Ta da! So here's another chapter! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. Let me know what you think- I really love reading all your reviews. Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed so far- it means so much and I really appreciate it.

Manda- as always this is for you. It's sort of like a belated birthday present (to go with my other one when it eventually arrives haha). Happy birthday darling, you mean so much to me and I hope you had a wonderful day

Disclaimer- Sadly for me I don't own Glee, or any of the characters. And the song I used in here is Everywhere by Michelle Branch. I don't own that either.

Also, the engraving on Santana's bracelet is from a poem by E E Cummings called I Carry Your Heart. You should read it, it's beautiful.

Enjoy!

Libby xx

She can't see him.

It's Santana's birthday and she's turning seven and there's cake and candles and laughter. There's even a jumping castle.

But he's not here.

"Where is he?" She's asked this question five hundred times already. And she knows her mummy is getting sick of her asking but she can't help it. She can't turn seven without Puck. It's like eating cookies without chocolate chips in them. It's not the same.

Her mummy sighs and looks at Santana with storm clouds in her eyes (she's never really liked Puck anyway), and hugs her. But it's not the same as Puck's hugs, and doesn't really make her feel any better. She tells Santana to enjoy the party, that there are plenty of other people here to play with. That everyone is here to celebrate with her (everyone but the one person that really matters, Santana thinks). That she can turn seven without Puck. Santana knows she can't, and she won't. But she doesn't tell her mummy that, she's mad enough already.

There are balloons and fairy bread and lots of presents. And Santana knows she should be excited, should be having fun. She smiles at everyone who says Happy Birthday to her, twirls around to show off her party dress, remembers her manners when someone gives her a present. But then she sees the red ring on her finger, and it makes her chest hurt. It's sparkling in the sunshine but to her it doesn't look so pretty anymore; it's just reminding her that he's not here. She scrunches up her hands so she can't see it, and tries to pretend that nothing is wrong.

She can't believe he's not here, won't believe he's forgotten. Doesn't he love cake just as much as she does (especially birthday cake)? And wasn't she telling him yesterday that there was going to be a jumping castle, and they could practice the somersaults that Puck taught her on his trampoline? Disappointment tastes like medicine in her mouth as Santana realises that no matter how much she pretends, how hard she wishes, Puck still isn't here, that he won't be here to help her blow out the candles, that he's not here to tell her if she's doing the somersaults right.

All of a sudden it's time to sing happy birthday. And the cake is in the shape of a fairy princess, and everyone is singing. When the song is over and she still can't see him, her head starts to hurt. He's running out of time to get here, and the party will be over soon. As hard as she tries, Santana can't quite manage to hold in the tears that have been threatening to fall all day. Her face starts to glitter, her eyes start to sting, and the only person that can make her feel better isn't even here.

"What are you crying for? It's your party. Don't you know you're not supposed to cry?"

Santana holds her breath until she turns around, until she sees his face, sees his spiky haircut (she loves it when his mummy does it like that). He's gone all blurry from her tears but it doesn't matter, he's here and that's all she can think about and he's all she sees. And she can't help it; she throws herself at him like she's seen Coco do when she's all excited. She wraps her arms around his neck, holds him tight.

And all he can see is Santana. Her tears are hot on his skin, and he feels bad that he made her cry. He didn't mean it; he wants to make it up to her, squeezes her tight to show her that he's sorry. Her red ring is digging into the back of his head but he doesn't care- its Santana and it's her birthday, she can do whatever she wants.

She's all breathless and giddy and still holding on to him. But her eyes are cloudy and her eyelashes are wet and when she looks at him there's a frown on her beautiful face. Puck thinks she looks cute when she's mad, but he can't tell her that. He's already in enough trouble.

"I thought you'd forgot."

And Puck wants to tell her that he didn't forget, that his mummy was tired from his baby sister keeping her up all night and accidentally slept in. That he didn't mean to be late, and miss singing to her. That her party was all he's been thinking about for days, that he can't wait to do somersaults on the jumping castle. But he can't seem to get the words out, and he doesn't feel right telling on his mummy. So instead he holds out her birthday present. It's a photo frame with a picture of them in it. They are both laughing at the camera, arms around each other and chocolate all over their faces. It's his favourite photo of them (and his mummy's too). Puck decorated the frame all by himself (well, he got help with the glue after he almost glued his eyes together). It's got daises and glitter and red sparkly stones that remind him of Santana's ring. It's even got pretty curly noodles that look a little bit like Santana's curls. It took him three days and a whole two weeks pocket money, and his mummy is still finding daisies and noodles all over the house. Coco even found a red stone in her bed. And he's pretty sure he still has glitter in his hair. But the look on Santana's face has made it all worth it.

She looks at the frame, looks at Puck. And her face lights up and she's giving him one of her prettiest smiles. Santana can't believe he's made this for her, it's all sparkly and pretty and she loves it and she loves the photo inside (she remembers that day, Puck's mummy was teaching them to make brownies, and they got more chocolate on themselves than in the oven.). She kisses him softly on the cheek, makes his face turn the colour of strawberries. He takes her hand, makes her skin go all tingly. He whispers in her ear, smelling of cookies and glue, and leaving glitter on her cheeks and a smile in her eyes. She uncurls her hand, so that the ring plays in the sun, and everyone can see it.

"Happy birthday."

She can't believe he's forgotten.

They woke up next to each other, but she hasn't seen him all day. He's taken the baby, taken the car, and taken with him every happy feeling she had about today. Isn't it supposed to be about her today? But there's no card, no flowers, not even a note saying where they've gone.

Where is he?

Well, fuck him, she thinks. She's frustrated and mad and she thought after everything they've been through he would have changed just a little bit. But he's still the same seven year old who missed out on singing happy birthday and a fairy princess cake. She throws a shoe at the wall in frustration.

He's still not here.

It's been hours and she's holding her mobile too tight hoping to hear from him, but all she's getting is a sore hand, the imprint of the buttons on her palm, and the diamond from her engagement ring cutting into her fingers. Despite herself tears blur her eyes and before she knows it she's choking on memories of being seven and Puck almost missing it. But tangled in the ribbon of her childhood recollection is a worry that something's happened to him, that the reason he isn't here has nothing to do with forgetting her birthday. And he's got the baby…

"Santana?"

She can't answer him. Relief and rage are an odd combination, and its making her feel slightly sick and shaky.

"Seriously San. Where the fuck….oh shit….oh…sorry pretend daddy never said that baby…and don't tell mummy….where are you?" Santana stifles a giggle. He's all concerned about swearing near the baby lately and it's adorable.

"You thought I'd forgotten, didn't you?"

She turns around to face him, and all at once she can't believe she doubted him.

There's a grin on his face, and mischief dancing in his eyes. He's got their beautiful baby girl in one arm, and a cupcake in the other. With a candle in it (Seriously, he forgets how to turn the oven off and can never quite remember to take the garbage out on time but he remembers that she loves cupcakes and she's got a thing for candles. He amazes her sometimes). Thank god the candle is not lit. Puck would somehow manage to singe their baby's eyebrows off, or something equally stupid. There's a reason Santana has followed Puck's mum's example and put a fire extinguisher in almost every room in the house, and has the fire department on speed dial.

"Really? You really thought I'd forget, after everything we've been through?" He smiles at her, shows her he really means it.

And she believes him. So she doesn't tell him she's been crying, doesn't say that she's now missing one of her shoes after she threw it against the wall and it disappeared. It doesn't matter anyway, not anymore. He's here, she's here, Leah is here, what more could she want? She moves towards them, drawn in by the smell of them- cake, soap, innocence and love, wrapped in an undercurrent of Puck's cologne. She caresses his hair, kisses Leah's nose and her fuzzy black hair.

And then Santana sees the box balanced on Leah's tummy, all done up with a wonky red ribbon (Seriously. Puck can change a diaper in under a minute, but he can't tie a bow to save himself. It's hilarious. And she loves him all the more because of it.). Her hands are trembling, and she's almost forgotten how to breathe. Santana is like a kid on Christmas morning and Puck thinks it's gorgeous. He watches her open it, sees her face light up, and hears her gasp. Lying in the box is a silver bracelet, a heart with a red stone sparkling at its end.

"Oh Puck…"

She's lost her words. It's beautiful, and she's overwhelmed, and the frustrated tears from earlier are replaced by happy diamonds that sparkle in her chocolate eyes.

"That's not all. You have to read the writing. That's where we've been, they only finished it this morning. I took Leah with me to pick it up so you could sleep in."

She looks in closer, reads the silver ribbon of writing on the heart.

Beautiful, you are my world

I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart).

He's worried she'll find it stupid, thinks she might laugh at him. But she looks up with stars in her eyes and roses on her cheeks and he lets out the breath he's been holding and smiles right back at her.

"I didn't know you knew poetry"

There's laughter in her voice, and he likes that he's surprised her. He doesn't tell her that he asked his mum for help, that he actually went to the library and took out a poetry book. Doesn't he have an image to uphold?

"Way to ruin the moment Santana."

Santana laughs, playfully smacks him on the arm. She tangles her arms around his neck and kisses her appreciation, kisses her love full on the mouth. He tastes of sugar and smells like their baby and god she loves him. She looks down at Leah, asleep in her daddy's arms and somehow with cupcake icing on her chin, and she couldn't imagine it any other way. Santana still sometimes cant' believe they've made it this far, but they have and they're together and they have their beautiful baby girl. Puck kisses her neck, almost makes her drop the box, and her bracelet, and every thought in her pretty head sings of him. His eyelashes caress her throat as her skin burns. Damn him, making her melt when he knows there's no way she'd do anything with their baby a lovely innocent bubble between them. How long until her nap again?

He whispers in her ear, making her heart flutter and her stomach do somersaults.

"Happy birthday."

You're everywhere to me
And when I close my eyes it's you I see
You're everything I know

Authors note: Puck and Santana's daughters name is Mahalia, which is Hebrew for 'tenderness'. She's Leah for short