"Quinn, the 'friend' was telling her to misbehave so we'd send her away!" Rachel snapped. Quinn had told her to calm down, not get worried about what Beth had told them.
"Rach, it's her imagination. Look I've read about this. Children her age often acquire imaginary friends, especially after traumatic events! And now that Agi is gone, maybe this week of doom will end"
And it did. They sat Beth down and reassured her that they do love her, very much. They also made it clear to her that what 'Agi' was saying about her returning to her mother wouldn't happen. As much as they wished she still had Shelby, that there wasn't anything that they were able to do. She understood.
That evening, they sectioned off a part of the wall that Beth had painted on and painted a picture of the 3 of them on the wall. It was to be the last time that Beth would take a paint brush to anything that wasn't allowed.
###
It snowed the first week of February. Quinn had been walking in from the studio after Rachel kicked her out of the house for blasting Radiohead and refusing to listen to them with her headphones. Why can't Rachel understand that some music just HAS to be listened to out loud?
She stood in the snow for about 10 minutes before she had enough to make a snow ball and then decided to fling it at Beth's bedroom window where Beth and Rachel were currently sitting.
"Beth, focus please" Rachel asked as she waiting for Beth to finish her work sheet. They had been on the same math problems for the last week and Beth's concentration was stuck to the window looking out into the falling snow.
"I wanna go outside" She complained.
"As soon as you finish your work sheet, you can put on your snow stuff and go play outside. I'll even make you hot cocoa when you come in. But until then, turn your head down to the paper in front of you" Rachel said and then turned her head back to her computer. She was on a teachers forum looking for tips on how to be a better 'teacher'.
Her and Quinn were sharing the job of being a teacher to Beth. They had been supplied with books and teaching supplies from The Voice and held 'classes' in Beth's room where a desk and a white board were placed in the corner of her room. They used an overhead projector most of the time though.
Rachel covered Music, math and some simple history, beginners. They had sat down one night and laid down a lesson plan for the girl. It seemed like a lot for such a young child to start on, but both not actually being teachers, they waited to test the waters. And classes were working out well so far.
Quinn covered English and spelling. She also thought Beth how to work her camera so they had begun some photography and Beth showed some interest in Art so they liked to spend time reading about famous artist and then they would each take a shot of 'recreating' a famous painting on Fridays when it was art time. She also covered World Religion (meaning she thought Beth about all Religions, not wanting to force the girl into a religion like she had. So far, Beth was a somewhat non God believer just because she didn't see how it was possible that there was a god if he could be so cruel as to take away her mother).
Rachel did have some trouble keeping Beth's attention sometimes. She knew that there was a great difference between her classes and Quinns. But she guessed it was because Beth and Quinn were one in the same. They thought very alike and were similar in so many ways that Rachel often found herself doing a double take when they would do an action at the same time or have the exact same reaction to things.
That being said, Rachel and Beth had some similarities. Some of Rachel's inherited traits from her mother (that her fathers had pointed out) Beth had also picked up from her time living with Shelby. They both gagged at the thought of orange juice with bits in it, both claiming that it reminded them of expired orange juice that goes chunky. They both had this thing were if they didn't sip the top of a soda can after drinking, they would fidget and be uncomfortable for hours. Quinn found it insanely funny to hold the cans above her head while both shorter girls jumped endlessly in hope to get the cans. It was all fun and games for Quinn until one of them would tickle her side and she'd end up tipping some of the liquid over on her own head.
That was one thing about 3 of them now being in the house. They ganged up on each other a lot (playfully). Quinn and Beth would play jokes on Rachel daily, where as Beth and Rachel would tease and taunt Quinn for a reaction, hourly.
Never did Quinn and Rachel gang up on Beth though. They had both teased her once and that ended in the biggest dramatic fit that they had even seen. Worse than a Rachel/Mercedes/Kurt diva tantrum combined. Worse than a Lima Height Lopez tantrum that would empty an entire McKinley hallway with just the sound of her footsteps walking down the corridor. Worst than a Sue Sylvester range of terror after another budget cut meeting with Figgins.
Beth was another child when she was in a mood. The Fabray face came out and the Puckerman devilishness kicked in and resulted in flipped furniture and broken plates. The only thing that had stopped Beth from breaking a window, was that The Voice had stepped in and called the child out on her behavior over the intercom. She quickly stopped and went so far as insisting that she fill the dishwasher after every meal that week. The girls would have to redo the work that she did after wards though, seeing as she hadn't quiet mastered the art of filling a dishwasher at such a young age.
###
When April came, so did the return of the sun and Agi, the imaginary friend. But this time, Agi decided to behave herself. Quinn liked to sit back and watch Rachel freak out whenever she was about to sit on top of Agi. Beth liked to trick the brunette sometimes just to watch her jump around too.
The day Agi disappeared was May, the morning of Quinn's 21st Birthday. Beth woke Quinn up by pulling open her eyelids.
"Are you awake?" she asked, about to poke Quinn's eyeball with her fingers. Jumping up, Quinn got an eyeball full of Beths finger anyway. Beth ran from the room screaming that she had gotten eyeball juice on her finger. Quinn stumbled out of her room and went flying over the arm of the sofa. When she lifted herself up from the floor, rubbing at her eyeball, she was met with a stack of pancakes with candles on top.
"Blow! Blow! Make a wish!" Beth cheered, pumping her arms in the air and accidentally knocking the plate over into Quinn's lap, luckily after she blew out the flames.
"Oopsies?" Beth said, innocently.
"Oopsies? Oopsies? I don't think that's gonna cut it little girl" Quinn said, standing up and chasing Beth until she caught her in the gym and tackling her to the ground on a yoga mat before smothering the child in kisses and tickles.
###
That night, Quinn took her turn for story time laying on the bottom bunk with Beth laying infront of her as they read through the storybook together.
"And little girl Bell laid down for the night, after a busy day in the forest" Quinn read.
"She cl -closed her eyes and dre- am -t" Beth began.
"Dreamt" Quinn corrected.
"Dreamt of the won -der- ful, wonderful day she had with her new friends. The End"
"The End" Quinn repeated. She shuffled herself out from behind Beth, switched on her night light and then turned off the overhead light.
"Sleepy time baby" Quinn whispered, bending down and kissing her childs forehead. "I'll send Rachel in, in a few minutes. Sweet dreams" she said, pulling back and standing up straight.
About to turn, she was stopped when Beth tugged on her hand. She bent back down to level with her.
"Can.. um... c-can I maybe call you mom?" Beth stuttered out, nervous. Beth had been living with them for a year now and sure they still had moments where Beth reminded the two of them that they were not her mothers, but she really seemed to want this and Quinn was more than happy to accept her request.
"As long as I can call you my baby" Quinn replied, kissing the child's forehead once more before tucking her in and exiting the room. She closed the doors slowly, watching as Beth turned over to face the wall and pulled the covers over her head.
"Hey, she already asleep?" Rachel asked, walking into the room in a towel after having a shower.
"Not yet, but let's leave her sleep. She has a busy day what with all the food she stuffed into that tiny mouth and all the running she did outside after that poor butterfly" Quinn laughed. Beth had literally spent an entire hour chasing a poor butterfly around the garden before it had got the sense to fly back over the wall.
Rachel laughed before going behind the dressing screen and changing for bed. When she came out from behind it, she snuck into Beth's room.
Quinn changed and then sat down on the side of her bed, waiting for Rachel to return. She closed her eyes when she felt the mattress dip and Rachel wrapped her arms around her shoulders before massaging them.
"Beth just called me mommy" She whispered.
"Mmmhmmm" Quinn hummed, relaxed by the feeling of Rachel's fingers.
"Did she finally say it to you?"
"What do you mean finally?" Quinn asked, turning around to face the brunette. Rachel moved around so she was straddling the blondes lap.
"Well, since she got here she's, I think unaware, been calling me mom. But I actually think it might have something to do with my resemblance to Shelby. This time though she called me 'mommy Rachel' so I guess it was purposely"
"You never said"
"You never asked" Rachel smirked, leaning down to press her lips against Quinns.
"Good birthday?"
"Best birthday" Quinn replied, moaning when Rachel slipped her hands under Quinn's tank top.
"Under the covers please, future Mrs. Fabray" Quinn whispered.
"Pfftt I'm keeping my name" Rachel replied.
"Well tonight, you're future Mrs. Fabray because it's my birthday. Covers. Now" Smacking the brunettes butt, Quinn shimmied under the covers, hidden from view of the camera and made love that night to her beautiful fiancee.
###
To celebrate Beths birthday 2 weeks later, they decided to have a movie day filled with movies of Beth's selection. Quinn, surprisingly, was the first to wake. She tip toed to the kitchen and made a start on breakfast. 15 to 20 minutes later, she heard a single pound on the floor. It was Beth after jumping from her top bunk.
"IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!" she heard the child yell. Then she heard Rachel shriek, followed by another loud thump and Rachel swearing under her breathe. A few moments later, after Beth made a quick stop to the bathroom, both girls joined Quinn in the kitchen. Beth attacked Quinn, wrapping her arms around her mothers waist and hugging tight. Rachel walked in rubbing her rear end which a puss on her face.
Beth looked up at her mother and whispered "Mommy felled out of bed" and buried her face in Quinns top to hide the smile from Rachel.
"Happy Birthday baby" Quinn cooed, running her fingers through Beth hair. The golden locks had grown a great amount over the passed year and Beth was allowing neither Rachel nor Quinn to touch it with scissors. Quinn was trying to think of ways to either black mail or bribe the child.
"Junk food and movies today, right?" Beth asked, already trying to sneak candy from the pantry.
"Right" This was the first birthday that Quinn was going to spend with her daughter. It'd been an entire 5 years since she had held her baby in hospital that day. Once a reminder of the choice she made, this day was now a true celebration.
###
WARNING: HARRY POTTER SPOILER! Stop reading this section if you haven't seen, read or know what happens in The Deathly Hallows that you don't want to be spoiled!
"You know what, I think Beth should be our house elf. She's good with carrying stuff around" Quinn laughed, taking the juice box from Beth. Their daughter had quickly ran out to the kitchen and grabbed a drink for herself before they settled down for story time. While out there, Rachel and Quinn had both separately asked for a drink each time Beth had been on her way back. They were messing with her, of course, because she'd made a comment at breakfast about how great it was to be treated like the princess she was.
"House elf, like in Harry Potter?" The young blonde asked, picking up the copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. They had only just finished The Chamber of Secrets where the house elf had been introduced and had watched the movie early that day. Dobby was now Beth's favorite character.
"Yup! And we should change your name to Dobby!" Rachel suggested. Quinn's face dropped. She'd read the last book and had cried. She'd cried when the new pile of books had been delivered, opening the box and finding the final book on the top of the pile. Rachel had held the blonde while she cried for over an hour, mumbling about how her childhood was now over and how she wished that she could take to the internet to mourn with all the other Potter fans.
"Oh Quinn, I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking" Rachel said, pulling Quinn into a hug. Never being much of a fan of movie series (she'd only seen the first one and half of the 3rd) she just didn't really understand Quinn's obsession. But now that herself and Beth were slowly making their way through the books, she was beginning to understand. The spoilers she'd received from Quinn were kind of ruining it for her though.
"Why's mom so upset? Why can't you call me Dobby?"
"DOBBY!" Quinn fell to her knees dramatically and over played her sobbing. An Oscar winning performance, Quinn thought.
"Nevermind her sweetheart. She's just being dramatic because he dies in the end. Okay, into bed you go" Rachel pulled back the covers on Beths bottom bunk so that she could get in, but when her daughter didn't make her way into the bed, Rachel turned around to see what was wrong.
Beth stood, mouth agape and wide eyes, misty with tears. She was frozen and so was Quinn who had stopped her drama and was now looking up at Beth. Rachel now realized her mistake. Maybe telling Beth wasn't a good idea. The child fell into Quinn's body, wrapping her arms around her mothers neck, sobbing.
"Yup, defiantly shouldn't have told her. Maybe Santana was right, maybe I do need a filter. Or else learn to say 'Spoiler alert' before hand" She mumbled to herself, slowly walking past the blubbering messes on the ground and exiting the room.