A/N: Okay so I promised I wouldn't take as long as usual with this update, and lookit! I kept that promise! :D Less than three weeks later lol. Also, I just realized that my fanmix link didn't work in the last author's note, so I'm posting it again. Just go to my fanmix tag on my tumblr page. I apologize for any errors! They will be fixed eventually, but I really just wanted to get this out to you guys. As always, let me know what you think! Love you guys and happy reading!

If we do the unthinkable,

Would it make us look crazy?

Or would it be so beautiful...

Mercedes was lying down in her room reading Quinn's copy of John Green's The Fault In Our Stars. The blonde had highly recommended the story and kept bugging her to read it until Mercedes finally took her up on it. Quinn was right, the story was amazing! The way Augustus and Hazel Grace loved each other was truly heartbreaking. Mercedes simply couldn't put it down. She was curled up in bed, her nose buried deep in the book and her eyes quickly scanning the pages. She was so engrossed in the plot that she didn't even hear the faint knock on her door.

When the door creaked open, she finally looked up from her book to find her mother standing in her doorway.

"Mercedes, may I please have a word with you?"

Mercedes nodded and her mother made her way into the room. Marking her page with the bookmark she'd also borrowed from Quinn, Mercedes sat up and made eye contact with her mother. Noting the serious expression on her mother's face, Mercedes knew something was up. Nervously she asked, "What's wrong?"

Mrs. Jones pointed skyward before she spoke in a whisper. "Is Quinn upstairs?" she asked, completely ignoring her question.

"No..." Mercedes began, her brows furrowing slightly. "She went to meet with Santana and Brittany for lunch at Breadstix. They're staying over at Britt's tonight to catch up. Why? Did you need her for something?"

Mrs. Jones finally let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding before she shook her head. Taking a seat beside her daughter she replied, "No sweetheart. I actually wanted to have a word with you...alone..."

At that, Mercedes' frown deepened and she started to feel even more nervous. "Mom, what's wrong?"

Her mother turned to face her with pursed lips and her hands set in her lap. "Baby, I'm going to ask you something and I need you to be completely honest with me..."

Mercedes nodded slowly, her heart beginning to pound within her. She watched as her mother unclasped her hands and set them on the bed, tracing a circular pattern over and over on her sheets. Something was definitely bothering her. The mere fact that she seemed to be so focused on getting her words right communicated to Mercedes that whatever she was about to say next was crucial. Mercedes held her breath as she waited for her to speak.

After a moment, she looked up at Mercedes. "Yesterday, I was downstairs doing laundry..."

Mercedes felt a chill run up and down her spine. Wait, downstairs? Mercedes began to panic. She'd been sure her mother had been upstairs...

She swallowed as she listened to the rest of what her mother had to say, certain she knew what was coming next.

"...anyway," her mother continued, "I came upstairs after I threw the clothes in the wash and I saw you and Quinn in the kitchen..."

Her mother didn't continue and she knew she didn't have to. She just stared intensely into Mercedes' eyes, observing her expression, gauging her reaction and waiting for an answer to a question she couldn't quite put into words.

Mercedes knew that look well. Diane Jones gave it to her older sister Alexis when she came down for breakfast the morning after she snuck out to attend a high school party she'd specifically told Lexi she didn't want her attending. She also gave it to her older brother Jermaine when she found a scratch on her car's paint job. Mercedes had received it several times herself. Like the time when her mother found several brochures about piercings in her room right before she finally got her nose done. It was the look she gave whenever she wanted an explanation without asking for one.

Crap, she knows! Mercedes thought as she looked away from her mother's eyes. They would drive the truth out of her for sure if she held her gaze long enough and she couldn't do it. Quinn had sworn her to secrecy and Mercedes was a woman of her word. She'd wait until her mom painfully dragged the truth out of her. And Mercedes was almost certain it was going to be painful. She began to fidget with her shirtsleeve. Anything to keep her mind off of what was about to happen next.

"Mercedes, what's going on?"

"Mom I-"

"Are you two together?" her mother finally blurted out.

When Mercedes didn't reply, she continued. "Mercedes? 'Cause if you are, I'd like to know..."

Mercedes sighed. She couldn't keep this up for long. Diane Jones had advanced methods of persuasion. Finally looking up at her mother's inquiring eyes, she softly admitted. "Yes, mom. We are."

Mercedes braced herself for a tongue-lashing. A swift smack on the cheek. Anything.

But nothing came.

There was dead silence in the room and the tension was so thick, Mercedes swore she could drive a knife through it. Time was seemingly moving at a snail's pace. Painfully slow... Never slower...

When a few seconds had passed and not a single word had been exchanged between the two of them, Mercedes cautiously looked up at her mother. Mrs. Jones seemed to be lost in her own thoughts as well.

"How long has this been going on?" she finally breathed.

"Only a few weeks," Mercedes admitted honestly. She kept sneaking glances at her mother, expecting her to blow up at any moment.

But she never did.

Diane Jones remained completely calm. Mercedes was both relieved and terrified. She was finding it difficult to gauge how her mother was feeling about this knowledge. She was so unsure of what her mother's reaction would be. One thing she was sure of however was that there was definitely going to be more of this conversation later on. Especially when her dad came home. Mercedes had no idea how he would react either.

She watched as her mom nodded slowly, attempting to process this new information. Her mother was no longer looking directly at her. Her attention seemed to be held captive deep inside her own head. Mercedes held her breath as she waited for her mother to speak again.

"I see..." came the response, moments later.

Mercedes shifted nervously as she stole another glance at her mother's face. "Are you mad?" she whispered meekly.

Her mother finally turned her attention to her and gave her a small smile. "No sweetheart...I'm not mad."

Mercedes began to return her smile when her mother continued, "but I am disappointed in you..."

Mercedes lowered her eyes again. It was foolish of her to think that she was completely out of the woods. In the smallest voice she could muster, she asked the question that was repeating over and over again in her brain. "Because Quinn is a girl?"

"No," her mom replied.

Mercedes looked up again, confused.

Mrs. Jones took Mercedes' hands in her own. "I don't care about the gender of who you love Merce. I trust you to make the right decisions when it comes to matters of your heart. Your father and I raised you to be a strong and loving person, capable of loving and being loved by people worthy of your heart." She softly caressed the back of her daughter's hands.

"I grown to know Quinn well and during her time here, she's proven herself to be a wonderful girl, also capable of being loved. Especially by someone as special as my baby," she continued, smiling warmly at Mercedes.

"Where my disappointment lies however is in the fact that you two have been hiding this information while also sometimes sharing a room. And lately, more times than usual..." Mrs. Jones raised a knowing eyebrow at Mercedes, whose cheeks were on fire. "Yes. I know about the late night rendezvous..."

"How...?" Mercedes squeaked.

"Because I'm your mother," Mrs. Jones replied, smirking. "I wasn't certain, of course, but I always had the thought at the back of my mind..."

Mercedes nodded, her cheeks still warm. This wasn't how she'd expected her mother to react at all, but she was happy that this was the way things were unfolding. It was much better than the alternative.

With a serious expression back on her face, Mrs. Jones silently observed her daughter before she spoke. "Answer me honestly, Mercedes. Did you invite her here to stay with us because you had a crush on her?"

Mercedes shook her head. "No. I did suspect that she had a crush on me though. But that was never my reason for inviting her here. Quinn was a member of New Directions and a good friend of mine. She was there for me the day I fainted at lunch, you remember?"

Mrs. Jones nodded her head. "I do. She waited with you until I came to pick you up."

Mercedes smiled. "Yes she did. I guess I invited her to stay with us to return the favor. She didn't have to be kind to me that day. Girls like her usually aren't very nice to girls like me. But Quinn was different and she proved me wrong. She's a good friend to me. She's my soul sister. I love her so much, Momma."

Mrs. Jones smiled warmly at that. "I can see that, Honey"

"I'm sorry for disrespecting you Mom. And for keeping our relationship a secret. Quinn wasn't ready for us to tell anyone and I wasn't sure how you'd react and all I could think about was what if my parents kicked her out and left her all alone. Again. I couldn't have that happen, Momma... I couldn't," Mercedes sniffed.

"Shhh...Baby, your father and I would never do that. This is a safe place. Our doors are open and so are our hearts and minds. You never had anything to fear and neither did Quinn. We are a family. And the day she came to live with us, Quinn became family too. We'd never kick out one of our own."

Mercedes reached out her arms and fiercely pulled her mother into her arms. Her mother held her and soothingly ran her palm over her daughter's back.

"You know we'll have to have a talk with Dad right, Sweetie?"

Mercedes nodded slightly, "I know"

"Good. We'll also have to discuss some new ground rules tonight. Especially about the sleeping arrangements."

"I know," Mercedes replied, nodding again.

Mrs. Jones released her daughter. "Okay. I'm going to go start dinner. We'll discuss this further when Quinn and your father get back."

Diane started to head toward the door but before she left, turned around to face Mercedes with a playful glint in her eyes.

"Have you two... you know..."

Mercedes gasped and her eyes grew to the size of saucers as she saw her mother make the "peace sign" on both hands and imitate a scissoring motion.

"Mom!" Mercedes blushed, looking away from her mother again.

Diane Jones smirked at her daughter, a small smile playing at her lips. She was amused. "Well have you?"

Mercedes buried her face in her hands as she admitted to that as well, with two tiny nods.

She heard her mother gasp and she peeked at her through the spaces between her fingers.

Diane Jones pointed at her temple. "I thought so. A mother is never wrong. We'll have much to discuss tonight, Mercy! Just because the plumbing is the same, doesn't mean you get to miss out on the sex talk." She winked at her before she left, pulling in the door.

Mercedes buried her face in her pillow as she continued to blush fiercely. Her mother was a trip for sure! Breathing a sigh of relief as she reflected on the conversation that had just transpired, she smiled for a moment. That had gone much better than she had ever thought it would. She had nothing to worry about. She couldn't wait to tell Quinn the good news!

Wait! Mercedes thought sitting up straight in bed. Oh my goodness... Would Quinn be ready to discuss this? With her parents?

Slowly sinking back onto the bed, eyes trained on her ceiling, Mercedes began to consider all the different ways in which Quinn would react. When none of them turned out positive, she tried to generate as many scenarios as she possibly could about how she was going to break the news to her girlfriend instead.

XXXX

"She knows," Mercedes said simply.

"Knows what? And who's she?" Quinn frowned slightly, looking up at Mercedes. The girls were sitting in Mercedes' black cherry Toyota Prius. She'd picked Quinn up from Brittany's house and they were on their way back to the Jones household.

"My mom. She knows about us," Mercedes replied glancing at Quinn to see her reaction.

Quinn eyes widened. "What," she breathed. "How? When?"

"She saw us yesterday. In the kitchen. I thought she was upstairs, but she was still downstairs doing laundry..."

Quinn looked away "How much does she know?"

"Enough..." Mercedes replied, biting her lip bottom lip. "She wants to talk to us tonight. With my dad. She's called a family meeting," Mercedes chuckled lightly.

But Quinn remained stone-faced.

"Quinn?" Mercedes asked, glancing over at her girl again.

"How'd she take it?" Quinn asked meekly.

"Surprisingly well actually," Mercedes replied. "She told me she'd suspected something was up for a while. You know, mother's intuition or something."

Quinn finally looked up at Mercedes and smiled slightly. "We should've known we couldn't lie to Momma"

Mercedes turned to her friend and gave her a warm smile. She slowed down as the light turned to red at the intersection. Mercedes reached over the gearshift and took Quinn's hand in hers. Quinn looked up at her appreciatively. Mercedes could tell that she'd chuckled to make light of the situation when in fact she was actually still terrified.

"Quinn.."

"Yes?"

"It's going to be okay. I promise. Trust me?"

Quinn nodded again, intertwining her fingers with Mercedes'.

She did trust her.

With everything.

"Of course I do," Quinn replied, kissing the back of Mercedes' hand.

"Good," Mercedes grinned. "Don't worry so much, love!"

Quinn smiled at Mercedes, gripping her hand even tighter. It was easy to be strong when Mercedes was by her side. She could do this. She could do anything as long as she had her favorite girl right by her side. Ten minutes later, they pulled up at the Jones' house. Mr. Jones' car wasn't in the driveway yet so they still had some time to prepare themselves for the inevitable meeting. Quinn released a deep cleansing breath as Mercedes got out of the car to help her out.

We are going to do this and everything will be okay, Quinn thought to herself. Just like Mercedes said.

She smiled when Mercedes held out her hand to her. She eagerly took it and hand-in-hand, the girls walked up to the front door.

No matter what happened tonight after they walked through that door, they would have each other. No matter what, they were in this together.

XXXX

That night, Quinn and Mercedes were in the den watching Disney's Mulan, trying to get their minds off of the meeting that was bound to occur any minute now. They were just watching the scene where Fa Mulan threw the arrow down from the giant pole when they heard Diane calling them into the living room.

Mercedes made eye contact with Quinn. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," came her response and Mercedes grabbed her hand in hers as they headed up the stairs, one after the other.

When the two girls made their way into the living room, they found Mr. Jones sitting on couch watching TV. He looked up at the girls, paying special attention to their interlinked fingers, and adjusted his glasses as Mrs. Jones walked into the room. She sat down beside him and gave Mercedes and Quinn a small smile.

"Why don't you two have a seat?" Diane suggested, gesturing to the white loveseat across from Mr. Jones and herself.

Mercedes nodded as she released Quinn's hand and sat down. Quinn was right behind her, taking the spot beside Mercedes. Quinn looked down at her hands, which she had clasped in her lap. They were shaking slightly. She was so nervous. She stole a glance at Mercedes and found that she was making eye contact with her mother. Quinn felt some confidence rise within her as she saw some kind of understanding pass between the women. She adjusted her posture slightly, anxious to assume the type of confidence that Mercedes was exuding.

Mr. Jones cleared his throat. "Mercedes, your mother has brought it to my attention that you have some news that you'd like to share."

Mercedes glanced up at her mother, who nodded reassuringly at her. Swallowing audibly, Mercedes nodded. "Yes Daddy, I do have something I wanted to say..."

She waited for her father's nod and glanced at Quinn. The blonde looked so nervous, but she managed to offer her a tiny smile. Mercedes felt a surge of confidence slowly fill her body as she realized that she was going to say what she needed to say to her father confidently. The beautiful blond in front of her was much too precious to deny. Mercedes returned Quinn's smile before grabbing her hand again and turning toward her father.

"Daddy, I-we.. Quinn and I, we're together. We've only been so for a couple weeks, but I know love her." Mercedes glanced at Quinn again and squeezed her hand slightly as she spoke.

"I told mom earlier that I didn't know how I was going to tell you guys because I didn't know how you guys would react but what I feel for her I've never felt for anyone. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable and Quinn wasn't ready to tell you before but we're ready now. To share the truth. I respect your wishes, whatever they may be Daddy, but this is the gospel truth. Whatever this is between Quinn and I, it's real. I've never felt so happy! I really hope that you can understand. Please say that you do..."

Charles Jones said nothing. He simply looked over at his daughter processing everything that she had just said. For a moment, it seemed as though time stood completely still. He stayed seated in his position for a long moment, garnering an awkward silence in the room. Mr. Jones watched as Quinn shifted uncomfortably in her seat and noticed how anxious Mercedes peered over at him awaiting a response. His wife to his right was also staring at him. He released a breath when his wife took his hand in hers and his expression softened. By this time, Mercedes didn't look so confident anymore and he could see the beginning of tears forming in her eyes.

"Daddy...?" Mercedes called as the tears started to fall.

Her father rose from his seat and held his arms open wide. "Come here, baby girl..."

Mercedes released Quinn's hand and raced into her father's strong arms.

"Shhhh..." he whispered as she sobbed silently. He kissed her hair and out of the corner of his eye beckoned his wife over. Diane Jones rubbed Mercedes' back affectionately and looked over to Quinn who was sitting on the edge of her seat away from the small family, unsure of what action to take. She also had tears in her eyes. Diane held her hand out to Quinn who got up and gladly took it.

Mr. Jones released Mercedes to look her in the eye. "You had absolutely nothing to be afraid of baby girl. Your mother and I love you no matter what. We don't care who you love, as long as you love freely and unconditionally, just the way we raised you."

Mercedes offered her father a small smile as he continued.

"I have seen you grow into a wonderful young woman, so beautiful and confident and if my daughter is confident in who she is as an individual, loves who she is and loves those around her, then I know that I've done my job right."

Mercedes placed her head on her father's chest again, wrapping him into another tight hug as she whispered "Thank you so much for understanding, Daddy"

"Anytime baby girl," came the response.

Mr. Jones released one hand from holding Mercedes and held one out to Quinn. Nervously, his other 'daughter' made her way into his arms. Mr. Jones gave her a tight squeeze and repeated what he had told Mercedes. "Quinn, you had nothing to fear as well. Diane and I, we love you like our own children. Diane and I were never going to kick you out. This is your home now for as long as you need it to be. If romantic love is what you and Mercedes share, then we are willing to accept it. We love you both so very much!"

Quinn said nothing, only nodded as she buried her face in his shoulder. Tears were streaming down her face as closed her eyes tightly. She felt an arm rubbing her back and opened her eyes to see Mrs. Jones offering her a loving smile. She couldn't believe the response that the Joneses had given them. She was sure that they'd react in a completely different manner. She cried because she didn't have to hide anything from these lovely people because they accepted her just as she was. She also shed a tear because she knew in her heart that her family would have taken a different approach to the reveal and she also knew that they'd probably always feel that way. Quinn felt so grateful to have this sanctuary and safe place where she could love and be loved, just the way she was. Her heart hurt as she thought about how things would be when she had to return to her actual family's home. The mere thought made her both angry and miserable. But she smiled because she wasn't with her birth family. She was in the presence of the Jones', the family that had adopted her and the family that she now proudly claimed as her own.

The smallest of smiles graced her lips when Diane and Mercedes stepped closer and engulfed them both into a tight family hug. Quinn opened her arms to receive all three of them. She wrapped her arms around them all as tight as she could, never wanting to let go. These people were her entire world right now and she thought that if she could hold onto this moment for as long as possible, everything in her life would be okay.

XXXX

In the weeks to follow, Mercedes and Quinn pretty much kept their relationship under wraps at McKinley. Quinn still wasn't ready to reveal their relationship status to the school, but she promised Mercedes that she would eventually. On her own time.

After having the conversation with her parents, Mercedes definitely noticed a change in Quinn. Much to her delight, it seemed as though the talk had helped to relieve some of Quinn's long held fears. Although there were now house rules attached to their relationship, like leaving the doors open when they were together and no more late night rendezvous (the only exception being if it were an emergency and Quinn needed help with something related to her pregnancy), Quinn didn't seem to mind too much. Dr. and Mrs. Jones had meant everything they'd said and though they had absolutely no problem with them having a romantic relationship, they still treated them no different from how they would Mercedes' older sister's and brothers' heterosexual relationships. The new rules had obviously made them noticeably upset at first, especially Quinn, but overall they were just happy to have acceptance.

Although they couldn't be as affectionate at school as they were at home, the pair found discreet ways to tease one another. The first change that Mercedes noticed in Quinn was that she was now more openly affectionate in public spaces. They didn't make out or anything, but Quinn no longer glanced away quickly blushing when Mercedes caught her eye. Instead, she held her gaze. Quinn also began to make a habit of standing extra close to Mercedes during group numbers and brushing her body against her just so they could feel each other's heat. In return, Mercedes would write the most suggestive texts to her girlfriend just to see her blush when she read them. When the sexual tension proved to be too much for the pair, Quinn would stare at Mercedes from across the room until she finally took notice and smile subtly, giving her their signal - running her thumb across her lip- which meant that they were to meet in the library for some private time. The secrecy wasn't exactly what Mercedes wanted, but she was still happy to just be with Quinn, who was just as happy to have her.

Quinn still had a copy of the key for the room in the back of the library where she'd previously held the now defunct Celibacy Club meetings. Since news of Quinn's pregnancy got out, the club had since been disbanded and with the exception of Mrs. Munez the librarian, no one really ever came back there anymore.

The room was the prime location for Quinn to put the moves on her girl, especially since they no longer had that opportunity at home.

This particular afternoon, both girls were rather hot and bothered. Partially because Quinn had been giving Mercedes that look she always gave her right before she dove down between her thighs. And partially because Mercedes, under the influence of sexual frustration, had upped the ante on her teasing and took extensive measures to make the lust she felt for her girlfriend known.

She'd worn no bra today just so her hard nipples could rub against Quinn's back when she hugged her from behind. She even copped a feel when she was sure no one was watching in gym and when Quinn finally gave her the look during their final period, she knew she was going to get it.

After school, the pair had gathered their belongings and made their way to the library as fast as they could. When they saw that no one was there, they made a beeline for their spot. Mercedes grabbed Quinn's waist the second she made it through the door and Quinn kicked the door shut. Their tongues engaged in a vicious battle of lust and desire as they'd been denied the opportunity to get dirty for much too long.

Quinn's hands roamed Mercedes' shoulders and soon found their way onto her bountiful breasts. When she got a good hold on them both, she broke their kiss and stared intensely into Mercedes eyes as she breathlessly said, "I've wanted to touch these babies all day."

Mercedes bit her lip and moaned softly as Quinn squeezed both of her nipples through her shirt.

"Did you think it was cute to brush up against me?" Quinn continued, "Braless at that? In front of everyone? Were you trying to get a rise out of me?" Quinn's hazel eyes were dark with lust and her tone, gruff.

Mercedes couldn't think straight. Her chest heaved as Quinn sank her lips onto her neck, pulling the skin there into her lips and leaving what Mercedes was sure to be the biggest love bite she'd ever received from the blonde even though her skin had known so many already.

"I.. I thought you'd like it" Mercedes responded, breathlessly. But she finding it difficult to focus on anything she was saying. The only thing she was distinctly aware of was the pressure of the slow circles Quinn was currently kneading into her center through her thin fabric of her underwear and zebra print leggings.

Mercedes gasped when Quinn softly bit into her neck and she felt her smile against her skin. Looking up from her work, Quinn gazed at Mercedes with bedroom eyes. Mercedes' eyes were drawn to Quinn's kiss swollen lips as she simply whispered, "I loved it".

With that she pressed her lips roughly against her girlfriend, backing her up against the wall and Mercedes' eyes rolled back into her head as Quinn's fingers slipped into her underwear, working her clitoris just the way she liked it. Mercedes moaned softly and wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck, pulling her closer.

Caught up in their lustful haze, the two girls did not realize that a fifth person had been introduced to their secret circle. They were so lost in one another that they had no idea they'd gained an audience.

LOVE IT? HATE IT? REVIEW!

A/N:Aaaand that's the chapter!

I must say that writing the Joneses reactions was my favorite part of this chapter and even though I'm still upset RIB never gave her parents on the show, I'm happy because I get to make them however I perceive them to be and I think they'd be a pretty open minded pair what with Kurt being Mercedes' BFF and housing a pregnant teen they probably knew very little about. The Joneses just seemed like sweet people and based on how open minded and caring Mercedes is, it's not hard to believe that the people who raised her are just the same.

As for the cliffy, I know, I know... I'm evil but y'all knew they couldn't keep it a secret forever, right? The cat is out of the bag! This is about to get interesting... Who do you think saw them? Hmmm...? Any guesses?

Until next time...