A/N: I know it has been a long time, too long and I apologize but I finally finished this chapter. I think it came out okay. I wanted to speed up the time line but not so much or in a way that wouldn't be natural. I hope you like this, it is what I think most of you have been wait for awhile name. I think I may take this approach from now on, time jumping a few months at a time or to important moments in the character's lives. Anyway please let me know what you think. I hope to get another chapter up in a more reasonable time, but I can't guarantee any thing now that school is back in session. In fact I should have been writing reports instead of this, oh well ;). Disclaimer: I don't own GLEE or any of it's characters. Glee belongs it's creators and FOX.

Ch.11

I felt like a walking beluga whale, my ankles were ripe watermelons, my back radiate pain constantly, I tried not to complain, Quinn had been through this all before she lived with back pain every day, but I was so uncomfortable.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Aidan asked from across the room dressed in his zombie rower costume. It was Saturday night and October 28th so obviously every organization, team, or social group on campus was having their Halloween party.

"Yeah Hobbit you could go as the Great Pumpkin," came Santana's disembodied voice from the computer on my lap. I glared down at her, that Cheshire Cat smile working on my last nerve, "Should you be on some street corner making predictions with that Mexican third eye of yours." I growled back.

"I'm Puerto Rican."

"Same difference."

"Is not."

"Stop it children." I heard Quinn from over my shoulder, looking back I smiled, she looked really good, even as a zombie cheerleader she looked beautiful. "Rachel I'm heading out now but if you need me give me a call." Quinn said as she leaned down and kissed the top of my head. I don't know when she started doing that but I wasn't going to complain, it was nice to know someone really cared for me like that other than my fathers.

"I'll be fine go and have fun, bye Aidan."

"Bye." He smiled and waved. I had to admit that Aidan was proving to be a great boyfriend to Quinn. He made her laugh and smile, she seemed genuinely happy when he was around. He listened to her when she talked about her day, and when she had a bad day (due to either pain from her back, breathlessness from her lungs, or overwhelmed with emotions from her past) he'd let her have her space and then show up with a cupcake and just sit with her. It was nice to see. So yeah the guy was growing on me but I wasn't dropping my guard yet.

When they were gone I looked down to see Santana staring at me her eyebrow raised in confusion and curiosity. "what?'

"I was just going to ask you the same thing."

"What are you talking about Santana?" I didn't have the patience to deal with Santana's guessing games. I'd been having cramps all day and quite frankly I was very irritable.

"The kiss, the one Quinn just gave you." She elaborated.

"What about it, she does it all the time when she leaves me, its nice. We're friends what's the big deal?" Santana opened her mouth as if she were going to comment but then shut it again.

"Sure okay. Anyway I gots to go, the night's call my name, and Snixx won't be denied a night out." I laughed and Santana's antics before hanging up. Grabbing the control from the table I flicked on the TV and after perusing the channel decided on Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin, sure Santana would tease me forever if she knew but it was a good movie and there was no what I was watching one of the 5 billion horror movies on right now.

Pain a deep stabbing pain and the sensation of water running down my legs woke me from my sleep. Confused and panicked I stood and saw the wet patch on the couch. I knew what this meant, I'd been their when it happened to Quinn at regionals but I couldn't process it, my mind refused to in that moment. It was early, okay not insanely early, a week but still this wasn't supposed to be how it went. Quinn was meant to be here, she would hear my call and come to me, she'd instantly know I was in labor and as I started to freak out she would calm me down. Then she would gather my hospital bag and walk me to her car. She'd drive me to the hospital and as I got set up in my room she would call my father's first and then Santana, Kurt, and Brody. I was not supposed to be home alone the weekend before Halloween when Quinn was out having fun with Aidan and her friends. The second contraction startled me and after a moment I took a deep breath and called Quinn.

When she answered I could barely hear her above the music in the back ground. "Quinn, Quinn are you there?" I yelled.

"Yeah hold on Rach." She yelled back and after an extremely long few seconds the phone grew quiet and all I could here was Quinn's voice.

"What's up Rach are you alright."

"Depends on what you mean by alright, I'm in labor my water broke."

"Oh my God, okay, I'm not that far away I'll be there in a few minutes. How far apart are the contractions?"

I wasn't sure but it had been awhile since the last so I guessed, "Ten minutes maybe."

"Good. If you can get you hospital bag, it's in the hall closet, wait for me on the couch."

"Okay. Thanks."

"No problem." The phone disconnected and I felt alone again. Quinn had calmed me down and now I was falling apart. I was in labor, I was about to give birth to my child, I was going to be a mom in a matter of hours. I was nineteen years old and I was about to be a mother to a living breathing human being; from this day on for the rest of my days I would never be alone, all of my decisions, everything I did would affect another person, my son or daughter. My youth, it would be gone. Staying out all night, drinking myself dizzy, just picking up and going, it was done. The experimental risk taken college years were no longer mine to be had, the journeyman years of my twenties, learning whom I was and making mistakes only to pick myself and start again was over; from today on I would responsible to another I couldn't take risks, my mistakes wouldn't just affect me, my attempts to learn who I was and where I belong was no longer just my journey.

The door flung open and I saw Quinn and Aidan emerge, "Rachel are you okay?" I just looked at her I couldn't speak; I was terrified and had no way of expressing it. She knew though, like she always had. She smiled comforting and knelt before me, her hands resting on my knees squeezing them gently. "Everything is going to be okay, Rachel, your life is going to change, but it's for the better. The moment you hold that little baby you'll see. You'll be an amazing mother and you won't have to do it alone, you'll always have your fathers, Shelby, Beth, Santana, Kurt, and me." She stood and leaned forward pressing a kiss to my forehead, "Are you ready?"

"Yeah."

RBQFRBQFRBQFRBQFRBQFRBQFRBQF

I was not ready, God I was not ready. Pain rippled through me, sweat fell down my face, my insides twisted and constricted in ways I never knew possible. "AHHH." I screamed and sudden relief and I slumped back on the bed. Quinn held my hand as she smiled at me, "You're doing great, Rach."

"It hurts" I breathed out just before the pressure began to build again in my abdomen. I gritted my teeth and tried to breathe through the pain.

My doctor walked in as the contract subsided and took a seat on the stool and the bottom of the bed. "Okay Rachel let's see how fare along you are now." I'd been here two hours so far and I was exhausted, I had no clue how Quinn had lasted through six hours with Beth.

"Ten cenimeters, great alright Rachel, we're going to take you to the birthing suite and it'll be time to bring you baby into this world."

"Can Quinn come?" I asked.

"Of course, she just has to get cleaned up and scrubs on, she'll be right with you." The doctor smiled at me. She didn't lie just as it was time to start pushing Quinn, devoid of zombie makeup and in blue scrubs was at my side taking my hand. I don't know how long it took, I could remember was pain, pain and Quinn's gentle voice encouraging me on, and the most beautiful music ever to grace my ears, my child's cry.

"It's a boy." The doctor said and lifted my son for me to see him in all his scruntched up bloody and fluidy glory. He was beautiful. "Quinn would you like to cut the chord?" The doctor asked. I saw Quinn look at me nervously, as if she didn't know what to say. "Please." I asked and she smiled before moving towards the doctor, taking the scissors from the doctor and separating my son from me. Soon he was swaddled in a blue blanket and in my arms. He was so small, so precious. He was perfect, my perfect thing. I'd heard Quinn say that about Beth, but now I knew what she meant. Her words to me in house rang through my ears, she was right, things had changed, changed for the better. I looked into my son's round little face, saw his new born blue eyes staring up and me and I was in love, irrevocably and completely in love for the first time in my life. He stole my heart in that moment and would never give it back. "He's perfect." I whispered.

"Perfectly amazing, congratulations Mom." Hearing Quinn call me Mom pulled my attention from my little boy and looked at her. She was smiling widely as widely as when she is with Beth, tears tracked down her cheeks, and there was this fondness, this love in her eyes as she gazed at my son that took my breathe away.

"Do you want to hold him?" I asked. She nodded and took him from my arms. I could see her crying harder now as she held my boy in her arms and stared down at him. "You're a lucky little boy, you know that. You have the best mommy in the world. I know you just met her but she loves you so much and so do I. You will always know love I promise." She said quietly yet I could hear her endearing promise. In that moment I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather be beside me in this moment, it felt like it should have always been Quinn who would be with me when I brought my children into this world.

"So do you have name yet for this handsome little man" asked the nurse as she took my son from Quinn. I smiled, "Yes."

RBQFRBQFBRBQFRBQFRBQF

I sat up in my bed, my baby boy in my arms when Quinn entered my room followed by Santana, Kurt, Aidan, and Brody. Brody was instantly at my side, his eyes trained down on his son for the first time. "Can I…Can I hold him?" He asked. Though I'd only talked to him a few times during the pregnancy he'd sent me a check every month to cover some of my cost. "Of course he is your son too."

Brody lifted my baby and held him close, "He's so small," his voice held such wonder.

"6lbs 7oz 20inches long." I recited the stats I would never forget.

"Figures." Santana quipped but I could see her eyes watering up.

"Rach he's gorgeous." Kurt smiled and kissed my cheek.

"He looks like you." Aidan said as he gave me a hug as well.

Brody turned to me, finally recognizing that there other people in the room besides himself and his son. "Have you named him?"

I nodded, "Everyone I would like to introduce Nathan Quinn Berry."

Quinn gasped, "Rachel, I…I'm honored."

"You're my best friend Quinn and you've been my rock through all of this, I don't know how I'll ever repay you." Quinn shook her head and then hugged me, "No thanks but this, this is more than enough."

Please Review