Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. I merely used Ryan Murphy's amazing characters to get me out of my writer's block.

Brittany sat in the back of Puck's Oldsmobile, her ponytail bobbing up and down as they made their way to school. She kept quiet, watching the trees and buildings they whizzed past.

Brittany was tired. Quinn had dragged her out of bed at 6:00 am, insisting that she hurry up. Puck would be there any moment and they had to be ready for him. It was one of Puck's rules: have coffee ready for him (black, no sugar), be at the door by 6:40 and Quinn always rode shotgun ("More room for the baby," Brittany was told, though she was sure that Puck was just looking for excuses to be closer to his baby-mama). She'd catch him sneaking glances at Quinn and he came up with the weirdest excuses to touch her. One morning, Quinn had shivered when she'd entered the old car. Puck had stared at her worriedly, asking, "You cold? Here." He'd grabbed her hand and put it on the heater, smiling a bit uncomfortably when Quinn glared at him.

It was weird seeing Puck behave so… nicely. When Puck dated Santana, the nicest thing he'd done was tell Santana she looked "Better with her clothes off." Santana had called her crying after that incident.

During their drives to school, Quinn and Puck were decent to one another, which made Brittany wonder how these two had gotten together in the first place. It was weird—the school's bad boy with the school's prude. Brittany just didn't… get it. But, she didn't mind. There were many things she didn't understand in life. Like, how is it that Santana was interested in Finn Hudson? The way she was going after him made Brittany uncomfortable. Wasn't there, like, a law saying you couldn't date an ex-friend's ex-boyfriend? Or maybe it was ex-friends don't share ex-boyfriends? Brittany shook her head. Whatever it was, she was sure Santana was going against the Frenemy Code. Lindsay Lohan would not be impressed. Besides, Brittany lived with Quinn. Awkward. She couldn't see how she could be a friend to both.

"Puck, you're driving too fast," Quinn snarled, pulling Brittany out of her thoughts.

"Relax, Fabray. It's just one light." Quinn inhaled deeply and Brittany knew that Quinn was pissed. A clenched jaw and narrowed green eyes meant that Quinn was ready to Hulk-out. Quinn wore this expression a lot when she tried explaining math to Brittany.

Puck glanced at Quinn and immediately decelerated. "There? Ya happy?" He asked with a smile. Quinn merely stared blankly back at him before she turned to look out the passenger window. Brittany was impressed. They really were working hard at being nice to one another. What was their deal?

Quinn walked towards glee club, holding her books protectively over her abdomen. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going, knowing the route to the rehearsal room by heart, so she didn't see Rachel approach her.

"Quinn," Rachel smiled, optimistically searching Quinn's eyes. "Can I help you carry your books to class?"

Quinn glared at the brunette, wondering what the hell Rachel wanted. It wasn't that Quinn resented Rachel for telling Finn the truth (not that at all; she was grateful in a weird masochistic way that Rachel had intervened), but Rachel still grated on Quinn's fragile nerves. It must have been the clashing outfits she wore; contrasting colours and dissimilar patterns just looked… odd. Quinn felt as though her eyes were assaulted by Rachel's hideous wardrobe choices on a daily basis and now that she was preggo, she was even more intolerant of Rachel's style.

"No, thank you. I can manage just fine." Quinn answered, walking around Rachel. To her annoyance, Rachel continued following her.

"So, did you have a good Monday?" Rachel looked expectantly at Quinn. Since Quinn was intent on ignoring her, Rachel kept talking. "Anyway, I went shopping with my dads yesterday and I went to the Gap…" Quinn inhaled (Count to ten, Quinn.), knowing that she would never be rid of the pest. Rachel kept yammering on about having gone into The Gap, some kids' store called "Wiggles and Me" and Macy's. She sounded nervous and Quinn found herself wondering why Rachel insisted on befriending her after all Quinn had put her through. "In any case I saw a really cute basinet in the Macy's at the Lima Mall and I was wondering if, maybe, you would like one as a gift?" Quinn had been lost in her own thoughts, but she'd caught the last part of Rachel's rambling. She stopped walking and wearily looked at Rachel.

"Rachel." Quinn stared at the other girl intently, willing her to get the message. Leave me the FUCK alone.

"Look, Quinn. I know that you're annoyed with me—the expression on your face is one that I'm used to getting from you, but..." Rachel steeled herself against Quinn's death-glare. Truth was she knew she was meddling in Quinn's life, but Rachel Berry was determined to make Quinn see. She set her jaw, stepping in front of Quinn. "Puck cares for you and that baby." Quinn's death-glare melted away and she shifted uncomfortably in front of Rachel.

"I know it's unrealistic for you to keep it, but you should at least consider every possible avenue. When my dads were looking to expand on their family, they considered every single one of their options... surrogacy, adoption, foster care... You should do the same. In fact, I'd be happy to help you with the research and fact-checking." She gave Quinn a shy smile, not knowing what Quinn's reaction would be.

Quinn sighed, studying Rachel's overeager face and was shocked to discover that she was serious about helping her.

"Thanks, Rachel." Quinn managed to stutter, smiling softly at the other girl. It was simple, really, but those two words were enough to light up Rachel's face. Quinn walked around Rachel, continuing on her route towards glee club.

Still beaming, Rachel walked alongside Quinn and couldn't help but ask, "So you'll get back to me on the basinet, right?"

Quinn instantly thought of Puck. Rachel was meddling, but Quinn hadn't really considered everything. Least of all what Puck wanted. It was still her baby and her choice, but it was no longer her mess alone. She needed to include Puck in at least some of the decision-making.

Turning to look at Rachel, Quinn nodded in response.

Glee club was divided.

It was obvious that Finn and Puck went to great lengths to avoid one another and New Directions tried staying out of the mess.

There were times when Finn would participate in Glee, but it would be only to veto a new number, laugh with either Rachel or Mr Schu or (worst of all) flirt with Santana. Quinn knew that they were no longer together, but it still… annoyed her to see him whore himself out like that. She knew that she'd been Finn's first steady girlfriend, so she didn't understand how he was literally jumping from one cheerleader to the next. I am not jealous, she would remind herself. I'm only worried about his heart breaking or Santana getting pregnant.

Most days Quinn would find herself watching Rachel as Finn openly flirted with Santana. Rachel was such an open book, wearing her thoughts and feelings on her face, that whenever Finn flirted with the Cheerio, Quinn knew that Rachel's heart was breaking. Quinn would never be so open about her emotions. Her parents had taught her that appearance determines your place in life and the image that you convey (be it that you're an overconfident cheerleader or an eager-to-please gleek) would determine that place in the world. There was something about Rachel's confidence in wearing her heart on her sleeve that intimidated Quinn and she often envied Rachel for her ability to do so.

Mr Schu walked in just then, music sheets in hand. He stopped, looking at all of them. Cocking his head to the side, he let out a deep sigh as he put his hands on his hips.

"Come on, guys! You've all been sitting in the exact same spots since January!"

No one made a move, all looking a bit shamefacedly, but defiant at the same time. Mr Schu shook his head.

"All right. I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice. I'm assigning your partners for the month." There was a collective gasp among the 12 glee clubbers. Mr. Schu pointed at Artie and scanned the rest of the room, landing on Kurt.

"Kurt and Artie," the boys exchanged a happy smile. "Matt and Brittany," Brittany and Matt high-fived one another over Quinn's protruding stomach. "Mercedes and Mike."

Mr. Schu smiled warily at Rachel. "Rachel and Quinn," Rachel gave Quinn a small smile. "Tina and Finn," both looked indifferent. "And, finally, Puck and Santana," Puck rolled his eyes and Santana scoffed loudly.

"From now until the end of the week I want to see you interact with one another. Do you understand?" He narrowed his eyes and all 12 members of New Directions nodded.

Well this will be interesting, Quinn thought bitterly.

Puck caught up with Quinn after glee club. Brittany was going over to Matt's house with Mike and Mercedes, so it would be Puck and Quinn... alone... in his car. Sure, he was looking forward to driving her home without Brittany. His time alone with Quinn was pretty limited, so he knew that moments like these were like scoring a game-winning touchdown: special, often leaving him feeling breathless. But he hated how awkward both he and Quinn became whenever they were alone. If their hands brushed, both would trip over their apologies. If their feet tapped, it would mean moments of profuse blushing. If they made eye-contact, it would be agony until one of them turned away. He dreaded the uncomfortable silence, which was only broken if one of them had a bone to pick, which, let's face it, was pretty frequent, given how often they argued with one another.

They walked to Puck's beat-up car in silence. He felt his heart hammering away in his chest and worried that Quinn would hear it. He chanced a glance at her and saw her biting her bottom lip thoughtfully. For a moment, Puck could only focus on Quinn's mouth. The image of her white teeth softly grazing her pink lip, pumping it in and out of her mouth sent his mind into a tailspin. He remembered what it was like kissing Quinn, the taste of strawberry lip gloss a very vivid memory to him still.

Quinn turned to look at him, her face quizzical. "What?" she snapped. Do I have something on my face? She wiped her cheek self-consciously. "Do I have something on my face?"

Puck's defense mechanism kicked in. Smirking, he said, "Relax, Fabray. There's no gunk on your face." Quinn gave him a very patronizing smile.

"Oh, well why the hell were you staring at me like an idiot, hm?" She narrowed her green eyes menacingly. It was about the cutest thing Puck had ever seen and he couldn't help the smile from curving around his lips, spreading to his eyes. As his hazel eyes crinkled around the edges, Quinn's heart gave a huge leap. Whoa, what just happened? she asked herself. She blinked, the hint of a smile dancing on her pink lips. She shook her head, scoffing out of habit and picked up her pace, waddling as fast as a seven-month pregnant teenager can, trying to hold back her smile. There was something about Puck's demeanor that never failed to make her feel happy. It was wrong and self-destructive, she knew that, but she couldn't help it.

When they reached the double-doors leading outside, Puck pushed one open, letting Quinn out before him. "Thanks," she mumbled. They stepped out into the crisp March evening together, both avoiding eye contact. Puck wasn't wearing a jacket and his t-shirt wasn't enough to buffer the cold air, yet he didn't even shiver. Quinn scoffed.

"Where's your jacket?"

"I don't need one. I'm bad-ass, Fabray." Quinn rolled her eyes.

"When you die of pneumonia, we'll see how tough you are." He looked at Quinn again and she quickly looked away. Puck mused over their predicament and let out a chuckle, Awkward. Quinn shot him another quizzical look and smiled to herself. He's such an egg-head.

They reached Puck's car and, again, he opened the door for her. Quinn slipped inside, mumbling her thanks once more, still awkwardly avoiding his gaze. It amazed her that she and Puck had to start over again almost twice a day (when he picked her up and during their drive home... times during which the distance between them was quite small). She knew she was uncomfortable around him and could feel the discomfort radiating from his body, too; their individual discomfort feeding the others'. There was so much tension between them that Quinn often wondered why she had agreed to "play nice" with him. There has to be a less awkward way of getting to and from school.

Once both of them were buckled in, Puck cleared his throat and smiled at Quinn.

"Ready?" Quinn nodded, offering him a tiny smile of her own.

"So, do you know when you and Berry will get together to work on your assignments for glee?" Puck asked as he turned the steering wheel between his hands, the muscles in his forearm flexing in the process. Quinn was hypnotized and had to blink before she could answer.

"Uh... No." She cleared her own throat. What is wrong with me? Must be the pregnancy hormones kicking in. Has Puck always smelled this good? She stared ahead, trying hard not to focus on Puck's arms again. She scoffed, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "She'll probably call me tonight and see if we can discuss dance numbers and outfits."

"Yeah, she's... pretty gung-ho about glee club. Then again, it's her whole life." Puck said in a mocking voice.

Quinn smirked. "Exactly. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy glee, but my life doesn't revolve around turns and high notes. I've got bigger issues." She looked down at her pregnant stomach and laughed, some of the tension she felt easing out of her body as she laughed over her choice of words. Puck soon joined in, mostly laughing because Quinn's laughter was contagious, as though someone was tickling the inside of his belly. That doesn't make me gay.

They stopped at a red light and Puck turned to look at her, his left forefinger stroking his bottom lip contemplatively. Quinn's smile died on her lips and she licked them self-consciously, unable to look away from Puck's steady gaze.

A honk from the car just behind them broke the tension and both teens guiltily looked away; Puck shifted his gaze forward, while Quinn focused on the nail salon's neon sign.

Puck put the car in gear. "Yeah, yeah. I'm going!" Puck said, angrily waving his right hand at the driver. "Punk."

"Temper, temper, Noah." Quinn smirked.

Hearing her use his first name instead of 'Puck' was a bit grating, but he couldn't help a smile from forming on his face. Truth was, he hated his first name and couldn't stand it when people (especially girls) called him 'Noah'. Noah isn't a badass name. Yet there was something in the way that Quinn said it that didn't irk him. Truth was, Quinn only called him Noah because she knew how much he hated it. Ever since they were playing in the sandbox, he wouldn't answer to "Noah", arguing that only his mom and baby sister were allowed to call him that.

Quinn was still looking out her window, but she glanced at him for a brief moment to gauge his reaction to her calling him Noah. She grinned when she saw his smile, loving that she knew him well enough to tease him about his name. Her cell phone rang just then, bringing her back to the present, and she dug through her backpack to find it.

"Hello?" Her smile turned into a grimace when she heard Rachel Berry on the other end. "Listen, Rachel, I won't be able to rehearse today… No, I won't be able to discuss potential song selections, either… Uh-huh… Oh… hm… okay…" Puck turned to look at Quinn and she rolled her eyes. "All right. I'll stay late tomorrow. Fine. Bye." She clicked her phone shut and looked straight ahead.

"You don't need a ride after school tomorrow?" Puck asked nonchalantly.

"Hm? Oh, um… no. I'm staying late tomorrow to go over glee stuff with Rachel." Quinnn answered, surprised by how disappointed she sounded.

"Will you need me to come back for you?" Puck asked.

"No, but thanks." Quinn answered, smiling only with her mouth. Why does this make me feel sad? Who cares if Puck doesn't drive me home tomorrow?

Puck pulled up to Brittany's house and Quinn started gathering her things. Acting the part of a perfect gentleman, he climbed out of the car, walking around the front to open the passenger door for her. As she started climbing out, however, she somehow lost her footing. It was lucky for both of them that Puck caught her around the waist just in time, their faces falling mere inches apart. He held her there for what felt like an eternity, until Quinn pulled away.

"Thanks," she smiled, the blush on her cheeks darkening. She straightened herself up.

"No problem," he smirked, his own cheeks red. "Pick you up at 6:40?"

"I'll make sure Brit and I are waiting… coffee in hand," Quinn joked. She climbed the steps to the door and turned to look back at Puck. He leaned against his beat-up car, hands in his pockets and a dazed smile on his face. He waved and Quinn went inside the house.

As she leaned against the door, Quinn tried to rationalize the fluttering in her tummy that Puck caused. Maybe I didn't eat enough at lunch? No… I've felt these butterflies before. She gagged mentally at the word. It was hard for her to think, let alone understand why Puck had this new effect on her… Or have I always reacted this way? She panicked. No, no, no… I cannot have a... thing for Puck. No, it had to have been something I ate. Or, maybe the baby's restless. She nodded frantically, already considering the case closed. Yep. That's it. The baby's restless.

She hugged her abdomen, letting out the breath she'd been holding since thinking of Puck and his correlation to the butterflies that seemed to have made her stomach their permanent residence. She stepped away from the door and walked to her room, choosing to think of what tomorrow meant: Math class in the morning, Spanish before lunch, strawberry cheesecake for dessert and after-school rehearsals with Man-Hands. How Fun.

Thing was, Quinn wasn't ready to admit that Puck seemed to lurk wherever her thoughts took her. He was sitting beside her in math, walked with her to Spanish, brought her strawberry cheesecake from home and hung around waiting for her after school.

But that's totally normal, thought the Queen of Denial.