

I hope you enjoyed the first installment of Everything in Between. Thanks so much for coming back to this universe with me, and, as always, I would love to hear any thoughts/comments/concerns/critiques that you are comfortable sharing!

Please continue to submit prompts/ideas if you would like to see anything in particular. I am going to try and update this every week, so I will see you next Sunday!