A/N: Thank you so so much to everyone who read this! You're all wonderful!
I really hope you like this epilogue. Tell me if you don't! I can take it...!
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. I merely used Ryan Murphy's amazing characters to get me out of my writer's block.
It had been one month since Puck and Quinn made their relationship official. Even then, they found that "playing nice" wasn't any easier now that they were dating.
It was Saturday morning and Puck was over at the Fabray house. Mr Berry had asked them to compile a list of qualities they wanted their daughter's adoptive parents to have, so he and Quinn were trying to come up with a list. So far, they hadn't achieved much.
They had started out with the intent to get the list written out, but somewhere along the way, they got very sidetracked.
They had been sitting on Quinn's bed, a pen in each of their hands, when Puck's hands (and mouth and tongue and legs) got bored. Quinn resisted at first, but when he laced his fingers in hers, the feel of his rough, calloused hands in hers heightening her senses, she relaxed into his kiss. Puck leaned his body against hers, forcing her to lie down on her bed, the list completely forgotten.
Quinn sighed, as Puck's tongue made its way down her neck, his hand snaking underneath her shirt to cup one of her breasts. She inhaled, pushing him off of her, but not succeeding.
"Puck, Puck, Puck," she said quickly. Puck buried his face in her shoulder, defeated.
"What, what, what," came his muffled reply. He lifted his head, meeting her eyes.
She looked at his offending hand inside her shirt, raising an eyebrow. Puck rolled his eyes and withdrew it. He sat up and she tried to do the same. Seeing that her ever-expanding belly was making it harder for her to do so, he put his hand on her back to support her, ignoring her complaints that she could do it on her own. Sure you can, Fabray.
Quinn was due in a month and they still hadn't decided what they were going to do with their daughter. Sure, they'd met with Mr Berry on more than one occasion, but actually making the decision and contacting adoption centres was another story. Neither of them was willing to admit that the real reason they kept stalling was because they didn't want to give her up. It was so easy to pretend that they were going to keep her, to be a family, when it was just the two of them. Inside of their bubble, they could ignore the fact that they weren't going to keep their daughter. But a month had passed and they had a decision to make.
Adding to this problem, Puck and Quinn had been… friskier than usual. They could spend hours in Quinn's bedroom, kissing and petting and licking. But when things started getting too out of hand, Quinn would put a stop to it.
It's not that she didn't want to have sex, it was all she thought of when she lay in her bed late at night, but she was walking, talking proof that sex had consequences. She knew she wouldn't get pregnant again if she gave in to Puck's advances. Still, she wondered what consequences would arise from having sex with Puck, again. Just the thought of it made her shiver.
"You cold, baby?" Puck asked, grabbing the blanket from the foot of her bed to drape over her shoulders. He pulled her to his side and kissed the top of her head, rubbing her shoulder, the friction creating heat.
"What kind of parents do you want for her?" she asked quietly, slightly scared that their daughter would remember this particular conversation five years down the road and would know, instinctively, that her birth parents didn't want her. Quinn knew all too well what it felt like to be unwanted, unloved, and she didn't want her daughter to ever know that feeling.
Puck took a deep breath, knowing that no amount of kissing would sidetrack them today. Quinn had been on his case for weeks now, trying to get his help to write this goddamn list. It's not that Puck didn't want to be involved in the heavy decision-making. Believe it or not he liked shopping for maternity clothes, liked going in to the doctor's visits and even liked going Lamaze. But this decision was too much for him.
"Well," he pursed his lips, contemplatively. If he was going to help Quinn out, he might as well do a good job, right? Right. "I'd really like it if they were Jews. Rich Jews. Rich Jews with a shit-tonne of money. They own a house in the Caribbean and are sick guitar players." He smiled down at Quinn expecting to see her smile up at him proudly.
Instead, she glared at him.
"What?"
She pushed the blanket off of her shoulders and turned to look at Puck.
"What do you mean 'what'?" She scoffed. "This is serious, Puck."
"And I was being serious, Fabray," he answered, smirking. Quinn let out an exasperated breath, rubbing her hands on her face.
Taking her hands in his, Puck forced her to look at him.
"Babe, I'm just happy you're asking me to help."
Quinn smiled up at him, her smile wavering as she felt a hard kick. She winced and Puck smiled affectionately at her belly.
"Shit! She's a fighter! That's my girl! Show her who's boss!"
At first, Puck had startled whenever their daughter kicked Quinn a bit too hard, but the occurrence happened so often, that he no longer worried. In fact, he now found it amusing if she kicked harder than usual, since it showed that his little girl had a bit of his fire. No kid will tell her what to do, that's for sure.
Quinn rolled her eyes. "Typical. Of course you would think that the fact she uses me as a punching bag is cute," she glared at the boy beside her.
"Hell yeah. She's a Puckerman," he retorted, a hint of pride in his voice.
Quinn shook her head, smiling at him. Biting her lip, she reached out her hand to stroke his mohawk affectionately.
"We're doing the right thing," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Puck only understood her because his eyes were fixed on her pink lips, readying himself for another round of kissing.
But Quinn's words were enough to quell any sexy thoughts he had.
He smiled softly, pulling her a bit tighter against his side.
"Yeah. We are."
"Then why do we pretend?" She asked, licking her lips slowly, deliberately, before worrying her bottom lip.
"It's easier to pretend now."
"I know, but we're only making it harder. You know we can't keep her. I know we can't keep her, but all we do is pretend." Quinn's eyes were still dry, but Puck knew, from the slight quivering of her bottom lip and the way she kept blinking, that she was trying to stop the tears from falling. He leaned against the headboard, pulling her along with him. He smoothed her blond hair and she snuggled deeper into his body, breathing him in.
"Does it suck that we're giving her up? Yes. Do I want to keep her? Yes. But the choice has always been yours." He stopped, mentally preparing himself. "Look, Quinn, if you're getting cold feet about this whole adoption thing, then we can talk to Berry's dad. Tell him we're not interested anymore." He stopped waiting for her reaction. "You know I'm all for whatever you decide, but both of our moms have said that they're willing to help us out. I mean, I know it'll be tough, but I'm game if you are."
Quinn took a deep breath, shaking her head. I can't get my hopes up.
"I want her parents to be good Christians," she said, as though Puck had never spoken. Puck smiled, reaching to touch the gold cross hanging around her neck. "Not just Christians, but Christians who will teach her good Christian values and morals." She looked up at him, studying the tender expression on his face as he stared back at her. He loved her. She knew it.
Smiling, she shook her head again.
"Scratch that." She sat up and Puck raised an eyebrow. "I just want two people who will love her."
"And have a lot of money, right?"
Quinn rolled her eyes. "No, they don't need to be rich, Puck. That's not important."
"Says the girl who drives a brand new Civic to school."
"What does that have to do with the baby?"
"You grew up with money, Fabray. You know how much easier life is." He arched an eybebrow.
Quinn glared at him. The. Nerve! Gritting her pretty, white teeth, she said, "How. Dare. You? Honestly, Puck, that has nothing to do with what I want for our kid. I want her to be happy. To have a stable home life. For her to make friends and, I dunno, do the things she wants to because she wants to do them." She huffed, crossing her arms.
"You know you love me." Puck said, stroking her arm with his right forefinger. He watched as his touch left a trail of goosebumps.
"I've never said as much," she said glaring at him.
"Baby, you don't need to say it. Your actions speak louder," Puck said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.
Quinn laughed, unable to keep a straight face any longer. She let Puck pull her into another searing kiss, weaving her fingers in his once more.
She pulled back and looked into his hazel eyes. It was easy to pretend, but the reality was so much better.
"I love you."
He smiled softly, as he tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear. He pulled her in again for another kiss.
"Me too," he said into her mouth.
He sucked on her bottom lip, making her purr. Smiling into her mouth, he said, "But the kid's parents better be loaded."
Quinn shoved him off the bed, laughing when she heard him curse.