A/N: I wanted to hold off and not post this too quickly, but once I finish a chapter I get too antsy and have to post it, so here you go! Thanks for the input via review, PMs, etc. I hope you guys like the name and enjoy this chapter.

A/N 2: I'll be away for the weekend celebrating my birthday, but I'll have a chapter up again sometime afterward. I hope you all have fabulous weekends!

SANTANA

I call my parents as we leave the bathroom and start leading Quinn out of the building. My parents are out to the parking lot before we are, and the car is waiting when we make it out there. Quinn's mother is buzzing around like an irritating insect as we walk. Once I've loaded Q in the car, I turn to Judy, ready to speak my mind. My own mother puts a hand on my arm and inclines her head towards the car, indicating I should shut my mouth and get in. I roll my eyes and climb in next to Quinn while my mother addresses the problem.

"Judy, the car is a bit full, but if you'd like to follow us, we're headed to Lima General."

"She's my daughter, Maribel. I should take her. And why Lima General instead of St. Charles?"

Mom glances down at Quinn and me, we're both watching and listening to this conversation. She reaches out and closes the car door. Quinn squeezes my hand as another contraction hits, and I soothe her as I watch the now-silent showdown between our moms.

My mother is pointing at Judy, her face taut and her eyes furious. I can tell she's giving Q's mom the business and that she has lost any restraint at this point. With one final, punctuated point of her finger, Mom turns and gets in the car.

"How are we doing, girls?"

I look at Quinn, breathing deeply with her eyes closed, and decide to answer for her.

"Her contractions seem to be getting stronger."

My father jumps in as he pulls the car out of the parking lot.

"How far apart are they?"

"Maybe 15 minutes," Quinn answers.

"Okay, honey, well I hate to break it to you, but this is very early on, especially since it's your first child. Your doctor is waiting at General, but we can go to a more local hospital if you would feel more comfortable."

"No, we can go to Lima, but what about Britt and Puck? How will they get back?"

"Your mother is going to drive them," Mom says, her voice flat.

I look at Quinn, who raises a sardonic eyebrow.

"Puck and my mom in the same car? Awkwaaaard."

"Does your mom even know that Puck is the real father?" I ask without thinking.

Quinn's mouth makes a little "o" as she realizes that, most likely, Judy has no idea. They kicked her out when Finn still thought he was the father.

Quinn starts to laugh hysterically and I study her nervously.

"What's so funny?"

"Excuse my language, but this pregnancy has been so incredibly fucked up."

My parents burst out laughing along with her and I can't help but join in.

I hope you're ready for the craziness that awaits you outside that warm home of yours, DJ.

I feel helpless, watching the contractions come and go. It's been about three hours, and Quinn has steadily progressed to the point that her contractions are really painful. Dad keeps saying how much quicker she is moving along than a normal first pregnancy, and how it'll be over sooner rather than later. I can't even imagine how I would deal with this if I had to watch it for hours longer than I already have.

Quinn has been a trooper though, taking wave after wave with gritted teeth and then immediately pasting on a smile to throw in my direction when they pass. I'm pretty sure she's only smiling to reassure me, because her eyes stay uncomfortably scrunched despite her tight grin. Without any other recourse, I just smile back and continue to hold her hand.

I would very much like to kiss her, but her stupid ass mother is flitting around making a constant fuss over Q as if that will help the pain at all. The room is overcrowded with Britt and Puck, my parents, Judgmental Judy, me, and Quinn. Dad leaves after a bit, since he's actually on shift tonight, only coming in to check on us when he has a free moment.

"Mom?" Quinn says, looking at my mother as another contraction ends.

"Yes, honey?"

Both of our mothers answer her and a long uncomfortable silence follows.

"Oh. Uhh…I meant Mrs. L," Q says quietly, her eyes on her lap.

Judy doesn't say anything, just looks awkwardly at Quinn and then my mom before she nods and steps away from the bed.

"What is it, mija?" Mom asks as she steps to the spot Judy just vacated.

"How many people can be here for the delivery?" It's barely a whisper.

"Usually two or three, but I'm sure we can work something out if you'd like more," my mother says, searching Quinn's eyes for what she wants.

"No, uh, could it just be you and Santana and Puck? I'm feeling a little overwhelmed as it is, I don't think it'll be any better when it's actually time."

Mom is leaning in to be able to hear the soft murmur coming from my girlfriend. Quinn looks so apologetic and conflicted that I want to punch Judy in the face. Of course she would show up on this day, of all the days she could have made a sudden return to her daughter's life.

"Of course, honey. Whatever you want."

Quinn sucks in a sharp breath and snaps her eyes shut as another contraction hits her. My hand is captured in her vice grip and I squeeze back, standing to speak in her ear encouragingly.

"Okay baby, keep breathing, you got this...You're doing great Quinn, don't forget to breathe...Atta girl, almost there...Hang in there, it's almost over."

She leans back into the hospital bed as the contraction passes and gives me another grimace/smile.

"That really sucked," she whispers to me with a little laugh.

I smile and laugh with her.

"I bet."

I glance up and see Judy studying us, a question mark on her face. She's putting this together, or at least trying to. I sigh and look away. I don't know what to do about it, since I'm unwilling to leave Quinn's side at this point just for appearances.

I look at Quinn and realize she has followed my gaze to her mother. She looks back at me and takes in my uncertainty. Her expression changes into one of resolve.

"Can I have a moment alone with Santana and my mother, please?"

Puck, Brittany, and my mother quickly agree and move out of the room. Judy moves closer to the bed. My gut clenches violently. I'm uncertain of Quinn's intentions, but I'm pretty sure I know where this is going.

Quinn takes a deep breath and looks up at her mother.

"Santana has been by my side through this entire thing, Mom. If you want to be a part of my life then you might as well know that Santana is my girlfriend. We've been dating pretty much since you kicked me out. I am absolutely in love with her, and we're going to raise this baby together. So as long as you're okay with that, we might be able to make this work after today."

Judy looks shocked, almost afraid, as my and Quinn's eyes study her. For the briefest of moments, I feel bad for her. She came to make amends and now she's finding that she's been replaced, and that her daughter is dating a girl. My stomach flips in the tense moment that follows, not wanting to see Quinn experience yet another rejection from a parent.

"Quinnie…"

Judy looks at me for a second and then back to her daughter, almost an exact mirror of Quinn's resolve setting into her features.

"As long as you're happy, I'm glad you've found someone."

Her words run over and through me. Disbelief courses in my veins.

No way had that just gone over so easily. No way was she accepting this.

Quinn looks as incredulous as I do, but tries to smile when another contraction comes and she grips my hand tightly.

"Breathe Q, keep breathing."

I glance up at Judy, who is watching us with rapt attention, and decide I don't need to keep my voice low or watch my word choice for her anymore.

"Good job, baby. Almost there now. Breathe."

Quinn pants from the strain of the contraction, leaning forward. I rub her back with my free hand and keep up my mantra of encouragement until it finally passes.

Once again, Q takes a deep breath and addresses her mother.

"Okay then! Can you go let the others back in?"

Judy smiles and nods, then steps off to do her daughter's bidding.

Tired hazel eyes find mine and I tilt my head to the side, an apology on my face. I'd do anything to stop the pain. I know she knows that when she purses her lips at me in a silent request. I give her a little smile and lean over to kiss her lips lightly before kissing her forehead as well.

"I love you," I murmur in her ear, "You're my hero."

Quinn laughs her breathy laugh and rolls her eyes at me.

"I love you, too."

We rest our foreheads together, oblivious to everyone around us until the doctor comes in to check her progress.

I'm completely floored when she announces that it's almost time to start pushing.

Puck and my mom are pulled out to wash up and get their scrubs on. I don't know if Mom spoke to her about it, but Judy thankfully takes the hint and kisses Quinn before leaving, promising to be right outside. She pauses before she leaves and then grabs me in a quick hug, giving me a short nod before heading out.

Brittany comes over and holds Quinn's other hand while another she suffers through another contraction, then leans in to give my tired girlfriend a hug after it has passed.

"She's going to be amazing. I can't wait to meet her," Britt tells us both with a smile, and then to Quinn, "Love you, Q! Be as tough as woodpecker lips!"

Quinn and I shake our heads as Britt practically dances out of the room. I hand Q off to Puck and Mom to hurriedly get into my scrubs as well. This all feels surreal, but I'm so ready to meet this kid.

When I walk back in, Puck immediately surrenders his spot.

"Listen Puckerman, I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but if you move past where I'm standing, I will literally beat you to death. Don't be trying to sneak a peek at the miracle of childbirth. You follow me? Besides, I'm pretty sure the last thing you want is for Quinn to catch sight of you during this."

My voice is light with humor, but my eyes are deadly serious. Puck's eyes widen and he nods emphatically. Quinn actually laughs, and I fight the smile that causes my lips to twitch upwards.

"Seriously Santana, I'd like to eventually look at lady parts and not see a horror movie. I'll be standing as far from that as I can possibly get."

I actually do laugh at that, along with everyone else. It's a nice moment of levity as the doctors start wheeling all sorts of stuff in the room and adjusting Quinn's bed, her legs getting propped up in stirrups.

I focus on the beautiful face in front of me as she rides out another contraction.

"Ugh, it hurts so BAD!"

"I know, baby. We're almost there. She'll be here soon," I tell her, my heart filling with concern. I don't want her to hurt.

"Okay, Quinn, we're going to need you to start pushing on the next contraction. Are you ready?" the doctor asks, looking up from between my girlfriend's legs.

Quinn nods and then looks into my eyes, her fear suddenly palpable. She leans up and kisses me solidly, taking me completely off guard, and then her face changes back into the resolute, determined look she wears so well.

QUINN

This is the worst fucking thing ever.

Oh my God.

Shit, shit, shit.

I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL NOAH PUCKERMAN.

OW OW OW OW!

Breathe, breathe, breathe.

Look at Santana, look at Santana.

"You're doing great baby, you can do this!"

Oh GOD.

SHIT, OW, FUCK THIS HURTS.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!"

THIS IS THE WORST FUCKING THING EVER.

Oh my GOD.

Shit, shit, SHIT.

FUCKING NOAH PUCKERMAN.

OW OW OW OWWWWWW.

Breathe, I've got to breathe, oh my God they want me to push again.

No. No way.

SHIT, OW, FUCK THIS HURTS.

SANTANA

With one last mighty push, Quinn lets out a harsh grunt that seems to magically turn into an infant's cry.

I feel like jello, my entire body weakening at the very sound of that little girl crying.

She's here. It's over.

I look at Quinn. She's clearly exhausted, and yet her eyes seek out the source of those cries. My own eyes follow her gaze as the doc holds up a messy, squirming little baby.

"Congratulations, momma! You've got a healthy little girl!"

My lip quivers and I feel the tears start to fall down my face as a nurse takes the baby and starts cleaning her off. I lean in to give Quinn a shaky kiss, her whole body trembling after the tremendous effort she just put forth to bring DJ into the world. Puck leans down to kiss the top of Quinn's head and my cheek, wrapping an arm around my neck and leaning his forehead on my shoulder. I can feel him shake with small sobs. My mother grins ear to ear, her hand rubbing Q's arm gently.

I suck in a short breath when they put this beautiful, pink, crying baby girl in Quinn's arms.

She's perfect.

QUINN

I'm finally holding my daughter. After all of the drama and the craziness, the nearly 9 months of carrying her, of being afraid of her, she's here. And oh myGod, she's amazing.

I can't stop kissing her tiny little head every few minutes. She's just so precious and…tiny. I actually can't believe how tiny she is, considering how freaking much it hurt to get her out of there.

Santana is sitting next to me, watching us both, a continuous stream of tears falling down her face. I peel my eyes away from our little girl to look at San and give her an ecstatic smile. She immediately leans in to kiss me and then kiss DJ's forehead.

Puck is standing right behind Santana, no fewer tears on his cheeks than on hers. The two of them are almost as cute as the little peanut in my arms.

"We still need to name her," I say to San and Puck, smiling when they give each other a look of mock terror.

SANTANA

Quinn is finally resting, sleeping hard after the exhaustion of the day. I'm sitting with our pretty little girl in my arms, studying her.

So far, she's totally Quinn. It's incredible. She has these light tufts of hair, and her skin is the same alabaster as her beautiful mother's. I run the back of my finger along her soft, chubby little cheek.

It's hard to believe she's finally here after all this time. I snuggle her a little closer and place a gentle kiss on the top of her head, and then carefully hand her off to her dad.

Puck holds her like he's cradling the most important football he's ever held. His big, sure hands support her tiny body against his chest, and his head is dipped to look at her face.

I've already heard from the Glee kids, but I can't bring myself to even feel the sting of failure with the happiness of today surrounding me. For their part, they've all been extremely supportive, promising to come by tomorrow during visiting hours and sending super pumped texts in response to the one I sent out announcing a healthy baby girl with the cutest picture imaginable.

Quinn stirs and lifts her head suddenly to look at me and Puck.

"You want her back?" Puck offers immediately in a loud whisper.

"No, you can hold her a little bit longer. I just needed to see her, I think."

I smile and walk to my girlfriend's side. She scoots over on her bed and pats the empty space, and I immediately climb onto the bed next to her. Quinn snuggles her head on my chest as I wrap my arm around her and pull her close.

"How are you feeling, pretty lady?"

"So tired. So happy. She's beautiful."

"Well yeah, she looks just like you. You did good, babe. She's amazing."

Quinn tilts her head back and kisses my chin.

"Thanks, love. Couldn't have done it without you."

QUINN

My pretty baby girl stayed with us all night, rotating between my arms, Puck's, and Santana's. I think Papa Lopez even snuck in at one point to hold her. Having my baby where he works has definitely had its perks. Visiting hours and rules haven't really applied to me, so I'm surrounded by my favorite people whenever I want.

Hence why Brittany is here, holding my little bundle of joy in her arms. My whole body bursts with happiness looking at them. Brittany is softly cooing to her and smiling at the grunts and little whines she gets in response every now and then.

Not for the first time, Britt has come through in a pinch, arriving shortly after I called her to relieve San and Puck of Quinn-watching and baby-holding duties. They've been almost annoyingly vigilant in their caretaking, always hovering nearby in case I need something. It's adorable, but seeing them both dead on their feet told me I needed to intervene before they fell asleep standing up. B stepped up like a champ, arriving with a flourish and a gigantic "I'm an AUNT" button her jacket. She's seriously the best.

Santana has finally fallen asleep in a chair, her forehead resting on the side of my bed. I frown when I notice that she's still wearing her uncomfortable regionals costume. Puck is still in his, too. He's sleeping in an awkward position across a reclining chair. The two of them are completely dead to the world.

Mom and Dad Lopez walk in quietly, giving me a smile and shaking their heads at Santana and Puck. Mom lays a pair of Cheerios sweats on the end of the bed for her daughter and then moves over to look at her granddaughter in Brittany's arms. Which actually reminds me…

"Mom and Dad? I have to talk to you about something."

"What's up, honey?" Papa L responds, watching his wife take the baby gently into her arms from Britt.

"Well, umm, I have to put her name on the birth certificate and I…well, I want her to have your last name. My father doesn't deserve to have his name on that paper, and I talked to Puck about it already. Since you guys are technically going to be her parents, and since I'm hoping I'll be raising her with your daughter anyway, I think her last name should be Lopez."

I watch them absorb this, their faces turning from surprise to teary gratefulness.

"We'd be so honored, but…are- are you sure, Quinn? Have you spoken to your mother about this?"

"I just spoke to my mom and my dad about it. My mother doesn't get a say. I'm glad she's back and I'm willing to work on that relationship, but I'm not trading in my real family for anything."

They nod with teary eyes and come to hug me, Mom cradling the baby between us as she does so.

"Thank you, honey. We really love you so much, Quinn. We can't wait to help bring this little one up. She's so very beautiful," Mom whispers in my ear.

I grin at them both.

She really is absolutely perfect.

A few hours later, in a brief quiet moment between visitors, I am holding a simple piece of paper with an embossed seal. This silly little paper represents the birth of my daughter. It seems so insignificant for the magnitude of the moment, and yet it holds all of the key information that will carry her forward.

"Whatcha got there, baby?"

I look up at the love of my life, holding the other love of my life, and just have to smile. San is rocking our little girl while she walks around the room, her eyes never leaving her daughter's. The two of them are easily the most beautiful girls in the world.

"Well, I wanted to write you a really long, beautiful love letter to thank you for being such an amazing girlfriend and for standing by me through everything, but I couldn't find a pen, sooo…"

San gives me a funny look and I just shrug, feigning nonchalance.

"Instead, I figured I'd just give you this."

Santana face turns curious as she crosses the room to sit on the edge of my bed. I hold my breath, anxious and excited for her to see the last name I've chosen for our little one. She slept through the entire conversation with her parents, and I swore them to secrecy so I could have this exact moment with this incredible girl who I love with all of my heart, who loved me when I didn't deserve anything from her at all.

I hold the paper in front of Santana's beautiful face, and watch her eyes immediately tear up as she reads.

Skylar Emily Beth Lopez
May 15, 2010
Female
Lima, Ohio
Mother: Lucy Quinn Fabray
Father: Noah David Puckerman