Three months later

Puck's POV

I step off the plane and make my way to baggage claim, people look at me as I pass, they look at the uniform. I go and grab my bag and turn my phone back on, I look at my messages and find the last text I got from Rachel that includes the address to their house they just got together in New York. I look at the address one last time and then pick up my keys from the rental car, I grab them and get into the car and make my way to their place. It is Easter, their first holiday as a married couple and they wanted to get all of us together. I feel the nerves as I get closer and closer, this will be the first time seeing my daughter in a few months, and Quinn. I pull up to the house and find the driveway full with cars and I park in the street. I walk up to the door and ring the doorbell, Rachel answers and pulls me into a tight hug. "Puck! I'm so glad you could make it, and you look so nice in that uniform"

"Thanks Rach"

"Well come on in" She gives me a smile and I walk into the house, I look around and find all my friends, Mercedes and Sam are talking with Brittany and Santana, while Kurt and Blaine and Tina stand by a snack table, I can see Artie and Mike and Finn standing around, I see everyone. Everyone except for Quinn. Suddenly I see Beth's curly blond head come from around the corner, she has her hair in little pig tails that are tied with pink ribbons and she is wearing a flowery dress.

"Daddy!" She yells, I bend down and she runs into my arms. I hug her tight and feel her little hands wrap around my neck. I pull her away from me and take a look at how much bigger she looks. Her hair is a little longer and she seems taller.

"Look at how big you got monkey face"

"A lot can change in three months" I look to find Quinn standing a few feet away from me, she is wearing a tight fit blue dress and looks amazing.

"Hey"

"Hey" Beth reaches out for her mom and Quinn comes closer and takes her into her arms.

"How have you been?"

"Things have been good, how have you been?"

"Good, training was good, I'm done with it now" I wanted to save this for later, to tell her that I'm ready to come back to her, to Beth. Come home. She looks at me, then at my uniform. I know she might resent me for deciding to do this, to leave her to go train for the Air Force but I hope she can at least appreciate that I am here now, being here for the important stuff.

"Nice uniform, looks a little itchy though" I go to open my mouth when she laughs,"I'm kidding, you look handsome" I give her a smile, it's a good sign that she is giving me compliments, this may be heading in the right direction.

"Thanks"

"I'm glad your here"

"I'm glad to be here"

"Hopefully this will give us some time to talk" I nod in agreement.

"I actually really wanted to talk to you too"

"I'm just going to give her to Rachel and I'll meet you in the kitchen. I heard aunt Rachel told the Easter Bunny you would be visiting and he hid some eggs for you to go find" Beth's face lights up as the walk away, I hate knowing I have missed that smile everyday for three months. Being away from my daughter again has probably been the hardest thing I have done. I go over to the snack table and try to find something to eat.

"Damn Puckerman, nice uniform" I look over to find Santana standing next to me, Brittany has her arms around Santana's middle but they stand as if it is the most natural thing in the world. Even though Santana and I used to be a thing a long long time ago I am really happy she has Britt, she is definitely happier when she is around.

"Thanks"

"Quinn told us that you had joined the Air Force, I didn't know you had it in you"

"Thanks I think" I laugh.

"Too bad for you and Quinn though, I was rooting for you two" Brittany nods her head in agreement.

"Well I wouldn't say things are completely over, we still have Beth and are planning on raising her together"

"I don't know, once the house is sold it usually means the marriage is over, or in this case your relationship"

"What are you talking about?" I look at both of them with confusion, why would they mention the house being sold?

"You know, Quinn is selling your house so she can move back to Yale" Brittany doesn't usually know whats going on but right now I think what she is saying is completely true, that must be what Quinn wanted to talk about. I walk into the kitchen and find Quinn standing there looking out the window into the backyard. She hears the door close behind me and she turns around with a huge smile on her face.

"Look at Beth out there, she is having so much fun, I took some pictures but I am just dying to be out there with them. I can tell Rachel really appreciates the practice of taking care of a child"

"Your selling the house? When were you planning on telling me?" I didn't mean for it to sound so rude but it just came out like that.

"I was going to tell you today, I told you I thought we should talk"

"Yeah, I thought you meant talk about us"

"Puck don't you get it, there is no us anymore" Her words sting.

"Well how long have you had this plan to sell the house and go back to Yale? How long did you plan to keep this a secret?"

"Don't you dare start with secrets, you kept something huge from me for months and never told me until you were forced too. And besides I only decided this three months ago when you left. That's the difference between you and me, I never meant to abandon our family"

"You know I didn't have a choice, this was something that I was obligated to go too"

"And you don't think I don't have an obligation to the school that I applied for? The one that accepted me? And have been generous enough to allow me to go back in the fall after taking a year break. I need to finish college so I can get a degree and make a better life for Beth, isn't that exactly what you argued that you were doing?"

"That's different, I never planned on uprooting her completely, why the sudden need to sell the house?"

"Because it is just too big for only two people living in it"

"Three, I still live there"

"Not when you decided to leave, the only reason we were going to keep that house was so she could keep as much stability in her life as possible but you threw that out the window when you decided to leave us behind"

"She is still my daughter, I still want to be in her life"

"And you can, but I want you to know I plan on adopting her myself, without you"

"What? You can't do this"

"It's actually easier, we no longer live together and aren't in a relationship and she will be living with me, it makes the most sense. I'm not going to keep her from you but we can make a schedule of when you can have visitation"

"Quinn do you hear how crazy you sound? Shelby pulled this shit with us and it drove you crazy, I am still very committed and want to raise our daughter with you. Don't you get it, I love you"

"That wasn't enough to make you stay, I won't let you make the same empty promises to Beth that you made to me"

"It wasn't an empty promise, I still love you, I'm still in love with you" I move closer to her and take her face into my hands. "Please"

"It isn't enough anymore" I lean down and kiss her lips, she kisses me back and I hope this can show her, show her I still care. She pulls away from me and walks over to the door. "You can come back to the house and get your things later, I can't move out of the state until all the finals papers are signed and I get the last visit from the social worker so until then you will know where to find us. You can come visit anytime you want, she misses you" She walks out of the kitchen and I am left in the kitchen alone, I have somehow managed to loose the two people in my life who mean the most to me, and it seems like now there is nothing I can do to fix it anymore.