A.N: This one has both angst and fluff. I'm not all to familiar with the legal system but I'm pretty sure Quinn couldn't just hand Beth over without Puck's consent so I hope this is as realistic as possible
Prompt: Quinn dies in childbirth. Before she dies she asks Mercedes to take care of the baby for her. Scared as she is Mercedes accepts which really pisses Puck off because it's his daughter and he wanted custody. Mercedes accepts and takes custody of Beth. But Mercedes isn't heartless and offers to let Puck visit baby Beth whenever he wants. The two slowly start to connect in ways Puck never thought possible. It doesn't have to end with the two in a relationship but it's preferred.
Complications, such a simple word. You never think it'll hold much weight, but when you're in a hospital it's the worst words you can hear, followed by I'm sorry and it's enough to bring the strongest person to their knees. Beth Fabray-Jones-Puckerman was born on April 17, her mother, Quinn Fabray died on April 18 because of complications from childbirth.
Angelina Jones held her daughter while painful sobs racked her body.
"Shh, Shh baby I know, I know."
"I can't-I-and she-then they-they wouldn't…"she choked out then fell into more sobs.
"Hon, you know Quinn signed a DNR, they couldn't do anything. You're gonna make yourself sick crying like this, and where's your sweater you're gonna catch a cold."
"It doesn't matter." She said shaking her head
"Yes it does."
"It doesn't. What do I have care if I have a cold? I hope I get pneumonia so I can be with Quinn."
"What about your family and friends?"
"What friends?" she grumbled
"Seriously? Kurt, Tina and Artie visit the house almost every hour on the hour, some girls named Rachel, Santana and Brittany keep calling along with some boys named Finn, Mike and Matt. Noah is out there, haven't you two been helping each other out?"
"I mean, yeah, until…"
"Until Quinn gave Beth to you, Mercy I know it's scary and new but you're that baby's mama now."
"No, I'm a baby I can't raise a baby, certainly not any better than Quinn could."
"No, you're not a baby anymore. I've watched you grow up so beautifully before my eyes these past few months, Quinn knew what she was doing."
"She tricked me, she guilted me into signing those damn papers."
"No she didn't, she was perfectly clear with her decision. Her being on the brink had nothing to do with it. She entrusted the person she trusted the most in this world with her most precious and prized possession, her child, her biggest achievement. She chose you because she knows you can do this, just like I know you can do this. Noah signed those papers because he knew even if you had no idea this would happen, you're better prepared to care for a baby. You're not alone, you have me and your dad, and all your glee friends and Noah and Mr. Schuester, you got this sweetie, you have to. You have no choice, you signed the papers. And with Quinn's last breath she breathed her strength into you, her motherly instinct, not that you don't already have a fierce maternal protectiveness, plus knowing Kurt that baby's gonna be the most fashion savvy one in Ohio." Mercedes smiled and hugged her mom crying silently
"I miss her already, mom" She said.
"Mama!" she heard, she snapped out her thoughts just in time to slam on the breaks and avoid another cars' bumper, she swiveled around quickly to look at her daughter
"Are you okay? Are you hurt sweetie?" She said looking her over,
"I'm fine, you're silly mama." She said giggled. Mercedes laughed relieved,
"Yeah, mama is silly isn't she?" she nodded happily, Mercedes pulled over to collect herself, it happened every time this time of year, it'd been 4 years since Beth's birth and tomorrow would mark four years since Quinn's death. It felt like a forever ago, like it was a whole other lifetime and it was. Everyone in glee graduated and thankfully there were no Lima losers among the group. Mercedes lived in NY, it was a dream come true. People thought she couldn't do it because they saw Beth as a disability but if anything being the little girl's mom just pushed her resolve to give her a better life than a Lima loser stronger. She graduated from WMHS as salutatorian, Artie was valedictorian. She was accepted to Julliard and that's where she still went to school with Rachel, Kurt and Mike. Noah goes to ITT Tech they'd all gotten scholarships and they worked hard for them. Santana went to Harvard, Brittany went to a college in California on a dance scholarship, Matt and Artie got med scholarships at a school close by to Brittany's. Finn went to Dartmouth, none of the gleeks believed him when he told them, but Tina was a really good influence on him and not just academically. Now they were all meeting at me and Noah's apartment for a surprise party for Beth, Noah thought it was stupid and she wasn't gonna get the concept anyway but she wanted to do something special.
"Mama, dat powice (police) officer is looking at you all funny." She looked and he was waving her forward, she sent him a signal that she understood. And she continued driving, she stopped at the entrance for Central Park wanting to keep Beth busy until the party, as soon as she got out the car she was ready to bolt and scare a flock of birds eating bread,
"Beth." She said firmly the girl ran back holding her mom's hand, they strolled through the park until they got to the playground.
"Okay, remember stay where I can see you, and if anything happens just scream okay, I'll be right there."
"Okay mama."
"Go ahead." She ran into the playground, almost immediately she had a little friend to play with. Mercedes sat on the bench texted Rachel her location and then started thinking, she watched Beth for a little while thinking, what would her life be like without Beth? She didn't even wanna think it. She still remembered crystal clear when Quinn had given her to her.
Mercedes and Puck walked slowly into Quinn's room weary of what she was gonna tell them. She was laying in bed on her side, a nurse left something on the bedside table in a manila envelope.
"Good you guys are here, close the door." She said weakly, they took a seat beside her.
"I don't have much time left."
"Don't, don't say that Q." Puck said meekly
"I don't Puck, there's something I want before I die. I had the nurse write a letter for me and I signed it and there's only one thing left to do. The papers in the envelope, I already signed them. They're parental rights forms; I signed my parental rights over to you, Mercedes."
"What!" Both the other occupants exclaimed, a nurse passing by popped her head in
"Is everything okay in here?"
"Yes." Quinn replied, the nurse looked unsure but nodded and walked out
"Quinn, that's my daughter. If anyone gets her, it sure as hell should be me, not Mercedes." He spit out seething.
"Puck, please just sign the papers."
"I'm not signing a damn thing."
"Noah, if only to honor my final wish. Of course you'll still be her dad, you can see her whenever you want, but Mercedes will take care of the important stuff. There is no doubt in my mind that you have grown so much since you found out but how do I rest in peace if I'm worried that Beth is gonna be alone because you go to jail for doing something reckless. There's still room for you to grow, that stunt with Vocal Adrenaline's tires shows me that, I can't have Beth in your care while you're doing that growing, she needs stability. Mercedes can provide that. Just please, if you love Beth like you say, sign over your rights." Puck angrily grabbed the paper almost ripping it signed where he was supposed to and stormed out of the room. Mercedes looked at Quinn in shock and disbelief
"Quinn, this is big, You're not leaving me your book collection, you're leaving me your child. How, I can't."
"Yes, you can."
"No." she paced the room
"Mercedes, I believe in you. Beth needs a mom, you're the only person I trust with this. Please do this for me; I'm begging you to do this." Tears were falling down her face, her skin was sickly pale and her hair feel limply down she looked horrible but still managed to look beautiful. Mercedes walked over and sat at her side, she caressed her cheek
"Why me?"
"You're my sister, I love you, and I know you'll love Beth enough for the both of us. I know it'll be hard, and people will talk and not just about the sixteen year old thing, but the race thing but I know you'll explain everything to her, you are gonna be such a good mom. Just do me a favor and make sure she knows who I am."
"She will, I will make sure she knows exactly who you are and just how much you loved her and wanted her." She reached for the papers,
"Where do I sign?" she signed the paper and laid on the bed entangling herself with Quinn
"What do you think of Beth Fabray-Puckerman-Jones?" Mercedes asks
"I think Beth Fabray-Jones-Puckerman sound better actually."
"How long do you think she'll hate me for the three last names thing?"
"I think it'll be mostly as a rebellious teenager but she'll get over it, though it'll come back up when she gets married, I doubt she'll want four last names." They said joking
The last 20 minutes of Quinn's life is spent with Mercedes and Beth after which she started going into v-fib.
"Quinn! Quinn! Help!" A couple nurses and a doctor ran in but they just stared at Quinn dying and did nothing.
"Why aren't you helping her? She's dying, help!"
"We can't miss, I'm sorry."
"What are you talking about?"
"Ms. Fabray signed a DNR, it's a—",
"I know what a DNR is, I don't care she's my sister you have to help." Quinn flat lined, Mercedes ran over and started trying to resuscitate her, security came in and restrained her, until they were absolutely certain Quinn was beyond help, they let her go and she crumpled to the floor, sobbing.
Mercedes scrubbed her face tiredly, it always drained her to think of these things, but she never stopped. Noah always says she was a masochist when it came to this, she didn't notice any tears until a woman stopped and asked if she was okay.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." She said sniffling, wiping the tears. She looked for Beth and saw her with a man by her, maternal instinct instinctively kicked in,
"Beth?" she called, the girl looked up and so did the man thankfully it was just Mike,
"Hey Mike."
"Hey 'Cedes, I saw you over there and I could tell by the look on your face you were thinking of her so I decided to just come over here and play with Beth instead. I know it's hard for you guys this time of year, so…"
"No, yeah, I mean thanks Mike. It was so stupid of me to just zone like that something could've happened to her, anyway did Rachel send you?"
"Yeah, she says they're ready and you should bring her now."
"Alright, I'll follow your car. Come baby." She said lifting Beth up and setting her on her hip, she turned following Mike while Beth turned to wave goodbye to her friend enthusiastically. When they got there Beth was distracted, listening to her Mom's iPod, when they got upstairs she didn't even notice the pink balloons as soon as they got inside, everyone pooped out screaming surprise. Beth screamed frightened, she was frozen for 3 seconds and then burst out in tears everyone looked remorseful and regretful,
"See I told you. Surprise party, bad idea." Noah said rushing towards a bawling and frightened Beth
"Rachel, take over." Mercedes said while they went to the back with her. They walked into the bathroom
"Why do you never listen to me when it's obvious I have the superior mind?" he asks doing a little jig to calm her down, Mercedes turns from the sink where she's wetting a paper towel to look at him like he's grown two heads,
"Do we need to go over just how your 'superior mind' ended up shattering the coffee table?"
"It's was glass, tempered glass but still glass." She shakes her head, smiling fondly. He smiles at her before reaching over and kissing her tenderly on the lips, she reciprocated the sweet kiss immediately,
"Ew!" they heard and pulled away laughing,
"What's so ew about it when you love me kissing you, like this?" Noah said then set about covering her in millions of kisses
"Daddy stop it." She exclaimed giggling, Mercedes cleaned her face of the sticky tears.
"You ready to party now, feeling better from daddy's magical kisses?"
"Yeah, I want cake and ice cream."
"Gotta blow out the candles first big girl, come on." They walked out and watched her eyes light up at the sight of the cake there was a picture of Dora the Explorer and Diego, her current obsessions.
"Okay honey, we're gonna sing and then you blow out the candles. 1, 2, 3." Noah said
To say Puck was angry was an understatement, it'd be 2 months since Quinn died and he was still royally pissed, he hadn't been by Mercedes' to see Beth in 1 month and three weeks, it was hard to see her, the baby looked just like Quinn except with his brown hair and eyes, and nothing like Mercedes because Mercedes wasn't her mother yet there she was playing house with his kid. Admittedly, his anger isn't really justified, he signed the papers because he loved Quinn or at the very least cared a lot about her, he was sad she was gone and wouldn't see Beth grow up and take all her firsts and get married and one day have grandkids. He was hurt mostly that she thought Mercedes, who had no intention of being anything more than Beth's godmother, could do better than him he was Beth's father he should be taking care of her but instead Mercedes got to be there everyday doing the important stuff, feeding her, changing her, bathing her, taking her to check ups, she came back to school after 2 weeks, she looked bone tired but she still pushed through and did her school work and belted out her amazing voice in glee she made it seem effortless but he could see it wearing her down. Dealing with her obvious grief over Quinn, while taking care of a baby and keeping her grades up in school and being in glee having to dance and sing and belt out those powerhouse notes. And for the reasons that he wouldn't prove Quinn right about him being a deadbeat, that Beth was his daughter and he had a right to see her and that he knew her parents were away was the reason Puck was standing outside Mercedes' door at 1:37 am, waiting for her to open. When she did she had black circles under her red eyes, she was sniffling, she'd been crying.
"What do you want? It's 1 in the morning."
"I wanted to see Beth."
"Couldn't you do that the other million and one times I offered and preferably not this early?"
"Not like you were sleeping." A stray tear fell from her eye he stared at it; she didn't bother to wipe it.
"Beth is sleeping." She was about to close the door but decided not to
"But you can come in if you want." He came in, he felt uncomfortable, she was standing so calmly but she was crying more and more tears falling and she just went about her business like she wasn't. She led him upstairs to what he thought was her room, in a crib laid Beth on her stomach,
"She's bigger than when I last saw her."
"Well last you saw she was week old, if she wasn't bigger by now I'd be rushing her to the hospital, she's two months old in case you forgot." Tears were evident in her voice.
"Is she the reason you're crying? Because…"
"You'd like that, wouldn't you? For me to breakdown and say it's too hard and just hand her over. I'm just fine actually and she doesn't like strangers, she doesn't know you or any of your family she'd just cry over there and you'd call me anyway." She snarked, pushing him out of the room in case things got too rowdy so as not to wake Beth, they went back downstairs and into the kitchen
"Hey, you offered that I could have my daughter whenever I want. And another thing stop crying, what right do you have to cry anyway?" She picked the knife she was using to chop up some fruit
"I said you could see her and you haven't been, Quinn died Puck, she's gone, understand that? I'm that little girl's mom now and you're her father, her dead beat father who hasn't seen her since she was a week old. My parents help, everyone in Glee helps, but you know what? It boils down to me. I'm the person responsible for her well being, and I'm scared." She said, sobbing between words,
"I don't sleep, and you think it's because of Beth? No, she's not a colicky baby, I can't sleep because I'm constantly going back to her room to make sure she's still breathing, I had to move her to my room just to make it more convenient. I'm terrified of failing Quinn and of Beth hating me when she grows up because I'm obviously not her real mom and I let Quinn die, I don't need your self righteous bullshit or your 'I'm sorrys' or your fucking sympathy, okay? I could use a little help from her father. Why don't you do that? Be her dad for once Noah. Ow, damn it." She said as the knife cut her hand blood started pouring out of the cut.
"Crap, come here." He quickly ran her over to the sink washing her hand and wrapping in a cloth. He brought her over to the couch,
"It's not deep you should be good." She looked at her hand detached, by this time her crying was silent again.
"I'm sorry I haven't been there okay. It's hard looking at her, she looks just like Quinn and I couldn't deal and I was angry. It was stupid, I guess Quinn did make the right choice, I've been taking my anger out on Beth, and you've been getting over everything you're feeling to care for a baby that isn't even yours."
"I love Beth, there's no way I could stop now, while I feel like someone is gonna come take her from me and that terrifies me I feel like I shouldn't be playing mommy to her, Rachel would be better than me."
"You really want another Rachel running around here? I can barely tolerate her at least I get along with you, Jones. I promise I'm gonna there from now on." He said hugging her, she nodded but she didn't fully believe him.
Beth puffed her cheeks for the fourth time and blew hard the candle wouldn't blow out. She pouted crossing her arms.
"Mama it won't blow out." She complained
"Seriously Puck? Faulty candles? Nice, she's four years old." Santana said, taking the candle and putting it out, Beth cut the cake with Kurt's help and he was rewarded with a face full of icing.
"Why thank you darling, I'm gonna have to do an extra hour of face exfoliating." He said
"Like you're mad about it." Kurt's boyfriend Blaine said adoringly, they met him at Julliard and they hit it off right away. People started getting pieces of cake, while we gleeks caught up with each other,
"Who's Blondie with the mouth that looks like he could stuff like 20 golf balls in there?" Artie asked, Santana glared, motioning the boy over
"Guys this is Sam, my boyfriend, Sam my trouty mouthed love, this is Rachel and Mike, Tina and Finn, Brittany and Artie, Mercedes and Puck, Kurt and Blaine and Matt and super short chick I've never seen before." Matt rolled his eyes,
"Guys this is a friend of mine, Sunshine." She waved at everyone, the party winded down, and no one but the gleeks were left. Mercedes felt good surrounded by familiar friends, Brittany sat in Artie's lap socializing with Santana and Sam, Matt and Sunshine was talking to Rachel and Mike who were cuddled up on the couch, Kurt and Blaine were helping Mercedes clean up with Finn and Tina, when someone whispered in her ear.
"Wanna help me tuck her in?" Puck whispered she nodded. When they got in the room Beth was at her book shelf looking for a book,
"Chose one yet babe?" Mercedes asked. She chose "The Little Mermaid"; they tucked her into bed sitting on either side of the bed,
"Okay who do you want to read this time? Me or mommy?"
"You, daddy."
"Alright," he opened the book and began to read, she was dozing off when she stopped him
"Wait, mama I found something in the bathroom."
"What is it sweetie?" she opened her drawer and Mercedes felt Puck stiffen beside her and she froze because in Beth's little porcelain hand was a beautiful silver diamond ring with 2 smaller diamonds next to a bigger one, she held it out with an innocent smile on her face to Mercedes,
"Its pwetty, like you mama." She said sweetly, Mercedes nodded with tears in her eyes
"Yeah, thank you sweetie." She says taking it from her, Beth frowned
"Why are you sad mama?"
"I'm not sad baby."
"But you're crying." She said sitting up and crawling into her lap, she held her tightly before kissing her forehead,
"Sometimes people cry when their super, super happy." She says looking over to Puck hoping he got the message,
"Alright, time for bed." Noah said tucking her back in. She kissed Noah and then me
"Good night daddy, good night mommy." She picked up the picture of Quinn next to her bedside and kissed it,
"Good night mama Quinn." She said before cuddling into the sheets with her favorite stuffed rabbit, they turned off the lamped and flicked on her nightlight keeping the door cracked as they stopped in the hall to talk in private
"When were you gonna show me this?" She asked looking at the ring in awe
"It was my grandma's, I've had it forever, I was gonna take you out and do this but since Beth spilled the beans I guess I'll just do it now, if you don't mind?" She nodded, and gave him back the ring, he got on one knee and even though she knew what he was gonna do she still gasped,
"Mercedes Antoinette Jones, I promise to love you in the good times and the bad times. I'll be there for you no matter what, I'll love you forever as my wife and the mother of my child, hopefully soon we'll have our own children. Will you marry me?" She sobbed, and nodded vehemently
"Yes, yes, yes, yes. I'll marry you." He slipped it on, it was a perfect fit and he immediately got up and kissed her passionately on the lips. They could hear applause and when they looked up the glee club was cheering, Rachel, Tina, Sunshine and Brittany squealed and ran to admire the ring, while the guys minus Kurt congratulated Puck with slaps on the back and manly hugs, Santana and Kurt were making plans to make her Puck's best woman to counterpart with his self proclaimed spot of him being Mercedes' man of honor. Mercedes looked to the sky and whispered a thank you to Quinn for looking out for all of them, and making sure her family got through everything, no matter what, unscathed.