A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for not updating last week, you guys definitely deserved it for being so nice and commenting on the last chapter! Thank you so much for that! It was just that we had a big holiday in my country and I was just beyond drunk and really not able to write down one sentence. I hope this chapter makes up for last week's absence!

On another matter, I just want to let you guys know we will not be revisiting the subject of Oliver's father, since a lot of you mentioned that in your reviews. Rachel was raped more than once while she was down the quarters and not even she could know who the father is. I don't think anyone needs to go through the pain of reading the specific moment she conceived Oliver. I hope you understand!

Rose Hill, 1780

"Quinn?" Rachel asked, walking down the hill with a hand on her forehead to try to protect her eyes from the harsh sun. "What are you doing over there?" she said. Quinn didn't answer, probably because she couldn't hear her from so far - so Rachel kept walking until she reached the stable. "Quinn?" she asked again.

"Oh, hi, mama!" Quinn answered with her softest voice, grabbing Oliver's hand and shaking it to greet Rachel. "We didn't see you coming! I thought you were still asleep!"

"No," Rachel answered with a shake of her head. She could never stay in bed after Quinn got up, even if Quinn kept saying it was perfectly fine for her to do so. Force of the habit. "What are you doing over here? The sun is too hot for him," she said, reaching out her arms to grab the baby. It still surprised her to see how much he had grown in just a few months. His body completely filled her arms, and nothing felt better than having him there.

"Nonsense, he needs a little sun. It's good for his skin!" Quinn argued, poking the baby on the belly. He squirmed on Rachel's arms and his lips curled in a smile. Rachel couldn't help but smile too. "I brought him to meet the horses! Apparently he loves them, just as much as you do," Quinn said.

"Is that so?" Rachel asked, her voice becoming softer just by looking at Oliver's face. "Well, in that case, let me do the honors," she said, taking a few steps towards a particular stall. "Do you see this pretty horse over here, Ollie? That's Ace," she said, exchanging a glance with Quinn and smiling bigger than she ever thought she could. "Quinn gave him to me. Isn't he beautiful? I might let you ride him when you're a little bit older, if you promise to behave," she said. Quinn giggled.

Rachel held Oliver just a tiny bit higher, so that he would be face to face with the tall horse. Oliver squealed and flapped his arms, accidentally hitting the horse's snout. Ace neighed and shook his face. Oliver's eyes went wide and he froze for a second - so did Rachel and Quinn, afraid that he would start crying in startle. But instead, he broke in the sweetest laugh, and Rachel and Quinn couldn't help laughing along.

Rachel felt the need to pinch herself just about a billion times a day. She couldn't believe that this was her life. She couldn't believe she had gotten so lucky. Everything felt just so perfect that she felt a shiver running down her spine. There was no way it could get any better than that.

It was only logical. It was the calm before the storm. She almost felt guilty for having such a bad feeling inside of her while everything was just so great - but she couldn't help it. Her mother had always said. A slave's happiness only lasts for a minute.

"Quinn?" They heard someone shouting and turned their heads back to the door. George appeared with that big smile that was so characteristic of him and Rachel watched Oliver smiling to his voice. It was amazing to see how great he was at recognizing people, and even more amazing to see how he clearly already had his preferences. He had never smiled upon hearing Judy's voice. "Oh, look who's here! If it isn't my favorite little bud!" said George, before bowing his head lightly. "And Rachel, of course."

"Hey, George," Quinn greeted, walking in into a hug. He kissed the top of her head and she grinned. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Just thought I should come in and check on this little fella," he said, grabbing Oliver's hand and leaning in to kiss the top of Rachel's head too. Her heart melted every time he did so. George had always treated her nicely, but since Oliver had been born, Rachel felt genuinely like a part of the family. George didn't treat her any different than he treated Quinn. "If I'm correct, he just turned four months old, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did!" Rachel said with a proud grin. "We finally got past all that crying. His tummy has been much calmer lately, he's even smiling more," she said. George nodded.

"Yeah, it should just get better from now on. He will be learning things very quickly. Soon enough you will be running after him down this hill," he joked and Rachel gave him a nervous chuckle. She just couldn't deal with the thought of him growing up. He should be her baby forever. "Is it alright if I take him for a small check up? I promise to give him back in just a few," he said, crossing his heart. Rachel giggled, truthfully this time.

"It's alright, I guess," Quinn said with a nod, glancing at Rachel to be sure. Rachel nodded back. "I gotta go to work anyway and Rachel's tutor is about to arrive," she said.

"Who is he staying with during the days?" George asked bringing his eyebrows together. "I mean, so that I can give him back once we're done," he explained.

"With Lou Lee," Rachel replied. "Now that I'm back into work Lou Lee is in charge of taking care of the kids," she said. George's smile could light up the world. It had been Quinn's idea to let Oliver grow up among the other kids and Rachel was more than proud of her for that. She could see George was too.

"Alright then," George said, clapping his hand and reaching out to grab Oliver. Rachel handed him carefully and Oliver snuggled against George's broad chest. "Say goodbye to the ladies, buddy, we're gonna have a little men talk right now."

"Quinn? Can I talk to you for a second?" George asked, peeking his head inside the office. Quinn shut the papers she had been working on in a drawer and smiled nervously.

"Of course," she said, picking up a pen just to have something to fumble with. "Come on in!"

"So, how's everything going?" he asked, leaning in against the doorframe and crossing his arms.

"Things are going okay, yes," Quinn said with an exaggerated smile and a firm nod. "Lewis has been helping me a lot. Thank you for sending me him!"

"You're welcome," he replied with a small smile. "What are your plans for the farm? What have you two been thinking?" he asked, fidgeting with his feet. He seemed nervous. For a second Quinn thought he had discovered about their new business - but deep down she knew he wouldn't simply ask so nicely if he had.

"Oh, we have a lot of plans," she shrugged it off. "I'll let you know when we start working on them." George nodded biting down his lip. "Is everything alright?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows together. "You seem a little uneasy."

"I'm not sure," he said with a sigh, sitting on the chair across her desk and scooting it forward. "I don't think there would ever be a right time or way for saying this, so I'm just gonna say it already. I think there might be something wrong with Oliver," he said, with his voice lowering with each word that left his mouth until it became almost a whisper. Quinn swallowed hard and let out a nervous chuckle.

"What do you mean? He was perfectly fine this morning and I just saw him having a bottle at the nursery. There's nothing wrong with him," Quinn said with a scoff, but George's face was still dead serious. She shivered. "What do you mean, George?"

"Well Quinn, I believe you have noticed that, although I told you he's face would be normal in a few days after he was born, it never did," he said very carefully, leaning forward and grabbing Quinn's hands. She knit her eyebrows further. George couldn't be saying her child was ugly. It wasn't like something George would do. "That's not the only thing. He's not hitting some milestones, and there are just some characteristics about him that are not exactly typical," he explained.

"Like what?" Quinn asked. She hated that she had never have enough contact with babies to know what differences he was talking about.

"Like his tongue, how it's always sticking out for example. At first I thought it was the natural reflex babies have when they're hungry, but he does it much more frequently than it was expected," George said, and Quinn giggled a little.

"He's blowing us kisses! Rachel does that all the time, he's just copying her, but he hasn't quite mastered it yet so that's how he does it!" she tried to argue, but something twisted in her stomach. She knew George wouldn't talk to her like that if he wasn't sure something wasn't right.

"He feels limp, Quinn. Have you ever held little Bernie? I know he's a little older than Oliver, but still. Oliver shouldn't be so soft by now. It feels like perhaps his muscles aren't build right," George said.

"What does that mean?" Quinn asked. Oliver had always been soft, but Quinn never thought it was a problem. She had always loved how easily he melt in her arms and how much he seemed to love cuddling.

"I'm still not sure what it means," he said worriedly. "I've researched a lot since he was born to try and find out what he could have, but there's nothing like that described in literature. That's what worries me the most. Since I don't know exactly what is wrong, I have no idea what could happen - or if anything will happen. I have talked to a friend back from London and he has commented about a patient with similar characteristics that had severe heart problems, but Oliver's heart seems fine, at least for now."

"Well, so what should we do?" Quinn asked, clasping her hands together in an attempt to make them stop shaking. She felt like the world had crumbled beneath her feet. It was too much of a sick joke from God to give her something like that and make her love it so much just to take it away afterwards.

"There's nothing we can do right now but wait," he said with a small shrug and a sympathetic pout. "I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I felt like I need to. You need to pay closer attention to him and to anything odd that happens. If he has any physical changes or changes in behavior, you go fetch me instantly. It doesn't matter how small it seems, alright?" he said, as if that could comfort her. "Right now though, what you should do is enjoy every day with him as if it were the last. Give him all the love you can, so that if anything happens you'll look back and know you did everything you could."

"How am I gonna tell this to Rachel?" she asked in a whisper, hiding her face in her hands and shaking her head just slightly. George talked as if her days with Oliver were counted and she had no idea how to process that kind of information, let alone share it with Rachel. "I can't tell her. She would be destroyed. I'm not telling her," she kept whispering to herself.

"Yes, you'll tell her. Rachel is strong, Quinn, she can take it. She will probably take it better than you," George said, but Quinn kept shaking her head in disbelief. "You can't hide this from her. You shouldn't hide anything from her. You two will support each other through this and everything will be fine."

Quinn nodded quietly. There was that feeling again - the feeling that George knew what she was up to with the farm. But he was right. She had to tell Rachel. She was already keeping too much from her. Rachel deserved to know what was happening to her son. Quinn just didn't know how to tell her.

"Rachel?" Lou Lee called out in a whisper, coming inside Quinn's room to find Rachel on the rocking chair with an asleep Oliver in her arms. "There's a man downstairs to see you," she said with a confused frown.

"Who is it?" Rachel frowned back, reaching out her hand so that Lou Lee could help her get up. She couldn't remember ever receiving any guests. It's not like she knew anyone outside that farm, anyway.

"I don't know, he didn't say his name," Lou Lee answered with a shrug, placing a careful hand behind Rachel's back to help her down the stairs.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Rachel almost dropped Oliver to the floor in surprise.

"Father!" Rachel exclaimed loudly. Oliver squirmed in her arms and she held him tighter, walking towards her father. "What are you doing here? You can't be here! Is everything alright?" she asked. She could only imagine the trouble she would be in if Judy walked in and found her chatting with her father in their living room.

"Miss Quinn sent a carriage for me!" he exclaimed with widened eyes in happiness. "She sent a message that I was a grandfather and I simply couldn't wait to meet this little guy," he said, walking in her direction. Rachel's mouth fell open for half a second. Quinn would never stop surprising her. Eugene wrapped one arm around Rachel's shoulder and leaned closer to take a look at the baby's face.

"Dad, meet Oliver," Rachel said. Oliver sighed deeply in his sleep and smiled softly. He was probably dreaming, but Rachel let herself believe that he had felt the connection with his grandfather. Eugene held her tighter and Rachel could see his lips quivering in a pout.

"Oh, my dear, he looks just so precious!" Eugene said. Rachel watched him fighting his tears and smiled. He was sweet enough to not ask who was the father and to not judge Rachel for having a child without getting married, and she just loved him so much more for that.

"Come here, dad," she said, yanking her head towards the back. "Let's go to the kitchen house, we can talk more in there," Rachel said. Eugene nodded and they walked side by side, luckily not finding anyone on their way. "Abbie!" Rachel exclaimed as they came inside. "This is my father, Eugene. Father, this is Abbigail, she works here with me. She's one of my best friends," she said.

"Nice to meet you, sir," said Abbie with a small bow.

"Oh no! Just because I'm a grandfather now it doesn't mean you have to call me sir, dear. You can call me Eugene," he said with a chuckle and a dismissive wave of hand. "It's very nice to meet you too. It's great to see Rachel is surrounded with good people."

"Would you like something to eat? Or drink? Some tea, perhaps?" Abbie asked as she pulled a chair to help Rachel sit down with the baby and motioned with her head towards the other chair for Eugene to sit.

"Tea would be great, thank you," he said with a smile, sitting down. Rachel reached out across the table and grabbed his hand.

"I can't believe you're here," she whispered with the biggest smile on her face. "Abbie, can you believe Quinn has sent a carriage to bring him here?" she said proudly. Abbie rose her eyebrows in surprise as she poured hot water into three cups of tea. "How are things with you, father?"

"Things are going okay," he said with a small nod. "I haven't gotten a steady job since Mrs. Margaret has passed away, but I'm getting by just fine with occasional jobs here and there."

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked, furrowing her eyebrows in concern. She knew most rich people had an official carriage driver and that it was rare the occasions when they needed to call for an extra one. She would feel terrible knowing that her father was having any kind of financial problems while she lived so well. "I'm sure we can arrange something for you to do around here if you need, father."

"Oh, no!" he exclaimed with a shake of his head. "I couldn't live in a farm like this. I'm way too used to the city life," he said in a chuckle. Abbie served the teacups and he thanked her in a murmur. "I'm so glad yo see you have settled down so well in here, though," he said. "Is she giving you too much trouble, miss Abbie?" he asked playfully.

The afternoon went by in a blink and Rachel felt like she was living a dream. Never she would have imagined her life would be like that, but as she watched her father playing with her son she knew for sure she was right where she was supposed to be. She didn't regret any of her life's mistakes, because they all led her to moments like that, when all she felt was an never ending bliss. Even in a world so full of hate, she managed to surround herself with love - and it made all of her life worth it.

When she hugged her father goodbye that day, she made sure to hold him extra tight and for just a second longer. A bad feeling twisted in her stomach and something told her she wouldn't have many more chances of doing so.

Quinn had spent all day trying to figure out how to come up with the subject, but she still had no idea. Rachel walked to bed with Oliver in her arms and smiled at Quinn. Quinn smiled back. Oliver had been sleeping through the night for the last month, so they started bringing him to sleep in bed with them. Rachel laid by Quinn's side and placed Oliver right in between them.

Oliver's eyes focused on Quinn and she felt her eyes welling up. She delighted in him. He smiled at her, his little tongue poking out of his mouth once again, and Quinn hurt deep within. She didn't want to believe it. She hugged him close and nuzzled her nose in his soft neck, breathing that smell that was his and only his, and that she had fallen so deeply in love with. She couldn't ever lose him.

"Thank you for bringing my father here today," Rachel said in a murmur, bringing Quinn back from her thoughts. "You have no idea how happy that made me. Oliver loved him, he blew him so many kisses!" Rachel said with a giggle, but Quinn bit her lip and nodded with tears threatening to leave her eyes. George's words wouldn't leave her mind. He didn't blew kisses. "What's wrong?" Rachel asked with a frown when she noticed Quinn's reactions.

That wasn't the way Quinn wanted that to go. She had planned on holding everything back to tell Rachel calmly and be able to give her the support Rachel would need - but she couldn't. Quinn started sobbing uncontrollably and Rachel wrapped an arm on her waist, bringing her closer and smashing Oliver between their hug. Oliver giggled and Quinn cried more. It hurt just to look at him and know that she had no idea for how long they would be able to spend nights like those. Together.

"George came to talk to me today," she said between sobs. "He said he thinks there's something wrong with Ollie," Quinn whispered, as if Oliver could understand it. She felt Rachel stiffening against her body and sighing. As if she knew. As if she felt. She didn't say anything, so Quinn went on. "He said he thinks Ollie's muscles aren't build right and that that's the reason his tongue keeps pushing out and why his face is so flat and why he feels so… floppy in our arms," she said running out of breath by the end of the sentence and starting to cry again after a deep breath.

Rachel didn't say anything. Quinn felt terrible for losing control and not being able to help Rachel, although Rachel didn't look like she needed any help. Rachel ran one finger along Oliver's cheek, perhaps trying to feel the muscles on his cheeks - but she didn't look surprised. She didn't look scared either. She looked as if she expected it to happen, as if she didn't deserve things to be so perfect - and it made Quinn break down all over again.

"What's gonna happen?" Rachel asked, not meeting Quinn's eyes.

"I don't know," she said, but her voice faltered. "He doesn't know. He has never seen anything like that. He said we should be very attentive to anything odd and that we should seize every second we have with him," she whispered. A tear dropped onto Oliver's face and he wiggled his head in surprise. Rachel didn't say anything again for a few seconds. Quinn convinced herself that it was just the shock, because thinking that Rachel could be so cold to not be bothered by the news made her shiver.

"Don't cry, alright?" Rachel finally said, running one hand up and down Quinn's arm. Quinn swallowed her tears and nodded. "He's not ours, he's God's. God lend Oliver to us, but if He needs him back, we'll let him go. That doesn't mean we love him any less. In the meantime we'll enjoy our time with him and learn everything he has to teach us," she said, and Quinn had to bite down her lip to stop herself from starting to cry again. "And we're moving," she said firmly.

"What?" Quinn asked with a confused frown.

"We can't stay here. If anything happens and we need a doctor, it's at least an hour until we can reach George in Basseterre. We need to be closer to doctors," she said. Quinn stood still. "Look, I know you don't want to. I know you feel like it's your mission to stay in this farm and take care of it, but it's his life we're talking about Quinn. If you don't want to go, then please…" she trailed off, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Then let me go with him."

"No," Quinn shook her head nervously. "No, I can't be without you. Both of you! I'll figure something out, I'll try to find a way of running the farm from afar. If you think we should move, then we're moving," Quinn said. In a matter of second Rachel had come to conclusions Quinn couldn't think of in a whole day. Rachel was the most logical one in difficult situations like those. She was Quinn's rock and Quinn trusted her.

"I'm gonna ask you again," Rachel said, biting down her lip. "Think about America," she said and Quinn was about to argue back, but Rachel stopped her. "Just think. There are a lot more doctors in there and more advanced hospitals. We could have a much better chance of finding out whatever is going on. Just think about it, alright?"

"Okay," Quinn answered with a sigh, but she didn't have to think any further. Rachel had convinced her in her first sentence. Oliver had Quinn wrapped around his little finger, and there was nothing Quinn wouldn't do to make sure he was safe and healthy. She had always thought that farm was her dream, until she saw his eyes and knew she was wrong all along. That was her dream. What they had right there. She, Rachel and Oliver cuddling on a big bed. It was all she wanted in life and she would fight with all her strength to keep that dream alive.

She would sell the farm. They would move to America.