It was the sound of the fridge slamming a bit too hard that awoke him. Will blinked blindly for a second, looking over to the clock on his bedside and finding it only 3:35 in the morning (a Saturday morning at that). Reaching behind him, he felt around for Quinn, but instead of finding her all he found were still warm sheets and an indentation in the pillow where her head had rested. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes before swinging his feet out of bed and then promptly swinging them back in again.

It was freezing.

The sound of footsteps heading back towards him were a welcome noise, saving him the trouble of having to try to brave the cold again. He watched as Quinn entered the bedroom, a sleeping Grace held against her shoulder and a hot water bottle in her other hand.

"What's going on?" He managed to croak out, his voice a tad bit more rough then he'd imagined it to be. "It's got to be near freezing in here"

"Heats out" Quinn answered as she walked over to the bed and laid Gracie down on it, Will quick to move the comforter and settle the girl close to his side. "Here, put this between the two of you while I get the heated blanket" She handed him the hot bottle before moving quickly over to the closet, digging around for the much needed item.

"We should go over to your place instead of just getting the blanket out" Will suggested as he situated Grace so she got most of the bottle's warmth, amazed once again at how their daughter could sleep through her parents moving her around so, but come awake like lightning if someone else so much as breathed around her.

"Note under the door said it's out though the entire floor. Won't get fixed till tomorrow" Her voice was muffled by the towels she was pressed against, but he got the gist of it.

"Tomorrow as in today or tomorrow as in Sunday?" Quinn stopped what she was doing and thought for a second before sticking her head out to look at Will.

"You know, that's a really good question" He groaned as he fell back into his pillow, Gracie snuggling in closer to her father in her sleep. "Will?" He could hear a smile in Quinn's voice and felt something hit the foot of the bed. Lifting his head, he caught a glimpse of vibrant color and a horn. "What is that?"

"A Rainbow Unicorn Pillow Pet" He answered as his head hit the pillow once more.

"And why was it hidden behind the comforters?" she asked, still grinning, as she pulled out the heated blanket and shut the closet door. "Do you have a secret you'd like to share with the class?"

"It's supposed to be a Christmas present for Gracie... you saw how much she liked those campaign posters Brittany and Kurt made"

"Mmm-hmm... and the fact they aren't with the other hidden gifts makes so much sense" The weight of the extra blanket added some much needed warmth to Will's life. So needed and so appreciated was it that he almost missed the next thing that dropped at his feet. "Explain that one then"

"Lively Lion?" He asked meekly without so much as a look up.

"Or the lamb, whichever" She added as she plugged in the cord and set the blanket to its medium setting. Getting back under the covers, Quinn folded herself around Grace's other side and placed her arm on Will, wanting to be as close to them and the warmth as possible.

"I thought the lion kind of looked like you... in the morning... when you just woke up and your hair is all messed up " He didn't even have to see her face to know her eyebrow was arched and glaring at him. "I mean it as a compliment"

"How is the fact you think I look like a lion in the morning supposed to be any sort of compliment?"

"You know how much I love the Lion King" He got out weakly, Quinn glaring a second more before smiling, moving her hand up to cup Will's cheek.

"And the lamb?"

"Have you seen my hair?" He got out in the middle of a chuckle, Quinn quick to follow. Even in the dark, when he could hardly make out her face, he thought she was gorgeous. Turning his head, he placed a kiss in her palm before looking back at her. "Plus, you were talking about wanting a pet..."

"I hardly think a pillow qualifies Will"

"It isn't just a pillow Sweetheart, it's a Pillow Pet... totally different" The blank stare he got was enough for him to drop the subject and notice a smaller pair of eyes staring up at him. "Well look who we woke up" His voice softened as he took in his daughter, all blurry eyed and relaxed features.

"We were just talking too much for you, weren't we Baby?" Quinn moved her hand from Will and over to Gracie, running her fingers through her blonde locks in a soothing manner. As long as she was kept pretty sedate, the girl has a remarkable ability to fall back asleep with ease, and considering the time and day, it was a fair assumption that everyone in that bed would like to return to sleep fairly soon.

"Bed"

"That's right Princess, you're in bed" Will put his face closer to her as he asked her lowly "What do you do in bed?" Gracie blinked blankly at him for a minute before turning to look at Quinn, who promptly began to mime sleep. "What's Momma doing Gracie?"

"S'eep"

"Very good Gracie... now, don't you wanna go back to sleep like Momma?" Will gestured to Quinn, although he didn't really need to as Gracie's eyes were still locked on her mother's sleeping face. The girl kept staring for a second before looking over at him with droopy eyes.

"S'eep"

"Yeah Baby, sleep... you know you want some more, don't ya?" The little girl's eyes fluttered a few times before finally stilling. As her breathing evened out and shallowed, Quinn opened her eyes slowly, smiling once she saw Gracie asleep.

"She's just freakin' gorgeous" Quinn whispered, not wanting to wake the toddler up again.

"I know" Will agreed, settling back into his pillow while still watching his two girls. "She's just like you" The comment came without a hint of cheesiness or humor behind it, just a simple statement of what Will considered to be a fact. The lazy smile he receives from Quinn strikes him as remarkably intimate, and he wonders again how he could have ever tried to leave this, to break up this unit that, for better or for worse, is his family.

"You know, if you still want those to be Christmas presents, you're gonna have to move them before you go back to sleep. You know she'll wake up before us" Will groaned at just the idea of leaving the warm cocoon he was now in. He briefly considered asking Quinn if she would do it but a stern look told him that was completely out of the question.

"Screw it, her shrieks of joy can be our alarm clock"

"Great to know your paternal instincts can be easily overwhelmed by the cold. When the snow starts up I'll make sure to find a back up Dad for cold-related emergencies" Will smirked as he turned his head to look across the pillows at Quinn, her eyes closed but her lips turned up.

"Tell Puck Hello for me then"

"Oh, I will" The seriousness in her voice got to him for second, and he's old insecurities immediately started to play in his head, but Quinn's gentle laughter stopped him, and before long he felt her fingers carding through his hair. "Stop worrying and go to sleep Will. You know you're it for me"

It was taking him quite awhile, but he was slowly starting to believe that he really was.