A/N: Thank you so much for the great feedback. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I owned Glee, these two would actually have a shot at being together, together. Seeing as Quick leaves something to be desired, I don't own anything.

His hand still hadn't moved from the cup he had around her moistened cheek. The heat that radiated from his touch was something new to her. Until now they hadn't really touched. With the exception of the dead silence in her hospital room, Quinn never took the time to feel him. She smiled, remembering that this wasn't the Puck that many people saw. He was usually all about his fists sarcastic remarks. Seeing that look of deep sincerity in his eyes, she wanted to take back every nasty word she'd ever thrown at him. The gentle gaze told her everything she needed to know. He was a man of few words, leaving his glances to speak volumes for the voice he rarely used.

"I guess you're right," she whispered. "We really aren't those people anymore, are we?" Silently, his hand left her face, immediately filling her with a need to have it put back. A familiar smirk formed on his lips as she resisted the rolling of her eyes. Any minute now he'd ruin it all by saying something idiotic.

"Make no mistake, Fabray. Puckasaurus is still a grade A badass." All she did was chuckle, realizing that it wasn't his most idiotic comeback. Maybe being a father would do him some good; teach him a thing or two about a decent vocabulary. She wasn't about to admit it, but, living with him taught her to appreciate his hotshot sense of humor. He had a way of making her feel lighter.

"Just don't go teaching her words like that," she warned. Puck just scoffed.

"I'm not an idiot," he said. "I may act it in school but I'm not completely stupid. I have to make decent grades to stay on the team. Means I gotta be able to learn something, know somethin' decent."

"I never said you were," she pointed out. "You just have a way of, I don't know, making a show of yourself."

"It's what I do, babe. Kinda goes along with being the top of the social pyramid." As soon as he said that, he wanted to take it back. Before the complete sentence left his mouth, Puck saw her face drop and sighed.

"Like I was," she whispered. "Maybe that's how this happened," she said. "Maybe that's the only reason the wine coolers ever happened."

"No," he said confidently. "This happened because you're smokin' hot as hell," he told her. Quinn could feel a deep blush crawling up her neck. She ducked in an attempt to hide her reaction, hoping he hadn't seen it. He had.

"Be honest, Puck. If I wasn't a Cheerio, would we even be here?" He stopped for a minute, contemplating how exactly to answer her. Football and cheer made a typical combination. If you were on the team, you dated a chick in a skirt. If he was going to be completely honest with himself, that was only part of the reason. He wasn't about to admit to the entire school that it didn't matter who they saw him with. His reputation depended on a lie, as did a vast majority of the school population. To them, that was the truth he chose to tell. He'd tell anyone who asked him, if it was the skirt that made the girl. Except maybe her. And as much as he hated to admit it, glee club. Even though it had taken him a while, Puck had learned the value of a person, not a standard.

"Yes," he admitted. "Maybe not here, in this nursery with Beth but we'd be here, together if we really wanted to try and make something of ourselves." She smiled, touched by his answer, not believing it entirely.

"Why did we pull out the alcohol?" she asked. Puck just rolled his eyes at her.

"Quinn, we're in high school. We're supposed to be reckless. We're supposed to do stuff that get us into trouble."

"And this is what came of it," she sighed.

"I lied," he finally said. She just looked at him with a questioning raise of her brow. She laughed, knowing that lying was all too familiar to him. "I didn't use a condom," he said carefully. She glared at him, hard, hand coming up to swipe him clear across the face. Ripping his hand off her, he held the heated part of his cheek.

"You what?" she fumed. In her anger, a much larger gap separated them now.

"Dammit, Fabray. You don't have to hit so damn hard!" he growled.

"Oh I'm more than ready to do it again!" she seethed. "You have two minutes. If a decent explanation for your lack of consciousness doesn't come out by then, I'm aiming for your nose, and maybe even your eye. How the hell could you be so stupid?" Tears clouded her vision now, Puck's thumb instinctively coming up to brush them away. He didn't make it far before she threw it off.

"Shh," came the nurse's warning, accompanied by a glare.

"Let's take this outside," he suggested. Gently, he placed Beth back on her caught, securing the blanket around her. Through her anger, Quinn heard him whisper to her, her heart doing a little flip when she heard him say a soft "I love you" to her. If she wasn't so angry with him, she would have smiled. As much as it touched her to see him with Beth, Quinn wasn't about to take off her less than pleased expression.

As they stepped outside, she turned on her heal, staring at him icily. Puck just sighed, still massaging his injured face.

"Two minutes, or your face is mine," she said. Quietly, he led her to the waiting room, taking her shoulders by habit.

"Don't touch me," she said going stiff under his hands. Immediately, he held his hands up in surrender. "Start talking." Puck let out a heavy sigh, being sure to choose his words carefully.

"I thought I had one, alright? When I told you I had us covered, I was sure I still had one in my pocket. I'm always careful, always prepared. Then I remembered Mom saying something about laundry. I wasn't gonna have her find out I carried condoms around all the time. She's stern as hell on the whole bacon thing, my sex life coming in at a very close second." She laughed despite her anger. Mrs. Puckerman came down harder on meat then sex? "As far as she knows, or knew, I was a virgin. I took them out, changing into a new pair."

"You forgot to switch it over," she said. Puck nodded, massaging his hands nervously. "So, you lied to me," she added. He looked up at her, not exactly sure how to state this next part. She was right. He had lied, or at least not been completely honest.

"Yeah…" he sighed. "It's such a habit that I didn't even realize what was goin' on until we were already…"

"What else have you lied to me about?" she asked. He stared at her again, taken aback by the question.

"Nothing. That right there is as far as the lying goes. And it's not even really lying. It's just…"

"Not the whole truth," she finished. "How long did you know?" Now he took her hands and realized how cold they were, surprised when she didn't pull away. As much as she wanted to, her hands were cold. She wouldn't admit this but she didn't exactly want to pull away, even if she was mad. Puck had a way of calming her, even, ironically, when he was the reason she was angry.

"We were already…"

"We were already done?" she yelled, ripping her hands from his grasp, silently thanking him for heating them for her.

"Quinn, I didn't plan it like that!" he defended. "I've done this before; I know what I'm doing!"

"What have you done before? You've had other babies?" she growled. "Lemme guess. Santana? You know, that really doesn't surprise me. That doesn't surprise me at all!" she shouted, tears betraying her solid will to keep it nothing but angry.

"What? Oh fuck no! I never got anyone else pregnant!"

"Oh so I guess I'm supposed to feel lucky, special that I was chosen to be your baby mama," she said rolling her eyes. "I knew it was too good to be true. I knew deep down that I was just another girl! Why the hell did I even think that by some miracle, I was any different?" She was different. Quinn Fabray wasn't just another girl, another chick in a skirt to him.

"You weren't," he said softly.

"Liar."

"I'm not lyin', Quinn. You weren't like them." Quinn was the only one who ever let him feel something beyond the physical, beyond attraction. Quinn somehow made him feel…made him feel whole,

"Oh right, I wasn't a whore," she laughed. "I'm sorry to disappoint you." With that she turned on her heal again, but not before a firm grab of her arm spun her back around. "Let go of me," she whispered.

"No," he shot back. Through the determination she heard it. She heard something beyond a demand to stay, beyond a "we're not done yet" but she wasn't about to let him see that.

"You've said all you needed to say, Puckerman. I was just another good lay for you." He could feel his heart sink when she said that. Furiously, she pulled out of his hold, continuing her trek back into the nursery.

"Why do you think I fought so hard? Why do you think I was in here all day today? You were different, Quinn. You are different. When we did it, I actually felt something for once. We were more than sex."

"We were drunk," she pointed out.

"A drunken man's words are a sober man's thoughts," he said.

"What?"

"I never say shit like that when I'm with Santana. It's usually just hardcore sex with the typical moans and groans that go along with a little bit of fun." She cringed, thoroughly disgusted now. The last thing she wanted to hear about was Santana.

"I really don't need to know that," she said. "You're a guy, Puck. It's typical for you to chase anything in a skirt. That's how we ended up doing what we did. I was the only one you hadn't played with yet."

"I didn't want it to happen like that, I swear. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you."

"Oh, but isn't that what you're good at? You treat us like paper. When we're all used up you just toss us out without a second thought. I shouldn't be surprised that you did the same to me. In fact, I'm not surprised at all."

"How many times do I have to say it, Fabray. You're not them. Usually once I'm done, I'm done."

"I guess Santana's your exception then," she said flatly.

"I don't love her, Quinn. She's hot as fuck but I don't love her."

"I don't even know why I agreed to do this with you. You can't teach an old dog new tricks, Puck."

"I'm not a dog," he smirked. I'm a fuckin' dinosaur." Despite herself, she offered him a small smile.

"Men like you don't love anyone, Noah. You're in it for the chase. Once we've been caught you just put us on a shelf, never to be thought of again." Puck stopped for a minute. Quinn had just called him a man. "I'm just sorry I let you catch me," she whispered. She turned her back toward him, making a third attempt to leave. This time, he did nothing. When she was five strides away, he finally spoke.

"So what do you expect me to do? Just walk away and pretend this never happened?"

"You've done it so many times before," she shot back.

"No. No I haven't," he said.

"What the hell are you talking about? You have a condom in every single pair of pants you wear! You've sexed up tons of girls before." No, he hadn't. For the first time, sex allowed him to feel something, Quinn made him feel something. The emotion confused him beyond words. Just being around her for the nine months leading up to today, made him feel…Feel what?

"You make me feel, Fabray."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You….you make me feel and shit. None of that mushy gushy shit, but you make me feel like we have some kind of connection. I don't know how yet but there's somethin' about just you. I mean, I'm gettin' turned on while you've got clothes on." Quinn growled, at her wits end with his games, not finding that the least bit funny.

"If that was meant to be funny, I'm not laughing," she said deadpanned.

"I wasn't tryin' to make a joke," he said. "Usually, it's all about the nude to give me the full affect. You're somethin' else. You give me feelings I've honestly never felt before, and you're not even naked!" She socked him in the arm with a glare.

"Ow! Okay, that came out wrong," he said.

"Ya think," she said with a roll of her eyes. She knew what he was getting at. In his own messed up way, he was admitting to her just how much he cared. It touched her somehow, warmed her a little.

"What I mean is that for once, I genuinely care about a girl. For once it's more than just a night of fun. I stayed Quinn. Not because I felt obligated or whatever. I knew I could have just walked away; let you make up your mind on your own. When I should have been angry with myself for forgetting, a part of me was kinda happy."

"You're happy you got me pregnant?" she asked with a raise of her brow. Puck watched her for a minute. He loved the way her forehead wrinkled when she did that, the curl her lips made when she was still trying to figure out where exactly he was going. Small as they were, he would never have noticed these little things on anyone else. Quinn gave him a reason to look for the little things.

"In a way, yeah. I used to watch you, you know. When you were still goin' out with, Finn. When you came out onto the field after a game. The way he held you. It…It kinda made me jealous." She fought the urge to laugh at this. Puck was jealous?

"Huh?"

"I got jealous, okay? Every time I saw you guys, I hated how I wasn't able to keep a girl. Like you said, I'm a chaser. When you told me you were pregnant, something in me flipped. When you told me to lie for you, I didn't know how I was gonna keep it going. He got what I wanted. My best friend had the relationship I couldn't have. More than that, he got the girl too."

"What exactly are you saying?"

"Do I really have to spell it out for you, Fabray? I think I like you, okay? In fact, I might go as far as saying that I think I might…"

"You think you might what?"

"You know what, never mind. You won't believe me anyway. No one ever does. Nobody takes me seriously."

"Finish what you were saying, Puck."

"I think I might even love you, okay?" Even though she knew it was coming, Quinn couldn't hide the shock.

"I…I…"

"Yeah, you don't believe me. Kinda knew you wouldn't. You said it yourself. I'm not the type of guy that loves a girl. I'm a guy. I don't know nothing about love." Taking his hand, she shook her head, forcing him up out of his seat. He could feel her dragging him with her and groaned.

"Where are we going?" Quinn said nothing as they made their way into the nursery. When he noticed that they were making their way to a familiar cot, he felt something pull inside of him. Taking in her small delicate face, he could feel himself smiling.

"Look at Beth," she instructed. He didn't need instructions. The tip of his forefinger gently brushed her cheek. "What do you feel?" Looking at his little girl, Puck couldn't help but be filled with every emotion he could think of, some of them he couldn't even name.

"I have this crazy urge to protect her. Keep her safe from anything that could possibly hurt her. I…I love her. I have no clue where all of this is even coming from. It's like it fills me up or something. I can almost choke on everything I feel right now."

"What do you feel when you look at me?"

"Besides the fact that I think you're hot?" he smirked. She just rolled her eyes, shoving him gently. "I…I don't know. It's gonna sound cheesy but, when I look at you I feel like I've finally found something. Like I've finally found that one thing I really want, the one thing I need," he whispered. She saw him step closer to her, his free hand taking its previous place on her face. The heat of his breath was only inches away now, sending a chill down her spine as it blew past. Sensing this, Puck looked up at her, concern etched in his face. Quinn smiled as he brought her closer still. Their foreheads were touching now, their noses just barely brushing. Something didn't fight him off. Instead, she allowed their lips to brush, letting him kiss her lightly. Puck could feel himself being lifted off the ground now, a feeling of flight, of freedom taking over. Threading his fingers through her hair he pushed it back to reveal her covered ear.

"I think I love you, Quinn Fabray," he whispered, pecking her earlobe before pulling away. She could feel her breath catch at the tenderness of his lips held against her skin. As small a gesture as it was, it set off a slew of emotions. In those few seconds she could feel her heart jump from her chest, a blush coming to her cheeks. Having him this close to her, she resisted the urge to touch him, feel him. Seeing where her line of sight was, he smirked. "See somethin' you like?" he asked slyly. She gulped, resisting the urge to nod.

In her father's arms, Beth finally stirred. Turning his attention to her, Puck spoke softly now. Quinn couldn't make out exactly what he said, seeing as she was still trying to recover from his confession. Shaking her head a little to clear her mind, she was finally able to catch the end of it.

"Guess what? Turns out we're takin' you home," he smiled. "You know, when you're finally old enough, I'munna teach you to play ever sport there is. You're gonna be the first girl to play football. 'Cause you know, girls can play football too. If we don't at least let 'em try, that's called being sexist and that's wrong," he said seriously. Quinn let herself laugh out loud, coming around to sock him in the shoulder.

"What, it's true!" he said defensively. "Just 'cause it's a guy's sport doesn't mean she can't at least try it. Who knows, she might even like it! First girl in McKinley High history to play.

"She has no idea what 'sexist' means, dummy," he pointed out.

"So? She will eventually."

"I love how you have full on conversations with her, like she's supposed to understand you," she laughed.

"She does!" he said defensively. "Or at least, she will. She's a Fabray. Aren't you girls supposed to be like, geniuses or something?"

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm a genius," she blushed.

"Quinn, you skipped the first grade," he said.

"I had a tutor in kindergarten. My parents insisted that I learn the ABC's which is pretty much the only thing I needed to know."

"You're in all AP classes, except for Schuester and glee club," he added. She found herself blushing a deeper shade of red. Living with him, they tended to talk a lot about personal things. Somehow they got to talking about academics. It honestly came as a surprise to her that he remembered her mentioning that. "You've got it all. The brains, the beauty, the hard headed independence. God help me, she's going to inherit all of that," he mumbled. All she could do was laugh again.

There was a freedom about Puck that she honestly liked, even loved. He didn't give two cents about what anyone thought of him. As much as he boasted about reputation, deep down, she could tell he could care less what the world thought of him. He walked around knowing exactly who he was, knowing that no one was ever going to change him. Sure, he kept most of it under wraps but she could feel him peeling back. Hidden somewhere deep, was a tenderness about him, a soft side he swore up and down he'd never let anyone see. The clearest example of this was in the way he held Beth, the way he held her. As much as Quinn didn't want to admit it, something was pulling her further down. Something inside her ignited when it was just him. Maybe…just maybe…

"I think….I think I might love you too," she whispered. His head shot up. He found himself having to strain to hear her. "It might be Beth or the sex or…or the whole connection speech you gave me. I don't know. As much as it scares me, I'm starting to think you might not be alone," she said carefully. He could tell she wasn't exactly sure of it yet, but he'd take what he could get for now.

"You wanna hold her?" he asked, already offering her the rocking chair. She nodded as she felt her daughter be placed in her arms.

"I'm not going to drop her, am I?" she asked worriedly. He smirked while shaking his head.

"Just be sure to support her head," he instructed.

"Like this?" she asked, not quite sure she was getting it right. He saw that the crook of her arm held her head up perfectly and smiled.

"Yup. Just hold her like a football," he said. Quinn just rolled her eyes.

"You're daughter's not a ball, Puck."

"It works just the same," he pointed out. She just shook her head, finally allowing herself to look down at the little girl she held. Her finger carefully traced her face, Beth moving slightly at her touch. Puck was right. This little girl looked so much like her.

"You sure she's yours?" she smirked.

"I dunno. Did you ever play with anybody else?" he asked huskily. She felt a shiver come down her spine and found the clarity to shake her head. "Look at this," he said, carefully removing her cap. She chuckled when she saw that her hair stuck up haphazardly, the same shade as his. "It's not quite a hawk but it's close enough."

"You think we can do this?" she asked.

"If we want it to work, I know we can," he smiled squeezing her shoulder. Their eyes met and for a second she saw something in his that she couldn't quite place. "We can do this, Quinn. We can and we will."

"It's not gonna be easy, Puck," she sighed. "We're gonna have to give up a lot, sleep being number one. You and I both know that reputation is pretty much gone."

"Why do we care what other people think? All that really matters is that we're doing what's right for us. Sure, it's not quite how I expected to finish up high school, but like I said, nothing about us is ever normal."

"It's just gonna be you and me. I don't know if I can carry so much weight on my shoulders," she admitted.

"Wrong. We've got glee," he reminded her. "They may not fully get it yet, but they haven't exactly kicked us out."

"You can't get kicked out of glee club."

"You can get the boot socially. They accept us, Quinn. Beth or no Beth, those kids are there for us. Mr. Schue is there for us. If we've got that, then we can do anything."

"Anything?"

"Do we want this bad enough?" She nodded. "There's your answer," he said kissing her forehead quietly.

A/N: Here we are with chapter two! Let me know how this one went, please :)