Whispers

by wordsaremyescape

{PREVIOUSLY TITLED SET ME FREE WITH NEW SUMMARY} As hard as she tries to run, there's no escaping the truth. It comes in haunting whispers that make her blood run cold. But he has a way of keeping her warm, keeping her human when all she wants to do is stay numb. The truth doesn't settle in ice. It always slips right off. But his breath is warm...So warm.

2. Chapter 2

A/N: Another loooooong one. Hahaha. Hope you like :)

Disclaimer: *See Chapter 1*

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Shelby simply rolls her eyes as she waits impatiently for someone to pick up on the other end of the phone. With each passing moment, she grows more and more frustrated. She's quietly hoping her estranged daughter doesn't pick up at all. That would save her what was likely to be the most awkward conversation the two of them would be forced to have. Noticing Puck shuffling away, she grabs his wrist with a steady glare. He in turn shakes her free with a scowl. He has to wonder if Shelby is even aware that she can be so ridiculously demanding.

"What?" he hisses.

"You're the one making me do this," she whispers hotly. "The least you can do is stay and see what happens." Puck just rolls his eyes. The lady can't even make a damn phone call by herself. It doesn't escape him that he practically made her but the fact that Berry had those stupidly sad eyes the following Monday that still burned somewhere in his skull could only be blamed on one person. Sure, she hadn't been raised by Shelby but there was still something about her worth the praise in her eyes. He again wonders if she's ever displayed behaviour like the kind they saw minutes go around anybody else. Part of him knows it hardly matters. To Rachel, the woman can do no wrong. And when she does, the brunette has no problem over-looking it. Anything and everything she's done is blinded by some kind of hero worship.

"She doesn't bite," he mumbles. The girl annoys him and Quinn every single chance she gets but she could never come toe to toe with Santana. For just a minute, he wishes she did. It would make this phone call unnecessary. But the truth is, Rachel's too soft-hearted not to be bothered by the silence. She doesn't say as much but the girl's face can't spare a lie if it kills her.

"Do you have any idea how awkward this is?" she whispers. He nodded, personally satisfied with how uncomfortable the situation was making her. He hasn't done this to get back at her. He's been doing that all morning already. Puck would never admit it but for some reason he feels he owed it to Rachel. Not that she has ever done anything for him recently. It's was more like a favour that sprouts from similar experience.

"It's only awkward if you make it awkward," he points out. He's starting to regret making the request. By the time she picks up, even Rachel will be able to tell she wants none of it. "People usually say something when the other person picks up. Sitting in silence just makes it creepy."

"What am I supposed to say?" she asks desperately. Puck scoffs. How the hell would he know? Unless somebody's dying, the two of them usually text. Conversation lasts longer that way. Anyone who isn't Finn can only handle her in small doses. Considering how different they are (besides the whole being a Jew thing), he can only listen to her for about ten minutes before finding an excuse to hang up. There are times he hates himself for being that shallow but some people just have that kind of voice. If he already didn't feel like such an ass for it, the fact that she doesn't seem hurt by it does the trick. He's learned that Berry's taken Broadway way too seriously, hiding her pain like a true professional. He makes a vow to be at least slightly more decent to her from here on out. Having Shelby as the woman to bring her into this fucked up world was torture enough.

"You might wanna start with something like 'Hey Rachel' and go on from there." Now it's Shelby's turn to roll her eyes at how obvious an answer he gets. "You do this at work all the time. What's the difference?" She throws him another glare for good measure when she hears shuffling on the other end.

"Noah," he hears her answer questioningly. Not that Shelby's offering him the phone. The brunette's voice just seems to carry. The volume of which makes him cringe a little. The woman throws him another look at how she's greeted who she believes to be Puck. Almost as if to say, "I thought you hated the name." He just shrugs. In all honesty, he's learned to just let her call him by his first name. She's too formal for anything else. Knowing Rachel "Puck" probably sounds too inappropriate for her to say. "Hello?"

"Hi Rachel, it's Shelby." As soon as she says as much, she wants to hang up. The two had virtually nothing in common. She's called her weekly since Mother's Day and she still hasn't mustered the courage to return it. Now that it's been practically thrust upon her, the box around her feels so much smaller.

"Oh hi Shelby…" she replies slowly. After weeks of trying the teen just gave up. She had begun to see it as stalking once they hit the end of June. Now almost two weeks into July, she'd given up hope of ever getting anything back. Give the randomness of the call she really has nothing else to say. Her constant jabber is stuck in her throat, well trained vocal cords afraid to voice anything else. "May I ask why you're calling?" she asked trying to hide the obvious hint of excitement in her tone.

"Well….Actually, I finally have a minute to return that call," she says lamely. From where he sits he knows even Berry doesn't buy it. Shelby can hear the girl trying to find words at the other end of the line. When she figures nothing will come of them, she once again fills the silence. "I was…ummm thinking you might want to…" She throws a desperate gaze in Puck's direction, hoping for some kind of guidance on ways to give this conversation some kind of flow. He just nods a silent indication for her to keep going. How should he know how to keep it going? The two never talked. To be completely honest, he didn't talk to anyone who didn't live with him or give him a child for more than ten minutes at a time.

Despite the divide Beth's existence put between them, he and Finn were finally able to set it aside and get back to who they were. When they were alone, he sometimes even asked him how Beth was. Even though what they talk about isn't as detailed, it's nice to see that he still cares. She scowls, somewhat frustrated that he's just letting this call continue without any input.

"I was thinking that, if you wanted to…we could…do something today." After she's finally pulled out the rest of her sentence, the stare she gives him says how painfully awkward the situation is. Like he didn't already notice that. Shelby's the one who decided to make it more painful for herself. If she just got back to Berry within the week, he wouldn't have to do this. Nobody was expecting them to spend weekends together and shit.

"We?" she asks curiously. The fact that her voice peals so clearly through the phone allows Puck to gage both sides of the conversation.

"Yeah. I think I remember you mentioning something about voice lessons when we last met."

"But you said…" The fact that she's even remembered with so much on her plate is another surprise for the high schooler. Honestly, the fact that they're even having this conversation is an even bigger one. She has both of their numbers in her phone. Knowing that she's using Noah's phone to get in touch with her makes her wonder but not for very long.

"I know what I said," she replies quickly. Puck eyes her carefully, silent hand motions indicating that she might want to tone it down a little. He knows how useless a tip this is but does it anyway. She just sighs with a roll of her eyes, obviously believing that she hasn't done anything wrong. And maybe she hasn't but he's learned how quickly things can change. "Listen, I know that I haven't really been an active role in your life and honestly, I don't know how comfortable you would be with any of that. Maybe we could…get to know each other a little." Next to her, Puck groans. Getting her to say anything at all is like pulling teeth. It's obvious she doesn't want any of it. Maybe he shouldn't have encouraged this at all. Seeing as they're already talking, he just sits back in his chair, waiting for the possible train wreck to come.

"Really?" she asks excitedly. Puck can hear how desperate she sounds and can't help feeling a little sorry for the girl. Not much though, but a little. "Well I mean, you said no the first time so I can only imagine…"

"No, no," she says shaking her head. "I figure that with everything you've tried, all the messages you've been leaving, the least I can do is try and get to know you as well. I think that voice lessons are a good start. We both understand it enough that the situation won't be too awkward."

"That would be wonderful. I've actually been working on a Barbra piece and can't seem to reach too far into my register to sing it well enough."

"I'll give you directions to my private studio and we'll see what we can do." Puck finds himself cringing again at the high pitched squeal heard on Rachel's end of the line. Shelby just grimaces in disgust as she pulls the phone a few inches away from her. She's somewhat grateful that the next thing she hears is the dial tone. Awkward goodbye turned crisis averted. As for Puck, he can't believe how easily Rachel's accepted the situation. He decides that it's either she's star struck or incredibly naïve about the gravity of the situation, reminding him yet again, how child-like she is.

"See, that wasn't so hard," he said. Shelby simply throws his phone back to him as she hurries to collect her things. The woman's a whirlwind while she gathers her purse and keys. If he wasn't already having such a good day, he might let it irritate him. Once so reluctant to spit out a few words to her daughter, she's now dying to leave. He knows it has nothing to do with Rachel herself but more so the freedom the studio gives her. For just a few minutes, she doesn't have to think consciously about being a parent.

"Now, I just have to figure what I'm going to do with Beth for the afternoon…" He's almost insulted by the way that sounds, like she doesn't have two viable options right under her own roof.

"Quinn and I can watch her," he suggests. Her shoulders go rigid as she just shakes her head. What? It's not like he hasn't fucking done it before. But then he remembers. In her head they're still a couple of irresponsible teenagers who apparently can't look past their own noses. He's lived his entire life around people who can't look past his image but she has a way of angering him. Shelby made those same generalizations about Quinn just because of how Beth came to be.

"No, I'm sure you have your mothers to get back to." The last thing she needs is a couple of teenagers watching a one year old.

"Mine already knows I'm here. I told her I'd be here for the day and we'd do something like dinner tonight or whatever." He wants to laugh because Ava could care less about where he is right now. She's too busy on a nursing shift to even give him his birthday present yet. Honestly, she could get it to him whenever. It's not like she forgot. No matter what her initial thoughts were on the two of them having a baby, she knows this is where he wants to be. The scary part was that he didn't even really have to tell her. "She wants me to be sure she knows her nana says hi." That was literally all the instruction he got while he watched his mom leave for work the night before. The scowl the older woman gives him while she listens just broadens his smirk. "I thought you were cool with me coming here to see her," he mumbles.

"I am," she nods. And no matter what he might see, she really is. It's good that Beth is exposed to both. The fact that it's her father who's so willing to play the role makes life that much easier. She doesn't even have that much of a problem concerning Quinn. Most of her sharp tongue comes from lack of sleep and stress. Even though she expected as much, the fact that she's hardly an agreeable child doesn't make for an easy task. "It's just a lot of pressure," she admitted. "Doing this by myself."

"Then let us help you out. That's why we're here. I know it sounds like we might wanna take over but that's not it. The reason the baby's staying here is because we know what it's like to be raised by people who don't care. Our dads always looked right past us. Her mom's in her own little world all the time. We wanted to try. We wanted to try so fucking bad. But there's too much going on. We have school and...I'm trying to find a better job. I...I wanna be able to give my kid something, okay? It won't be much for a while. But I'm doing better in school. I try harder. I'm not my old man. I don't just have a kid and forget she's alive. It kills her. This shit keeps her up into the late hours...Knowing that what she did and the situation we're in means that she has to walk away. She's right. I'm lucky enough that I don't have to. But...Giving up that little girl is the hardest thing she's ever done. She's always telling me she doesn't deserve to remember, that she was too selfish and just...let go. But I think it makes her brave. Doing what she did makes her stronger than she knows. Quinn has to live with those memories. She has to live through birthdays and holidays. But none of that hurts more than Mother's Day. Because she is and she isn't."

"Puck..."

"Just lemme finish," he says throwing her his palm. Shelby tries to hide the surprise at his gesture as best she can; now sitting on the step at the front door. "I haven't seen her smile like that in a long time. I'm pretty sure the last time I saw anything like that is the day she was born. The day we got to hold her, it was like all the secrets, all the lies were worth it. If B was born happy and healthy, nothing else mattered. And it didn't. When I've got her in my lap, when she's my hand in her mouth, I know I did a good thing. Beth is the only thing we couldn't screw up, even if we tried. That sweet little girl is nothing but perfect. She makes her mama smile in ways that I've trying to for years. She keeps saying she doesn't know the first thing about being a mother...You clearly have no problem saying that...But I think she does. I know she does. She just has to believe it too. And right now she doesn't. Why would she? We're kids who got a little too excited. I know that's what most people are never going to let go of."

Shelby frowned, realization coming at her like a punch in the stomach. Fighting the knot in her throat, she bit her lip, tears teasing the corner of her eyes. She wasn't talking to her at all.

"It wasn't for me," she whispered. Puck silently shakes his head. "I don't...I don't understand..."

"Unfortunately, we talk when we want," he shrugs. "That's what happens when a genius and a dumby make a baby. Sometimes it'll come pouring out, making you wonder if you're raising a prodigy. Other times, she takes from me. Mama says I didn't talk till I was about three. I still hate doing it. Talking. But I'm getting better. Quinn makes it easy. She likes to do most of the talking. And I just kind of let her. Because I know that she's living in a place where she has to hide everything. For the first couple of weeks I tried to get her to move back in with me. She told me she couldn't, that her mom was moving back in and they were going to try and rebuild. It's not working and even she knows it. But that's her mother. The lady makes me wanna strangle her most of the time but, when you dig deep enough, that's who she is. She's hard as hell to love but once you've done all the heavy-lifting, it's the easiest thing in the world."

Puck can see Shelby's eyes glazed over with emotion, the sight of it just making him shake his head. The older woman just shakes her own head. How she's earned a talk like this from a boy who hardly seems to open his mouth with anything decent to say, she hasn't the slightest clue. But here he is pouring his heart out to her. She doesn't know how she's never seen it before. Now that it's written all over his face she feels as clueless as they accused her of being earlier.

"You're in love with her," she observed quietly. He wants to laugh at her now. Apparently he's left it all out in the open for her to see. Why he even bothers letting her know all of this is beyond him. Maybe it's because Quinn and Beth are his two favourite subjects. Talking about them is as easy as breathing. Maybe it has more to do with the fact that he's busting his ass to make a point, to shut her up. Maybe hearing some of this will stop the judgment and accusatory looks. There's also the chance that it will do absolutely nothing but it's already been said. He can't exactly swallow it back up.

"You would be too," he said softly. "If you could just let her have a few hours...It would mean so much to her. She'll never actually say it. She's not too good at 'thank you' but I don't think either of us is. That doesn't mean we're not."

"And what about Quinn?" Despite what she's heard, she can't help feeling that her name tastes bitter in her mouth. Puck can feel his heart in his throat at the very idea of any form of reciprocation. He's come to terms with the fact that anything close is ever going to come. "I'm sure her mother is curious." Mention of Judy sobers him up considerably. He wants to tell her that Judy probably hasn't even noticed that Quinn stepped out of the house this morning; her day most likely spent finding the bottom of a bottle of wine. Puck keeps that much to himself, refusing to share that kind of information with a person like Shelby. Not that she would care too much. He just shouldn't make a point of sharing anything with her, actually.

"She knows," he easily lied, knowing that if she actually did know, she probably wouldn't care.

"I still don't trust the two of you alone with her…" she trailed. And how do you think I feel? he thought. At this point, he couldn't find it in himself to trust Shelby too much, if at all. The only thing really stopping him from taking his daughter was the threat of probation from his bank heist last year. Not that he actually saw anything wrong. Beth's body language as well as Shelby's told him all he needed to know with no physical proof.

"You don't trust me with my own daughter?" he laughs.

"Well, it's not like you've had experience with children." Like you have any he thought scoffing to himself.

"I've got a whole lot more than you," he pointed out, not trying at all to hide his superiority over her. Like earlier, he really doesn't care too much about how it affects her. It's not like she takes anyone else's thoughts and feelings under consideration.

"Really?" she laughed crossing her

"Yup. I've got an eight year old sister. Mom works late nights and stuff. I've had years of experience with kids."

"Whatever," she mutters. Puck knows now that their five seconds at an attempt to bond have been long forgotten. "I hope you don't plan to take her out," she grumbles. "I gave her a bath this morning and I'd hate to do it again when I get back."

"I don't see why we can't give her one if we do decide to take her out." She just raises a curious brow at him and fumbles for her keys.

"You know, I'm starting to think that maybe I should just take her with me. Who knows what the two of you could do to her in one afternoon. Show her the real world he thought.

"No. I want Quinn to enjoy herself for once. I don't need you putting a bitchy kink in it just because it might mean taking my kid out of your perfectly constructed cage."

"I'm not caging her, Puck. It's called keeping her safe. That's what parents usually do with their kids." He rolls his eyes already shooing her out the door.

"Go put your sob story into music." Shelby simply scowls, a finely painted nail digging into her palm. 'We'll be fine for an afternoon." Knowing Berry, she's been sitting there waiting for well over an hour. He really doesn't need to be the reason she's been stood up. "Get some bonding on. You can thank me later." Even if Shelby never did, he knew that Berry would never stop thanking somebody for an afternoon at the studio with her idol.

"Just have her home by six," she mutters. "I should be home from the studio by then and I'll take her off your hands so the two of you can go on home." It's more than obvious that the two of them aren't friends, the argument in the kitchen doing a great job of furthering the gap of civility. The fact that she's so ready to have them leave makes him angrier than he realizes. Sure, she's raising Beth but the right to see Beth is just as much his as it is Shelby's to be her mother.

"I'll have her home when I have her home," he snaps. She glares at him, her gaze daring him to defy her perfectly drawn out guidelines. He laughs to himself. She's acting as if he should be afraid to not do as he's told. Far from it. He even contemplates letting her know that he isn't a child anymore, that he doesn't need an adult to tell him what he should and shouldn't do. But that would just spark another argument. An argument that would quickly wake Beth who he's sure is already asleep. "It'll be before dark," he promised. Maybe.

"If you need anything, there's a list of emergency contacts on the fridge," she sighed. Puck resists the urge to roll his eyes. The list she's referring to he remembers is about three pages long with the name and number of every medical professional in what he likes to think is all of Lima.

"I think we'll be okay. If she needs to be rushed to the hospital, I think I know the number and address." He watches her mouth gape open in shock and risks laughing out loud this time. The fear in her eyes leaves him with a twisted satisfaction. Not that he'd purposefully land Beth in the hospital. Puck knows he'd go into a full-fledged panic attack or raging anger if he got news of that. Something in him twists in anger but he bites back a verbal reply. To be honest, the fact that Shelby doesn't seem to trust him as far as she can throw him makes him feel less of a man. Not that he should allow her that kind of power over him. He should be used to it by now. No one ever makes a point of trusting him. He's fucked up too much to really deserve it from anyone.

"Maybe the three of you should stay inside…" she trails. Puck just scoffs. "If you really want to go out, there's always the yard. He groans remember that Shelby's "yard" is only then feet of grass and pavement with a white picket fence.

"It's really up to them, don't you think?" Shelby just sighs, her hand still on the door knob. Puck silently wonders if impressions have started to form in her palm considering how much of a grip she's got on the handle. She's tense and Puck realizes that he might not be helping the situation, but quickly decides he doesn't care. He'll be spending the afternoon with his daughter, his family, and she doesn't exactly trust him. Not that he feels he has to prove himself to Shelby. The only one he'd work his ass off for is Quinn and right now would give him a prime opportunity to do that. "I think Rachel's waiting for you. I'd hate for me to be the reason you didn't show up." She gives him one last scowl before perfect heels hit the wooden porch. "Took her long enough," he growls as he closes the door behind her.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he opens the nursery wide enough to let himself inside. He chuckles quietly to himself when he sees that Quinn has fallen asleep in the rocking chair set off to the side with Beth asleep in her arms. Gently, he shakes her awake, greeted with a familiar pout. He hates to do it but she really doesn't look comfortable. It takes her a minute to become familiar with her surroundings, but the minute she does, a glare is shot in Puck's direction.

"You might wanna try the couch or the floor if you're seriously thinking about falling asleep," he whispered. She nodded readjusting herself while at the same time trying to keep Beth in her deep sleep. "She give you any trouble?" he asked. Quinn shook her head as a small smile played on her lips.

"She's actually been out for a while. I've tried putting her down a few times but she's not having it," she said with a raised brow. "Every time I try she just gets fussy and if I'm not fast enough, starts screaming. I don't know why….It's not like I was planning to leave the room. Not after...that." Puck nods, already familiar with her bodily contact obsession. Over time, it's made him wonder just how much Shelby's parenting is affecting her.

"She does the same to me. I should've told you to get comfortable. She'll be like that for a while."

"It's almost like she's afraid to be left alone," she whispers. "After all that hovering you would think...But she doesn't move." Letting the words fall out of her mouth makes Quinn wonder if Shelby's ever just tried holding her through the night. The thought itself is freakishly ironic. She seems to be the kind to keep her closer than she wanted to be. And here was Beth, frantic as ever to make sure she wasn't put down and walked away from. He shakes his head in agreement, running his knuckle along her cheek. Beth only stirs for a second before letting out a gentle sigh as she continues to sleep. "Not that she should be….I'm sure Shelby spends a lot of…Maybe a little too much..."

"I don't know," he mumbled. "I don't know what happens when I leave. And I'm afraid to find out…" That's the part he can't let go of. He comes and goes every Friday night, never knowing if by next week Beth would be better or worse.

"Da..." she moaned. Quietly bringing her to his shoulder, the young father smiles while she traces lazily along the length of his neck while she sleeps.

"Yeah baby girl, it's me." Just a foot away, Quinn smiles. The last time she saw any of this he was talking to her belly late at night. "So...What should we do for the rest of my big day?"

"I'm pretty sure now that she's got a clean diaper and some sleep, she feels like she can take on the world." Looking up at her, it takes him a minute to realize that the pink dress is gone. In its place is a pale green dress. He doesn't even mind that Quinn's put a bow on top of her head. Insignificant as it is, the fact that she's no longer in pink puts him at ease.

"Naps always help. Mama doesn't quite get it though. We're going to have to teach her how awesome they are." He readily ignores the blonde when her eyes roll.

"I never said they were bad. He just takes them all the time. Especially when he's not supposed to," she glares. Puck just shrugs.

"We'll show her," he nods. Quinn has to stop her own train of thought from taking over completely. Did he really just say that in a way that implied she'd be back here? As good as all of it sounded, she knew this was a one-time thing. It had to be. After everything she and Shelby had "discussed", she was shocked she hadn't just been kicked out.

"I'm sure Shelby does a wonderful job with her," she mumbles. Even if she's been shown otherwise, she has to say it. She has to be able to walk away from this at the end of the day. Anything less than that and she'd end up in a bigger hole than the one he was always trying to pull her out of. "She doesn't get instructions...She's raising a Puckerman. You really think that's supposed to be easy?" she teased.

He just sighs quietly, wrapping his lip around a hand she's trying to shove in his mouth. Even while she tries to pull it free, Beth giggles uncontrollably. The sound brings a fresh smile to Quinn's mouth while she adjusts the hem of her dress.

"You're a happy girl. Of course now that Daddy's here that's not surprising." For just a minute, she lets herself think about it. Really think about it. If this had gone the other way, there was no question she would have to lay down the rules. More than being a grown man, his childish attitude had no bounds. Not that it was the worst thing for anybody yet. Beth still thought the world was her playground. Or whatever it was that Shelby insisted on keeping her in. "You know she can get you to do just about anything, right? She got you wrapped so tight I'm surprised she can still feel her fingers." She'd been here less than a day and their bond was practically screaming at her. Watching them, she can't help the guilt while she lets it crawl back in. For a boy who cared about nothing more than sleeping and videogames, today she'd seen everything she tried so hard not to a year before.

"It's not like she wants much," he shrugged. No, she really didn't. She wonders if she's like him in that way. Even though class meant nothing anymore (at least between the two of them) there were still startling differences to consider. Quinn came from money. As a little girl she couldn't help loving the idea. Now that she was a lot older, she saw what it really did to people, her own people. Now just thinking about her expansive home made her sick. With just her mother living in it with her, there was hardly any need for it. As many times as she's tried bringing it up, halfway through any speech, she realizes there's no point. As a family, they have an image to uphold, no matter how much a disaster life really is behind closed doors.

The Puckermans lived in a tiny little condo, just big enough for the three of them. How she and Beth ever fit in there comfortably, she doesn't quite know. It takes her only a minute to conclude that the house is fine, the problem is her. She's always been so used to having too much room. She knew better than to bring it up while she was living with them. She would just come across as ungrateful, not that such a front was unfamiliar to her. But she couldn't do it to them. Especially them. Not after how well she was treated during her stay. Understandably Ava wasn't all too excited for them, but as the date approached, all three Puckermans made her reconsider. It all amounted to nothing in the end but she and Puck had a roof over their heads. His mother had even been kind enough to give them no grief about the fact that they stayed in his room. That seemed to be Becca's job, asking them periodically if they were going to get married now that they were having a baby. They both denied any of it without needing to consult the other. They were both too young to be thinking about any of that, period. No matter if they were having a child together or not. But to her, the logic made all the sense in the world. To do so was expected. To be married with a child was necessary.

"She's pretty smart, you know..." she barely mumbles. Puck redirects his focus as Beth finds her favourite place along his chest.

"Of course she is," he smiles. "She's a Fabray." Even though he knows that's not entirely what she means, he can't help hoping that she takes after her mother in that regard. He raises a brow while the blonde shakes her head.

"Your sister," she clarified. Well yeah, that was true too. Their mother was a nurse. His sister got pretty lucky in that way too. "Thinking we should've gotten married. It sounds so logical and simple..."

"She's eight..."

"Doesn't matter. She's right..." she mumbled. He knows better than to ask her if they should actually do something about it. He's learned quickly that she has to process every little thing at least eight times before it's even up for discussion of any kind. "We weren't ready. We-we..." Even before she can finish her thought, Puck gets an all too familiar sinking feeling.

"Quinn, look at me," he whispers. Slowly, the blonde raises her head, her eyes clouded with tears. "Look at her..." Even before she does, she feels her heart pick up at a ridiculous speed. She knows what he's doing, and as many times as he's been right, for once, he's got it wrong. These weren't tears of her usual regret. These were of a regret that filled her to the brim for entirely different reasons. Shelby and what she'd seen today. Puck and how he really was everything she refused to really watch for. She denied him a full year with their child because she was just too afraid. Of everything.

"I'm sorry," she whimpers. "Noah, I'm so sorry..." The second part comes in a whisper caught so far in her throat that she can barely keep from choking again. He wants to tell her she's got nothing to be sorry for, even though he knows why she is. He wants to reaffirm that this isn't her fault, that she was only doing what she thought would be right for Beth. But he also knows that when she spills over like this, it's best to just let her feel them. Instead, he gently places Beth in her mother's lap, bringing her shaking arms around her tiny body. The grip she has on her is nothing he's ever seen before. She didn't even need to grip him that tightly in the first two weeks. "She hurts my baby," she whispers, the words caught behind a familiar knot in her throat. Neither of them knows that for sure but he lets her say it. Because she has to. Because in some way it would make today's mess all come together. Pulling a piece of hair behind her ear, he softly presses a kiss to her forehead, the gesture a final straw in a complete breakdown. "I...I tried," she struggles, her throat as thick as sandpaper.

"I know," he murmurs. "Everybody tried." She nods, even though she knows he's not entirely right. Of all of them, she tried the least. All this time she's been telling herself that she did her best, that she'd done all she could do. But the truth was, Quinn had done nothing. She'd done nothing because it was easier. She'd let her go almost without thought because she couldn't even imagine being a decent enough mother. "You wanna come downstairs with me?" The question turns her ghostly white, her grip on Beth making the baby squeak in surprise. "She can come too," he mumbles. Truthfully, it would probably give them less of an issue if she did. "You want me to take her so you can get up and stretch?" Even though it takes her a minute, she reluctantly nods.

Quinn lets him take her as she rises to pop her cramping muscles. She smiles when she sees that Beth has started to nuzzle him almost immediately. She can feel her heart accelerating at the genuine smile coming across his face. "She knows you so well already," she admires softly. Even now she can tell she sounds nothing like herself. "She probably even adjusts herself for you in her sleep," she says. Puck knows she's trying to keep talking, hoping to pull herself out of whatever trance she's in. Unfortunately, it's not the first time she's been like this around him. Puck looks at her for a second as he brushes the baby's cheek again. As he does, he can't help noticing how nicely the blue brings out her eyes. She hasn't tried to look nice or too dressy. Yet, he can't help staring into them for a few seconds longer than he should, even though he knows she doesn't see him. "Daddy never did..." Instead of nodding like he's sure is expected of him, he stays quiet and lets her keep talking. "I was the bad one...Always bad. I did stuff I wasn't supposed to all the time...He's said I was never gonna find a boy who loved me if I didn't listen..."

"He's not always right..." he mumbles. As much as he already despises Russell Fabray, hearing her talk like this only intensifies the feeling. It's when she shakes her head so quickly that Puck can feel his heart breaking. "He doesn't like me, does he?" Watching her nod, he sits her down carefully on couch and lets her keep going.

"He doesn't know..." she whispers. "He doesn't know that you're good. He doesn't see that you take care of me. He doesn't know that you're a good daddy," she added, her voice barely above a whisper. "He's not gonna believe me if I tell. He doesn't like that you're better than him..." Even though he knows she's stepped outside of herself, the last comment makes him wonder if this played into her final decision. Was the guy so determined to be the best thing in his daughter's life that anyone who might be more than that was seen as a threat? Given their last year of phone calls, it would make sense.

"You wanna take her?" he asks. He's not even sure why he wastes his breath. Quinn's been eyeing her since they got to the couch. Again he helps her wrap her arms tightly around Beth, the baby more than happy to settle into her mother's arms. "There we go. That's better." Quinn's almost arched over her completely; the most protective he's ever seen her. If she's putting pressure on her, Beth hasn't said anything.

"My baby..." He nods in agreement, brushing his lips across her hair. "I made a mistake...A big mistake..."

"Shh..." he whispered. "Quinn, I need you to look at me," he mumbled gently. The last thing they needed was to have her be withdrawn when Shelby showed up again. That would put their entire argument in the toilet. Turning to face him, she stares right at him. Brushing his mouth softly against hers, he pulls back and waits. A full three minutes of excessive blinking pass before she looks to have thrown herself back together.

"Wha...What just happened?" she asked. One minute she was talking about his sister and the next they were in Shelby's living room. He can feel himself studying her carefully again, her gaze more focused than it was before. The only indication that he's over-stayed his welcome is a light blush to her cheeks. Almost instantly, his eyes shift to Beth who's still perfectly content mumbling to herself while she twists the multiple rings on Quinn's fingers.

"Sorry," he mutters. A light smile tells him he's forgiven after she's ducks briefly as a way of recovering. "So...I finally convinced Shelby to call Berry." The sudden change in conversation feels off to him considering what they were just talking about but he goes with it. She never seemed to have proper memory of her short withdrawals.

"Why?" she asks curiously. It's not like Puck to pay Rachel any favors. In fact, it's not like either of them to take her side. Yet somehow, Quinn found herself defending the girl earlier. Why, she still wasn't entirely sure. Maybe it was a heat of the moment thing or the way Shelby's behavior reminded her so much of Judy's. Either way, they both ended up taking the heat for Rachel. She guessed it had something to do with being crammed in a small room with a group of people you were forced to get along with. Or maybe Mr. Schue had a point. Maybe it's just what glee club did to people. They were all a group of ostracized kids just looking for someone to see past their reputations. As much as she hated to admit it, Rachel was one of those kids. One of them.

"I don't know," he sighed. "I guess I just wanted to show Shelby that she doesn't just have Beth. She's got Berry too, no matter how weird their relationship is. She's had this kicked puppy look going on for the last month and a half. I really just got sick of it. She needs to start acting like a mother. If she's still in the dark about the baby, they might as well start with something they both know. It might mean she'll start looking more like her old hobbit-self," he mumbles.

"Where'd you send them?" For the tenth time today, Quinn's left to wonder why all these details are supposed to matter. They were finally alone with Beth. Shelby wasn't around to burn holes in the back of their heads. Even though she knew it was temporary, she wasn't about to not take it.

"They're going to her private studio or something. I think she said something about voice lessons. I swear Berry's life is nothing but music. Makes me wonder if she ever does anything else." Even if she's inclined to ask the same question, Quinn quietly shrugs.

"I'm sure she does. You'd be surprised how much your passion tends to leak into everything you do. Sure she over-does it a little—"

"A little?" he laughed. "She suggested going over new stuff over summer last year. Summer." Thankfully that fell through when Mr. Schue reminded Rachel that even they were allowed to go have a life.

"Okay, a lot," she laughed. "But I envy her…" she admitted. How he does it, just pulls words from her guts and makes it so they fall right out of her mouth, she still doesn't know. But somehow she's here, voicing one of her greatest confessions. She's sure he'll laugh at her for it but it's true all the same.

"You envy Rachel? I'm sorry but, how?" Quinn just let out a heavy breath. As soon as she did Puck couldn't help feeling slightly guilty. He'd gone and triggered something, screwed up. Again.

"She's driven, she knows what she wants and she's working her tail off to get there. Me? I don't know what I want or what the heck I'm doing. I have no idea what happened but…this isn't me. I've always been so focused, so accomplished. I don't even know what I want anymore," she whispered.

"See, that's the thing about you Quinn. You're too structured. Everything has to go a certain way or everything's going to fall apart. Life isn't like that. Sometimes, you have to let the pieces fall on their own. Look at her," he smiled. She does as she's told trying hard to fight the smile that's come across her face. "Was it in your life plan to sleep with me?" Her eyes widen with a furious shake of her head. "Did you enjoy it for what it was?"

"Sleeping with you has made me a sinner," she whispers. Even though she's always known it, this is the first time she's said it to his face. How he's going to react to it, she doesn't know but she finds herself buried in his chest to hide from it. She doesn't stay there for long because his hands gently bring her up to face him. She's always so stunned by how warm he is that she still can't find anything to say, anything and everything she's been wanting to put out there forgotten while she rests in his hands.

"You really don't believe all of that, do you? That one night has sent you a one way ticket to Hell?" She nods despite how much it hurts. She's learned that sex before marriage is a Christian's most damaging sin. Tears begin to cloud her vision as she realizes how much a domino effect it's become on everything she held closest to her. Her religion, the love of her parents, her pride, and most painful yet, her daughter. In some respects, she even lost him, even though he's done nothing but sit and hold her.

"It's cost me everything…."

"Quinn, you have to draw a line," he sighed. "You have to balance your beliefs and a freedom to live your life. I still go to Temple every week. Dragged by my mom most of the time but I go. But I'm not a cardboard cutout. And neither are you. You've made mistakes but so has every person who's ever really lived. Do you regret it? Sure, sometimes you do. Sometimes you look back on things and wonder what your life would be like if you hadn't done that one thing. But then you get to look at this, look at her, and see the good that came of it."

"I don't think you get it," she whispered. "I've become a disgrace to my family, my entire community. No matter what you've done, good or bad, you're mom's always been there for you," she mumbles. "Mine's always so busy...And even when she's not, it's like she's looking at a stranger."

"Why'd you go home? If she's not being the support you need, why are you living there?" Even though he knows the answer, it still confuses him. "She still asks about you..." Quinn rolls her lip, trying to fight the tears tickling the corners of her eyes. For a woman who once looked at her like the girl who ruined her son's life...

"I just….wanted to give her a chance to prove herself. All she's ever done is drown in the closest bottle of booze," she says softly. "Dad's affair is killing her. Not just emotionally, but physically. I don't know if I can watch anymore…" Even though she knows she shouldn't, she let her mind wander to Ava. The woman bent over backwards to make her feel welcome. And she turned her back on that for...whatever Judy had going.

"Don't," he suggested softly. "If something hurts, you find a way to get rid of it."

"I'm not getting rid of my mom, Puck." As appealing as the idea often was, to abandon the woman who gave life to her screams all kinds of moral disgrace.

"No, but you get yourself out." As selfish as he knows it sounds, to try and comfort her over the phone over this woman isn't working anymore. He can do more if just...let herself see.

"And where am I gonna go?" she scoffs. "I'm not pregnant anymore. I have no reason to be a bother." The expression her words bring to his face is pained and one that makes Quinn's heart hammer. Even though he wants nothing more than to take her home, he pushes it back, leaning to something more logical.

"See if you can stay with someone in glee. Mercedes was more than willing to take you outta my house." As much as Beth and all of the tension she caused had been forgiven, part of him still couldn't forgive her for convincing Quinn to find somewhere else to live. No matter how reasonable she was being about it.

"She rescued me," she laughs, her attempt at humour cut short when she notices the far off look in his eyes. "Do you remember how awkward those few weeks were?" She has to say something to validate everything she's done, even if she knows it's not necessary. She was just good at excuses. If she stayed, her plans to put Beth up for adoption would have evaporated. He'd never say as much out loud but once Quinn left, he kind of missed her constant mood swings. Though having her around at first had been the awkward situation of the century and all they seemed to do was fight, once she was gone, it was too quiet, too calm. Not even bringing up pointless arguments with his sister seemed to help.

"Oh yeah, and I'm sure you did just fine without your private masseuse," he smirks.

"I did," she admits smiling brightly. "At least then I didn't bruise anymore." Quinn missed him for so much more than that but knew better than to bring it up. He would have just called her on her impulsive and stupid decision and drag her back over. And the worst part was, she wouldn't have fought him at all.

"Oh, come on! I didn't even press that hard. You had kinks in your back from here to Indiana. If I remember correctly, you fell asleep not too long after," he winked. "Puckasourous has magic hands. You can't deny it, babe." Quinn just rolls her eyes, forgetting for a minute what he'd just called her. "And then I had to haul your sorry ass up to bed." Again she finds herself blushing at the memory and at this point is more than glad to have long hair that hides her reaction. She suppresses a yawn and brushes her face tiredly. "See, even the thought is getting you sleepy."

"Puck, do me a favor and shut up," she mumbles throwing a decorative pillow at him. "I'm running on two hours of sleep. As damaging to your ego as this is, it's not the talk of your "magic hands". I'm actually legitimately tired." With a finger, he indicates a half circle, quietly asking Quinn to turn her back to him. She does so almost immediately, Beth resting on her own chest while he worked her tense muscles.

Almost as soon as he so much as brushes his fingers against her body, she shivers, biting back a near whimper. Behind her, Puck grimaces when he notices how tight her upper body was.

"What the hell?" he mumbles. Gently rolling her neck, all of her muscles seem to pop before she lulls her head back, finally letting out a tiny cry. "When's the last time you did anything about this?" She's chosen to stay silent, refusing to admit that she'd gone as far back as her last night at his house. Parts had loosened on their own. But her last full work up was just before she left for Mercedes' house. She would never hear the end of it. Rolling his eyes, Puck laughed. "It was me, wasn't it?" he whispered smugly.

"No..." she mumbled quietly. The slight flush that crawled up her neck while it popped made him chuckle.

"Don't lie to me, Fabray," he teased. All he gets is a growl of admittance. "That's what I thought. If you need to sleep, you can," he reminds her. Even though the last thing she wants to do is pass out on him, she can't help thinking his arms no better place for it.

"You're just as tired as I am," she pointed out. "She sleeps like you, right?" she laughed. "I'm pretty sure we'll get a few minutes," she shrugs, emitting another yawn. Puck nods in agreement, the early day finally catching up with him a little. He quietly wonders if she plans to move once he's done, hoping she's comfortable enough where she is and can't help feeling at least a little bit excited about it. Getting Beth settled is almost seamless. She's more than content in her mother's lap, taking care of their shared concern of leaving her by herself. She whimpers quietly to herself letting the curtain of her eyes come up, bringing Puck into view.

"Hi sweetheart," he whispered. His fingers comb through her hair calmly, her eyes coming down again almost immediately. His lips brush her forehead while he's hovered over Quinn before he pulls away from her, his attention now focused on the rest of her massage.

"I tried that and it didn't work," she pouts though the fact that she goes completely still at her father's touch is laughable.

"Magic hands," he smirked. Even with his slightly cocky attitude, the fact that he can do that for her still takes getting used to. "You have to stop doubting my skills..."

"Keep working. I might just change my mind..." Quinn knows she won't, that she virtually can't but Puck really needed to stop talking and let her just enjoy the relaxation. "And here I thought you didn't like talking," she teased.

"Well, isn't somebody a little demanding," he whispered, his comment said only inches from her ear. The breeze sends a slight shiver through her body before she quickly recovers.

"Do you want us to move? Because I'm pretty sure we're small enough for the loveseat over there." Not exactly part of the plan, a soft but possessive growl slips out of his mouth.

"Alright then," she giggled. "No wonder Daddy doesn't do so good in school," she mumbles. Puck has a counterargument sitting on his tongue but she wasn't entirely wrong.

"Now I know why you didn't come back..." he grumbled.

"You're such a liar. You missed me. You missed me bad," she teased poking her tongue out. If only she knew just how much... Even though it was probably worse than actually saying so, Puck finds himself gravitated to her lips, a small peck started at the corner that slowly grew to a full clash of mouths. "I knew it," she breathed softly. As good as he was at lying; he didn't have a hope in hell around Quinn. With her massage long forgotten, she let her head come to rest on his chest.

"Your mama's so demanding…." he whispers to Beth when her eyes drift open again.

"Ma..." she cooed tiredly. Even as her eyes stay closed, the lazy smile on the blonde's face is one that he hasn't seen enough of.

"She's cozy, isn't she?" he whispers. Beth offers a soft moan of contentment in reply. "You can go ahead and rest, B. We'll both be here when you wake up." Even if he knew the chances of that were slim to none, the little girl looked like she hadn't slept in days, no matter the energy she had hours before.

"Can you just hold me?" Quinn whispers. She knows it's a request that doesn't need asking but it comes out anyway. After everything he's given them with nothing in return it's the smallest thing she can do. The way he tries to take them in closer is all she needs to hear.

"Always," he whispered quietly digging out the pile of knots in her neck. In only minutes she can feel a haze washing over her. Noticing this, she hears Puck say something along the lines of "That didn't take long at all," but in mental fog she really can't be too sure. All she knows is that in time, she's found herself leaning against him heavily, his fingers weaving through her hair. "Like mother, like daughter," he laughed. She sleepily swats him away and curls further into some kind of fetal position.

He's starting to feel sleep weigh down on him too but his current situation doesn't allow him much room to stretch out. The girls have taken up the majority of the couch they had intended to share. So instead he reaches over their sleeping forms for the remote on Shelby's spotless coffee table, half tempted to coat it with finger prints just to piss her off. He decides against it, knowing he has a lot more decency than that. Reaching over Quinn's sleeping form, he flips mindlessly through the ten cable channels she has. She probably has some rule against TV too which makes him feel even sorrier for Beth. Even now, he knows how deprived her childhood is going to be. He sighs, settling for some stupid Hallmark classic because that's really all there is. In fifteen minutes he's bored to the point of sleep, which he quickly chooses over the thirty year old movie.

The front door swings open, startling Puck out of his sleep. Rubbing his face tiredly, he glares at the offending interruption. Shelby is making her presence incredibly obvious, heels clicking with determination on the hardwood floors of the foyer and living room. Either her afternoon with Berry went to shit or she's just being mindlessly oblivious.

"Can you take those off? She's asleep!" he hissed. The scowl she seems to always be wearing in their presence only deepens when he sees how they have all fallen asleep. Beth looks comfortable—almost too comfortable—where she is. That could only spell a fight when Puck and Quinn finally leave for the night. She almost wants to ask why she never made it to bed but the warning she gets Puck stops the question.

"Oh, my apologies," she whispered, eyeing Quinn who is still very much asleep, her head on his chest. She tries hard to hide her disapproval but isn't doing so well. The small family sits like lined up dominoes, the sight making the older woman scowl.

"It took us an hour. I'd like to see her sleep for as long as she can. Less work for you." Silently, he hopes his little girl gives her hell but for her sake, he wants to see her sleep.

"Thank you," she says much quieter now. Puck just nods mindlessly rubbing Quinn's shoulder as she sleeps.

"The two of you can go now, if you like," she says, opening the door for them to leave within the next ten minutes. He only sighs, gently shaking her again. She mumbles sleepily, swatting his hand off of her.

"Quinn," he whispered. "Shelby's home. I think it's time we get on home too." The grip she has on the little girl is heart-wrenching to witness. "C'mon, babe. We can take her up and go, okay?" Even if Shelby has something to say about it, he's easily ignoring her.

"No," she mumbles. "Comfy," she sighs, digging her face further into his chest, the muscles of her arms so tight he has to wonder if Beth's uncomfortable. He shifts a little, realizing just how close together they all are and laughs.

"You can sleep in the truck," he whispers. That's not even half the reason for her reluctance but he has to coax her somehow. She nods sleepily, struggling to her feet. "Can I take the baby?" he murmurs. Though she hasn't said anything, she gives him no fight when he moves her to his shoulder, his free arm wrapped tightly around Quinn.

"Woah….Room's all spinny…" she giggled. Shuffling them all up the stairs, he quietly tiptoes into his daughter's room. Either she's too tired for her usual protest or too warm and safe to be angry.

"Goodnight baby girl…We love you. So much." The day has been such a whirlwind he doesn't even realize he's wearing his letterman jacket, which he slips off without question and places next to Beth who wastes no time in burying her face in it.

"Da..." Pulling the blanket in more tightly around her, he's torn between picking her up and taking her home and finding the strength to walk out again.

"We'll be back, pretty girl. We promise...Right now I have to carry your mom to the car and get her home to bed. You try and stay asleep for us, okay? Thanks for an awesome day. We'll do it again soon. I'm pretty sure we'll both be here," he smiles recalling just how much Quinn thrived today.

"Yeah….carry…" He groans, taking her up bridal style and heads down the stairs for the door. Her hands find their way around his neck, a gentle sigh leaving her lips. Typical Puck sees flirty flags for a minute before mentally sobering up. Shelby's icy glare (which he quickly discovered she's terrible at hiding with her plastered smiles) makes him pick up his stride.

"Thanks for watching her," she says when they've reached the porch. Digging a couple of twenties out of her purse, she offers them to Puck sticking them into his palm while it supports the sleeping blonde in his arms. With a somewhat disgusted expression, he shakes his head. Who the hell would pay him for spending time with his daughter? "I insist," she mumbles.

"No. I'm not letting you pay us for spending time with her." Hearing his plural she sighs heavily. "There must be something I can do for you…" Lemme spend more time with my kid. "I know how difficult she can be." Puck bites back an outright laugh. If only she knew. He smirks, deciding that she only puts up hell for Shelby. He'll have to thank her for that when she's older.

"Nah, it's okay. Save it for diapers or something. Or decent cable. She nods, closing the door as he turns his back. Pulling up next to his truck, he brushes her hair back gently. "Okay Quinn. I'm going to need you to swing the door open," he whispers. With eyes still closed, she claws blindly in search for the door handle, making Puck chuckle. Placing her inside carefully, he throws a blanket from his backseat over her shoulders. Pulling away, he cranks up the heat just a little.

---

It's been two hours and Shelby's allowed herself to kickback for the night. The volume on the TV rises, in direct proportion to Beth's incessant crying. She hasn't let up since the two of them left. The fact that she's waited until then makes her even more frustrated. She's been working with the "self-soothing" concept but after two hours she shows no sign of letting up.

"Can't sit back and watch some late night TV with some peace and quiet anymore," she sighed. Angrily throwing the remote down, she makes her way up to the nursery. There, she's greeted with a red-faced Beth who's calling out for her father with no intention of stopping. "Beth baby, he went home," she whispered, brushing her forehead gently. Stopping momentarily, tear filled eyes fall on Shelby, which immediately start her cries all over again. She raises her brow in concern, noticing that every once and a while she's cried herself so hard that she stops breathing. She picks her up bouncing her a little while making her way to the rocking chair. "You've been at this for two hours, Beth. I would have thought you'd cried yourself to sleep by now," she mumbles. The sound of her voice quiets the little girl, who has now focused her attention on the way her lips are forming words she doesn't yet understand. "Just go to sleep…" she muttered. "Please." Beth has found sleep again still buried in Shelby's chest encouraging the brunette to put her back down. She sends a silent thank you to the universe as she closes the door, making her way back to the living room.

She's more than a little put off by the fact that two teenagers had more hope of keeping her out than she did. She doesn't know one night in the last year that didn't end in the little girl being utterly exhausted, sleep washing over her by force. From sun up to sun down it seems to be struggle after struggle with only the shortest moments of peace. Was this the world's way of saying that she'd made a mistake in adopting her? Having met her parents beforehand, she knew it wasn't going to be easy but it sure as hell shouldn't have been this hard.

The crying commences not ten minutes later, the little girl's pleading becoming more painful than the last. Shelby's shocked she hasn't lost the ability to hear yet. Increasing the volume on the late night news, she manages to block it out, hoping that soon enough she'll tire herself out like she usually does. No such luck as an hour progresses with no change. Tiredly, she marches back up the stairs, greeted again by deafening cries.

"You just won't shut up, will you?" she groaned, the words falling out of her mouth before she can stop them. She's just so absolutely spent. The fact that she has to pull herself together for at least another hour is far too daunting. Her continuous pleading for Puck only makes her angrier. What makes him so much better than she is? He doesn't even live here. The three of them had a good day, yes but Beth couldn't cling to that all the time. How long is it going to take the little girl to realize who her constants are? "You know what Beth?" she growls, sweeping her up into her arms. The shock startles her into silence for three seconds before she cries again. "He's not coming back right now. I don't know how long it's going to take you to understand it but you're going to have to get some sleep or I won't let him come anymore." She knows she sounds utterly ridiculous but Shelby has honestly tried just about everything else. "I'm here and I'd really appreciate it if you went to sleep. It's already ten o'clock, four hours past your bed time...You had a big day. You should be happy to close those eyes." Shelby places her back in her crib, throwing a selection of toys in front of her. "Maybe if you play with these long enough, you'll finally fall asleep."

"Da…" she whimpered, her small lip beginning to tremble again. The older woman bites her lip when the baby seems to fall face first into her father's jacket, silenced for only a moment before she begins again.

"Beth..." she whispers, revealing her face so that at the very least she can try breathing normally. The expression on the woman's face sends her into another round of tears. "Beth, listen to me," she sighed wrapping the blanket around more tightly. "Mommy's really had a long day and I'd really like to relax and get some sleep too." Even though she knows how venomous it makes her look, part of her is happy she's asking for Puck rather than Quinn. It makes the word easier to hear despite the tears pouring down her face.

"Da…"

"You know what? It's virtually impossible to catch a breather in this house anymore. You don't stop needing," she groans. Unsure of whether or not it's how close she is to the baby's face or the light pressure she's applied to her legs to keep them still, none of it seems to quiet her. "Can't you go to sleep like other good little girls?" Beth just looks up at her helplessly, arms coming out to be held. "I'll call them tomorrow, okay?" And if she ends up falling asleep, she will, even if the idea of Quinn coming in again will be a day full of power struggles.

"Ma... "

"I know," she mumbles, even though it tears her up to know it's the one word she's always wanted to hear and learning that she's asking for somebody else. Trying to find the strength to act as though it doesn't bother her, Shelby turns her back, losing the door behind her. Once the door has closed, Beth picks up her frustration again. "Just make it stop…" Shelby pleads, holding her head while it hammers insistently "Please, just make it stop…." Making her way back down to the kitchen, she rummages through her medicine cabinet, quietly cursing when she realizes that the canister is empty. She forgot to get her refill. Again. She needs those pills if she has any hope of keeping it together. She pulls out a piece of golden starred stationary, dialing the numbers with an angry thumb.

"Hello…" Rachel answers sleepily.

"Hi Rachel, I hate to be a bother but I need to step out for a minute. Do you think you could watch Beth for a couple of hours?"

"Sure but it's…Almost midnight."

"I know. I remembered something I have to get done at work that needs immediate attention." The last thing the girl needs to hear is that her estranged mother is medicated. The cards seem to continue stacking in favour of a pair of teenagers and the idea of such a thing leaves her mortified.

"Okay… I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Thank you! You're an angel," she smiles.

Rachel's been left with Beth for a good half hour now. Unlike Shelby, she's taken to holding her, hoping that doing so will trigger some kind of calm. She has no idea whether she's doing it right or not. She's never babysat or been left with a small child before. Being held doesn't seem to tone her down completely (She's still crying a great deal and won't let up on her new favorite word).

"You can quiet down now, Beth," she whispers. "I have no idea what's gotten you so upset but…."

"Da…"

"You had a fun day with your daddy? That's nice. I always love spending time with mine." It wasn't hard to guess where Puck spent his Saturday after the surprise phone call she got.

"Da…" she cries more painfully. The plea seems to have come straight from her gut, the call rattling her tiny frame so hard that Rachel gasps quietly. The young girl is so frantic to fix it that she gives a small sigh of relief when she finally gets it. She almost feels stupid for not getting it in the first place, lecturing herself silently while she's dialing his number, running her hand awkwardly along the little girl's back. It rings several times before he picks up.

"'llo?" he mumbles. It takes him a minute that it's not his usual late night wake up call, the blonde curled up in bed next to him. Letting out a decently sized yawn, he squints while he reads the caller ID.

"Noah?" Of course. His first clue was how harsh it sounded. Quinn had a way of making it sound soft, like she was wrapping him in it. Rachel just threw it around like a headless mouse.

"For Christ's sake Berry, it's close to midnight," he muttered. "What do you want?" he growled, wanting nothing more than to find sleep again. He's had a perfectly fine day, literally full of everything he's ever wanted and he can't even close it on a happy note.

"It's….Beth," she said slowly. Almost like someone has doused him with ice cold water, he's up now and fully awake.

"What about Beth? Is she okay? Is she hurt? Is she...?"

"She's fine….I think. She's been quite upset. From what Shelby tells me, she hasn't slept for four hours. She's been up crying. She sounds like she's in a fair bit of pain but I'm sure she's just tired as ever." Pain? What kind of pain? He can only hope that Shelby's too tired to try anything.

"Where's Shelby?"

"Out," she whispered. "She had to take care of something in the studio and called me over." Anger boils as he realizes that Shelby's left his daughter with a virtual stranger. What the fuck would she need from the studio? "She's doing a number on her vocal cords. I'm sad to say her days on Broadway might be out of the question if this continues..." she admits with a hint of sadness.

"I'm heading out to my truck now," he said quickly, throwing on a pair of pants he left on his bedroom floor a few hours before. "Is she wrapped in my jacket?"

"Your jacket? No. Should she be?" Puck tries not to growl. Mother and daughter are more alike than they think.

"I gave it to her. Helps her sleep. Can you just wrap her in it please? I'll be there in like five minutes," he says swallowing hard.

"Da…."

"I hear you, sweet girl," he whispers. How loud she's gotten makes her distress hard as hell to miss.

"Oh and Noah?"

"Yeah, I know. I'm hurrying," he replied, cringing as his stomach drops while he hears Beth in the background.

"She's not hurt. But I uhh...I'm sure she'll feel better if…" He didn't have to be told twice. As he slams his phone shut, he shakes Quinn, who for the night he's sharing his bed with. Taking her home was out of the question, seeing as, since she was asleep the conversation between him and Judy would be more than awkward. Especially if she managed to get herself drunk to the point of no return.

'Quinn," he whispered, nudging her gently.

"Five more minutes," she mumbled.

"You might wanna wake up," he said quickly. "Berry just called. From the sounds of it, Shelby's MIA…"

"What?" she asked with wide—and now very awake—eyes. Yes she was half asleep when they left but Shelby's return cut right through her attempt to sleep soundly. Where the hell did she still have to be? In the dark, she throws on whatever her hands can find.

"I don't know the details but it doesn't sound good." She nodded feverishly, stumbling alongside him toward the front door and out to the truck. Before she's even got the door closed, he's gunned the engine and whipped out of the driveway. Quinn can feel her heart pick up immeasurably at the thought of what could possibly have gone wrong. Was she sick? Was she hurt? Had Shelby….? No. The headlight of oncoming cars allows her to see what a death grip he's got on the wheel. Without thinking, her hand cups his knuckles, running what she hopes is calm circles around them. Puck just offers her a hard and barely relaxed expression. Time seems to drag on painfully as they wait to close the gap between driveways. The tires squeak loudly as he pulls in making Quinn cringe for a minute.

As the two make their way up the porch, they're immediately greeted by a frazzled Rachel.

"See honey, they're here!" Rachel only backs away, allowing them room to come inside. Almost instantly, they're greeted with a red-faced little girl who's almost thrown herself at Puck. He takes her wordlessly, the little girl clinging to him with every bit of strength she has. The only verbalization she's capable of is Puck's name over and over.

"Shh," he says, loud enough to be heard over her desperate calls. "I've got you baby. Shh," he whispers brushing her hair and tiny beads of sweat from her forehead. Ten minutes have passed before she's finally allowed herself to calm down, curling herself extremely close to him. "That's my girl," he says gently. "Nice big breaths." His daughter having calmed down considerably, Puck finally allows himself to step inside, Quinn following quietly behind him.

"I had no idea what to do…" Rachel cried. "She just kept crying and crying and crying and I just…."

"What the hell happened?" he growled. Part of him doesn't wanna be bothered with it. His only real concern is Beth. But there's something in him that knows the answer he's going to get and just needs to hear it for himself.

"Shelby called me to come over and look after Beth. From what I understand she had to go back to work for something…"

"Not believing that for a second," he muttered. "Unless she's a platinum selling artist, she doesn't need to be there at 12-fucking-30 at night..."

"Well, I don't know, Noah. She just called me and I came over. The crying hasn't stopped until now…"

"So you're telling me, Shelby just let her cry for four hours straight?" Quinn voiced incredulously. She just shrugged, still fighting the ringing in her ears. "Unbelievable," she whispered, tears finding a way to her own eyes.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"Out," Rachel said again.

"Wrong. You best try that again," he whispered, glaring at the brunette. He's way too tired for this shit. The little girl in his arms just amplifies his anger.

"She's out, Noah. I don't know where," she said quickly.

"Well someone better know where she is or I call the cops." The icy glare he's directed at her makes Rachel shrink back considerably.

"Just…breathe, Puck," Quinn whispered, cupping his fist with her shaking hand.

"Don't," he bit. "Don't tell me to calm down. Not when this bitch has quite possibly put my kid's life in jeopardy!" Rachel blanches at his bluntness while Quinn can only sigh with a shake of her head.

"She's fine, Puck. She's just fine," she whispered.

"She's not fine, Quinn," he snarled.

"Who are you holding and what is she doing?" He looks down to see that Beth has stayed asleep, keeping her desperate hold on him. As she drops a light kiss on her forehead, he lets himself breathe.

"Ma..." As comforting as it was to hear a few hours ago, something about Beth asking for her now leaves her flustered.

"We're both here, baby," she whispered, her touch making the little girl tense momentarily before she relaxed. "What kind of person just lets her cry…?"

"She must just be stressed out," Rachel whispered.

"Don't go making excuses for her, Berry! She left Beth with practically a stranger and before that probably just let her keep crying in the privacy of her own room."

"Puck she would never…" Quinn said shocked.

"I wouldn't put it past her," he muttered, holding Beth closer. The little girl offers him a set of dough eyes, eliciting a whimper as she wraps her hand around his finger and shoving it in her mouth, her next sob an echo around it. "Shh...I know, B. I know..." He kisses her hand, fighting tears of his own. At the sight of Puck's solid walls coming down, Quinn can't help losing it herself. Never in her life had she seen Puck so protective, so determined…so vulnerable.

"Puck?" she whispers. "You okay?" She knows it's a stupid question but they're the only words that come to the surface. He blinks, looking up at her failed attempt to stay calm.

"No," he whispered. Even though his tears have been wiped away, the fear in his gaze is still there. "I won't be okay until I get some answers."

"Noah," Rachel voices calmly. "This is one incident…I doubt something like this will be repeated."

"It's not the first time," he whispered. "I've done this a couple of times already," he sighed. "She's called me, frazzled out of her mind, begging me to 'make it stop'. I don't think she gets that Beth just wants..."

"Sweet Jesus," Quinn muttered. "How could she just…?" she whispered, kissing Beth's forehead tenderly. She smiles when the little girl seems to relax at her touch. She calls to her through a relaxed sigh, the sound of it making it hard to see straight.

"I have no fucking clue," he growled. Quinn brushes her onsie-clad leg gently making the little girl whimper painfully. She brushes the same place again, watching the little girl flinch and squeal tearfully. Tenderly exposing her ankle, tears crawl down her face.

"Puck?" she says in barely a whisper. He looks at where she's directed his attention and goes cold. There, staring them right in the face is a deep bruise.

"Fuck…" Instinct has him running a thumb along the injured area which is met with another one of Beth's protests. "I'm sorry, baby. Daddy won't touch it again," he whispers. The quiet conversation is shattered by the swinging open of the front door.

"Noah, Quinn, what the hell are you doing here?" Shelby snapped. Sweeping Beth into her arms, holding her close enough to her, she glares at the two. Being ripped away from her father so suddenly has started another round of piercing cries. He watches the older woman grimace at the sound rolling his eyes with disgust.

"What are we doing here?" Quinn inquires with a fair bit more patience than the boy beside her. "We leave her asleep and not even an hour later she's screaming." She's tempted to point out that what they heard is very much like what's being presented in front of them but she figures it's pretty obvious to everyone in the room.

"Gimme my kid," Puck whispers. "I'll get her to relax and then you can tell us where you were." Shelby stiffens at the thought of recounting her latest errand. Instead she settles for a scowl and backs further away from the young couple, Beth held closely to her.

"Like hell!" she shot back. The rise in her tone is a bit of a surprise to them, even if she's done it before. To think they could handle this like normal people.

"Shelby, don't make me ask you twice," he said lowly. "Give me Beth. I can help get her to sleep and it'll be over. We'll even leave after if you want." Quinn looks at him oddly. Between the two of them, he was the most desperate to get here. Privately, he squeezes the blonde's hand, silently asking that she just trust him. Nodding slowly, she cleared her throat.

"And why the hell would I do that? You've spent plenty of time with her today. What? Couldn't get enough?" Puck has to clear his throat to keep a level head. For a woman so driven (albiet by her career), she did a really good job of turning circles around herself.

"Please Shelby..." Quinn whispered. "We just wanna help." Stepping forward, she waits patiently for the baby to be handed to her. Once she is, Beth whimpers softly, her mouth dragged along her mother's skin. She can feel the tension even without making eye contact, shuffling back to her place on the couch next to Puck. Laying her gently across her lap, the tremble of her lip has Quinn smiling sadly. "Better?" Turning over with a shallow grunt, it's her turn to startle when tiny hands clutch at her top and taking firm hold of her breast. Using it as an anchor, Beth has tried to pull herself even closer.

"Mama..." So focused on any possible reaction from Shelby, Quinn hardly notices the spot that has formed where Beth's mouth settled. Only prompted by her absolute disgust, Shelby realizes that she's actually trying to get through the young woman's top.

"What the hell is that?" It's Puck who hears the stumble in her speech, his blood running cold in realization. Even if it looks a little off, he turns an eye to his daughter's mother letting his fingers glide through her short hair.

"Pretty sure she's just trying to find what you were just too busy to give her," he whispered. He only hopes they get to the bottom of this soon because the sight of the little girl in such a desperate search for Quinn's affections is one he never thought he would have to see after so long. "What's the bar got that you can't find here?" Shelby blanched at the accusation, her face twisted in anger.

"Excuse me? Is that really how you think I spend my time?" What kind of mom does this boy think she really is? It's clear he doesn't think very highly of her but even those words are a little bit much.

"No. I know you do," he growled. "At least, that's tonight's story. Here we are making all of these speculations about why she doesn't last two minutes with you and now it all makes too much sense. What'd she do? Cry too hard? Did you think that scaring her so bad she hurt that it would just stop? No. She howled over the phone while you left her here with Berry. What'd you have to forget so badly? It's midnight. We know it's not work."

"That's ridiculous, Noah. I would never lay a hand on my daughter!" Quinn feels physically ill when she finally dares to look the older woman in the face.

"So you decide to do whatever the hell you want with mine," she stated with a blazing anger.

"How many times do I have to remind you that she's not yours?" she bellowed. Even while she's trying to keep her calm, Quinn looks ready to jump at her. She's at a fine distance for the smell that wafts through the air. Handing Beth to him for no more than a second, the blonde slowly advances. Stepping in closer, the young mother sends a hand clear across her face.

"You've been drinking," she whispers with deadly calm, the look, the smell too familiar to overlook. Next to her, Puck nearly snarls, topping his disgust with a scoff and scowl. If it weren't for the baby he's holding, he would be a lot more vocal about it.

"Well congratulations, she's not going to be yours much longer," he laughs bitterly, hearing a knock at the front door. The lights of a squad car light the shocked expression on her face.

"You called the damn cops?" Puck rolls his eyes and laughs.

"Do we look like we can pick up a phone right now?" he mumbles nodding to Beth who squirms relentlessly in his arms. "Just give her a minute," he whispered.

"That would be me," Rachel said quietly. At the sound of a new voice, Shelby spins so hard she nearly sends herself flying.

"You! I trusted you! I asked you to look after her while I was out and this is what you do to me?" For only a minute Quinn contemplates what giving in would actually mean for everyone in the room. A relaxed baby, yes but two sets of eyes she never thought would see her like this. Beth is too determined to care about what Quinn might be thinking, a soft whimper falling out of her tiny mouth when she doesn't seem to be listening. She just shakes her head. She acts like she's going to be getting something out of it.

"Maybe just going through the motions..." Puck suggests quietly. Nodding with a soft sigh, she rolls Beth back far enough to inch up her top, now covered in small wet spots. Almost as if by magnetic force, she latches on, a single guttural breath before she starts pulling on her nipple slowly. Even though she knows it's an act long past due, letting her think she's feeding throws Quinn back into her own memories. Despite being absolutely sure, the nurses had given her instructions on nursing. She remembers trying not to think about it, afraid that letting herself feel any part of it will change her mind. It hurts a lot more too, but in this moment, the pressure hardly seems like anything. "Is that better?" she murmured.

"Happy girl..." Rachel whispered. In this moment it doesn't even bother Quinn that Berry is seeing her like this. It's even less of a concern for Puck, who holds a steady gaze with Shelby. "What I do for you and what I do for Beth are two completely different things."

"I'm shocked you were able to get yourself home," Puck grumbles. "Looks like you got it to stop," he smirked.

"You think I went out and got drunk?" she asked shocked.

"I know you did," he smirked. "I know what drunk looks like. And, I don't know about you but, given your situation, I'm not sure you're in any condition to look after small children." The clasp of metal bracelets stops Shelby from sending a punch to his jaw.

"Shelby Cocraine, you're under arrest for the neglect and abuse of Beth Puckerman-Fabray Anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law…" Puck's almost surprised but equally glad to see that she's too out of it to put up much of a fight.

"I wanna see my lawyer!" she bellowed.

"You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you…" Rachel more than gladly throws the door closed as the three of them exit. When new silence washes over them, the only sound is one of many soft moans from Beth, who's eyes are heavy with sleep.

"Now what?" she asked. Quinn can't help being slightly jealous of the girl. She looks wide awake, nowhere near ready to sleep.

"Now, we call Artie's dad. I want those papers shredded and re-directed, tomorrow," Quinn said with determination. How they're going to accomplish that she has no idea but she sure as hell is not letting her daughter sit through another night of this.

"No need," Rachel smiled. "I've got a list of lawyers my dads have used over the years," she said already dialing, who they believe to be one of her fathers. Puck and Quinn groan simultaneously, realizing that if one of her hundreds of lawyers takes their case, they'd owe her for life.

"Thank you," Quinn whispered, surprising herself by offering Rachel a genuine smile. Even more outlandish is Puck, who's come to wrap his arms around the brunette. Rachel goes stiff for a minute, not at all expecting this display of appreciation before returning it.

As he holds her to him, Puck can't help but feel a more a wave of the greatest relief come over him. He's lost track of how much time has passed since watching Shelby be dragged away. Time, he decided was irrelevant. He would willingly sit there an entire day in this very room if it meant making sure his daughter was safe. Turning back to face them, he smiles when it sounds like Beth has finally managed steady breathing. With each one, Puck can't help but feel more and more helpless, guilty even. They shouldn't have to be here. They shouldn't be the ones to come fix this.

"I'm sorry, baby," he whispers. "So sorry." His mind rolls back to just a few hours before, the unease from earlier coming back in full force. "I should have stayed," he mumbles. If I'da just listened to myself… " he sighs, letting his voice fall to a whisper as he kisses her forehead. "Close your eyes, pretty girl," he murmurs combing a hand lightly through her hair. Though her eyes have closed, Beth remains on edge. Quinn can only breathe another heavy sigh as the heat of her small body melts into her. Rubbing her tummy softly, she's relieved when her eyes finally fall closed. "Look at that..." he smiles. "We both have magic hands."

Even if she's visibly shaken, he can feel a weight being lifted off his shoulders. Beth's here, safe, with them. Where she should be he thinks. In fact, he more than thinks it. He knows it. Puck knows that's exactly how it should be. It takes him until now to pull himself out of his own head. Reality has Rachel talking a mile a minute making him cringe a little. "It's midnight. How the hell can she find the energy to keep talking?" he mutters. "Better question being, how are people still awake?"

Quinn offers Puck a small smile as she watches him from her place on the couch. A twinge of sadness washes over her when she realizes he's hardly moved, watchful and protective of all of them in a way that makes her heart heavy. She honestly wouldn't be surprised if the position they sat in now was the exact same one as an hour before. She finds herself biting through her lip as he hovers over her protectively, almost as though Shelby might be back for a final blow. Any resentment she felt for their bond earlier that day was almost nonexistent now. Instead she was simply grateful, the feeling spotted with bits of guilt for denying them the kind of relationship her daughter (Was it safe to call her that yet?) and Puck clearly needed. She even lets herself wonder just how much she might need it. Quinn hadn't been a part of it for more than a day but in cases like these, a day was enough.

"She's out," Quinn whispered hesitantly brushing a finger over Beth's cheek. She pulls back a little when the baby cringes at her touch, a light whimper voicing her complaint. She decides instead to invite Puck to sit down with them. As much as she asked for the opportunity to bond, she knows that her frazzled nerves are bettered by the presence of her father, hands quietly twisting a dark curl on her head.

"I don't know," he whispers honestly, inhaling quietly. "After this shit she's usually in and out, just to check..." Puck's nose wrinkles almost instantly, the urge to hold her at arm's length. Quinn throws him a set of curious eyes, watching his face twist in disgust. As soon as she does, the smell hits her with new strength causing her to pull back in surprise. "How hammered was this bitch?" he groans. Quinn's eyes flicker with a warning for only a couple seconds before he sees them cloud with concern.

A sense of relief comes over her as she watches Rachel work on what must be her twentieth phone call of the night. "She does know people sleep around this time, right?" he mutters. Quinn just laughs slightly amused at their friend's constant failures. She's tentative about offering Beth the slightest touch, afraid she might end up rejected again. A subtle nod from Puck brings a shaky hand to her daughter's back, hazel eyes snapping open as she nuzzles her mother tiredly. Puck watches Quinn's face fall for only a second when he sees that she's practically buried her entire face against her. "Mama's not gonna let anything happen to you, baby girl," he whispers gently turning in her direction. Quinn can't help the soft smile that Puck's reassurance has put on her face. It's almost immediately washed over by overwhelming fear. She's comfortable now. They did fine today but...What happens now that it's more long term. She can't just give Beth back when she messes up. Again.

"Puck…?" she mumbles. He meets her eye with a soft smile of his own as he brushes a bit of hair from his daughter's eyes. "What if…?" Quinn asks timidly. Despite almost demanding the little girl be put back in their custody (she be damned if she put Beth through the system. She knows for a fact that Puck would never forgive her. It would be even harder for Quinn to find a way to forgive herself.) she was almost walking in blind. Her parents were never what would call supportive or even all that present. To be completely honest, she found them to be rather cold. How is she supposed to love when she was never taught how? "What if I can't?" she whispers.

"You can," he says with an air of confidence. One thing that came of their late night talks was a freedom to be open. It may have started off as both of them losing someone but, even if they hadn't planned on it, they'd let themselves slip into something deeper. Something she felt only he could understand. And he did, even if that wasn't a part of the plan. "Just keep your arms…" he instructs, gently bringing them to settle appropriately. A sleepy sigh leaves her sleeping form when she shifts again.

Watching her eyes snap open, Quinn feels herself go into some kind of panic as she awkwardly hands Beth back to Puck. "I…I can't. She...She wants you," she mutters moving to the far end of the couch. Groaning quietly, Puck slides further down letting their knees barely brush.

"You can, Quinn. She does that when she's moved around a bit. You didn't do anything wrong. You've done everything right so far." She's even done what he never expected. And it helped the little girl in ways even he couldn't. Quinn can't help feeling the slightest bit jealous when she takes in the perfect picture of the two of them. Beth looks so relaxed, so peaceful held protectively against Puck. If she wasn't still trembling a little from a few seconds ago, she would have laughed at the difference in size. Beth resembled a doll when compared to him. "You wanna try one more time?" he asks gently. Almost positive with her answer, she shakes her head again, curling into herself, head resting on her knees. She did what she was supposed to do. She did what any mom was supposed to do and it didn't work. "Come on..." he smiles, already preparing to hand her off. "C'mon Quinn. I really have to pee," he mutters.

Were she not slightly pissed off and still terrified, she would have laughed. Instead, she rolls her eyes letting shaky hands take the sleeping baby from him again. The minute she's in her lap, Quinn sends up a silent little pray, hoping Beth can be still and silent for two minutes. "You're doin' great," he whispered bringing a light kiss to her forehead. At the few seconds of contact, Quinn can feel her cheeks redden as she glares at his departing figure. Both for putting her in charge of a baby she felt she would drop or disturb the minute he had his back turned and for bringing a heat to her cheeks. When he's finally out of earshot Quinn blows a heavy sigh through her lips.

"It's just you and me, baby," she whispers brushing a thumb along her cheek. "We've done this before..." It's supposed to help her be okay with the way things have transformed in the span of a few hours but really, it does very little. She feels herself go stiff as Beth shuffles in her arms. Letting her hand go back to just hovering over her back, Quinn bites her lip nervously, closing her eyes while she mutters a silent plea. "Beth….Please don't—" Letting her nuzzle further into her neck, she blows a breath of relief when the baby stills in her arms. "Thank—" As soon as sleepy eyes settle on Quinn, she watches a pair of small lips quake, her face going red. "No…" she whispers bringing her closer. She begins a set of what she hopes to be soothing patterns. "He'll be right back..." Was she so frantic to make sure that they were both so constant? Despite the patterns and soothing tone she's offered, Beth has only gotten louder causing Quinn to become frazzled again.

Seeing Puck come strolling back in, Quinn feels her body relax, legs already working to meet him halfway. "See Beth?" she tried to smile making herself loud enough to be heard over the little girl's desperate pleas for her father. "He's right here, sweetheart." The minute he comes into her line of sight, Beth's cries seem to grow louder as she throws herself at him. As he lets her cling to him, Puck begins a string of reassurances, meeting Quinn's gaze in his peripheral vision. Even though she knows the little girl needs it, she can't help feeling forgotten. A stupid notion. Beth's just a baby.

"Shhh," he whispers to Beth as she seems to grow visibly calmer. "It's okay Beth. Big breaths," he whispers, racing a finger along her back. "Nice and big," he murmurs as she shifts her head to look at him. In the sudden silence he notices her labored breathing and her eyes are a deep red. Puck feels a shiver quake her tiny frame as he brings a light kiss to her forehead. "Better?" he smiles. The only answer he gets is a tight grip to the collar of his shirt. "I don't know about you but I think somebody needs a bath," he chuckles.

Puck meets Quinn's gaze as all she's done is stare for the last three minutes. She can't help feeling a little crest fallen at the events that just unfolded in front of her. Beth couldn't even last two minutes without losing it. At the same time, she can't be entirely shocked either. She's never exactly dealt with babies before. Babysitting can only take one so far, really. Add the fact that this is her first day ever seeing Beth that she's able to actually remember and it's no wonder she wants Puck within reach. Even if she wants the both of them there. He's been there, she hasn't. Simple as that. His hand to her shoulder startles her only slightly but she can't help a soft smile at his touch.

"Give yourself some time," he whispers. "She's a little shaky. She wants familiar." Quinn can't help rolling her eyes at him and how obvious he's sounding. Of course she wants familiar. The poor girl has quite possibly been scarred for life, no thanks to Shelby. Even thinking the name puts a sour taste in her mouth and she cringes visibly.

"My fault," she mutters. It's now that she finds the patterns in the carpet under her feet strangely fascinating. She'll do anything not to have to look him in the eye. She knows what they would tell her, how they would read. They read disappointed, sad, sympathy. The last thing Quinn needs is sympathy. This right here is her fault. She can blame no one but herself for what's happened, for the hell she's put her daughter through. "I honestly thought she'd be…safe," she whispers. "….happy. And now this," she mutters more than disgusted with herself. "My…My baby's in pain. Battered and bruised and it's…me. All me," she adds, the last of it barely audible as it catches in her throat. She doesn't even realize that she's let herself dissolve until she takes in the scent of his aftershave, one strong arm bringing her closer to him.

"I need you to stop," he says gently. "Stop blaming yourself. You did what you thought was best for her. You can't beat yourself up for being selfless, Quinn. You can't. What you can do is be her now. Be the mom I know you can be. Is it a little soon? Hell yes. But that doesn't change what's already happened. What's important now is that we do what we can. With Shelby in the slammer, I'm not gonna see her go through the system. Not when she's got a mommy and a daddy right here," he whispers.

"School," she reasons. "What about school? And money and jobs?" she says resisting the smile that pulls against her lips as he brushes along her face. "How are we going to do all that…?"

"We make it work," he says with a shrug.

"She can't handle more than a minute away from you," she points out.

"From us," he clarifies. A small smile spreads across his face despite the seriousness of the conversation. Puck thinks for a minute before offering her a subtle smirk.

"We'll see how she does after a week." This one has nothing to do with ditching school. She knows better than she probably should that he's thought of Ava and how she might feel with the sudden invasion. "Where else can she go? There is no way in hell CPS is taking her," he says seriously. Quinn's gaze softens at his determination. Now, it's her turn to bring a hand to his shoulder.

Quinn swallows hard, not even sure why there's been such a delay. Now that they've gotten exactly what they wanted, at what cost? How were they supposed to do this by themselves? The same thoughts have run circles in her head all day. She knows that if she voices them, she's going to sound like a repetitive fool."

"Noah...I don't...know. It all makes so much sense but...What if I mess it up? What if I..?" She doesn't even bother addressing concerns about him. She no longer has them. Not after today. "She...I don't wanna be a bad mom...I can't..." Puck just shakes his head.

"You won't...You can't," he mumbles. "Quinn, you've done more for her already than you know..."

"Yeah but what if I…?"

"You won't," he shoots back affectively cutting her off.

"How do you know that?"

"I know you, Quinn Fabray." As much as she wants to deny him that claim, they both know he's right. They know more about one another than two people should.

"Puck…" she smiles humored by just how clueless he could be sometimes."You really don't." It helps to say he's wrong. It helps hide the truth. Noah Puckerman knows her in the most intimate ways, far beyond any sexual chemistry.

"But I know enough," he says. "For now, I know enough. And that's good for now." It's at times like these that make Quinn wonder why she'd ever turned him down, why she'd never offered him the chance she knew somewhere deep inside herself that he deserved. This Puck, the one he'd seen all day, had an eerie resemblance to the one she'd encountered at the hospital. He was soft spoken, determined, vulnerable. This was Noah.

"School," she whispers. It's really a wonder (even to herself) that she could be thinking about her education at a time like this. Here they were, Beth fresh from…whatever it was that she's just been through (Quinn decides not to label it. Leaving it nameless is easier) and all she can think about is classes.

"That's not our number one right now," Puck says pulling her out of her minor trance. She nods, for once, (maybe twice now) agreeing with his logic.

"You're right," she whispers. He easily hides his surprise at what she's just admitted. It might be the first time he's ever won one of their "arguments" Still, he can't keep a small smirk from spreading across his mouth. "Don't get used to it," she grumbles. The smile stays, regardless. Only a few seconds after they've closed up their discussion, Rachel strolls in, a lot less perky than when she first arrived. Quinn barely manages to keep from staring, open-mouthed at the startling difference.

"Alright well, I've managed to contact every one of my previous lawyers, leaving messages on each of their machines for them to review in the morning." Puck rolls his eyes at her as he tries to hide a small smile.

"Couldn't you have done that in the morning? Ya know, when everyone's actually awake and in the office?" The brunette just shrugs plopping herself down on the couch behind her.

"No time like the present," she smiles. His reply is a scoff, earning him a light nudge in the rib from Quinn.

"What?" he hissed.

"Be grateful," she mutters between clenched teeth.

"Yeah…Thanks Berry." He wonders how he found it in him to hug the girl earlier. Now she's returned to her usually annoying self, though given them resources they probably wouldn't have otherwise. All in the name of keeping a little girl safe and happy.

"Glad to do it," she says cheerfully. Puck silently wonders which part of it she enjoyed more. The helping or the chance to talk nonstop for at least an hour. "This way, you can be sure that your case is one of the first ones reviewed by one of Daddy's attorneys. It moves the process along much faster." He nods, not really caring on the particulars of the whole thing. The bare-boned facts were that they were getting Beth back. To him, that's all that really matters.

"Thanks again," he mumbled.

"I should probably…get home," Rachel decides awkwardly.

"Rachel, it's one in the morning," Quinn counters. "Take one of the spares upstairs."

"What?" Puck hissed. The blond just shoots him a glare urging him to just agree with her so they can move on.

"Oh, no, no. My house is just a few blocks up," she says, her hand already working to open the front door.

"Berry, you're outta your fucking mind," Puck mumbles. Considering what she's just done for them, he figures he might as well just side with Quinn on this one. But he's not exactly going to be happy go lucky about it.

"Puck!" Quinn mutters back, slightly disgusted by his choice of words.

"What? She is! It's dark as hell out there and who knows what could happen. Go ahead and crash in one of the bedrooms," he almost demands. "Here's hoping you actually get enough sleep for your six hours of vocal whatever tomorrow." How she had it in her to do this shit for the eentire summer was beyond him.

"Thank you," Rachel whispers shyly, pulling out her phone to send a quick note to her dads.

"They track you like a puppy or something?" Puck asks amused.

"No…" she says slowly. "I just like to let them know where I am periodically."

"That's called tracking…" he mumbles.

"Do either of your parents know where you are?" she challenged, glancing at them skeptically.

"Yup," Puck replies smugly. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we better to hit the sack. Hope it's comfy enough for you." Making his way up the stairs, Puck notices Rachel's attempt to hide shock as it flashes across her face.

"You two…?"

"No," Quinn answers for them. Even though he knows it's true, Quinn's denial of the sleeping arrangements has left him a little disappointed. Apparently the little moment on the couch is all he's going to get. Always wanting more... he thought to himself. After saying one more quick and somewhat strained goodnight to Rachel the three make their way up to the bathroom.

"You wanna start the tub while I strip her down?" She nods filling only the first couple of inches. When Puck tries putting her in the water, she doesn't even last a second before starting to cry. "Okay, okay. Shh. We'll just sit here for a minute, alright?" he whispers, Beth's small hands take hold of him as a short set of whimpers voice her unease. Quinn shuffles awkwardly, biting her lip as she finally lets her suggestion slip from her lips.

"Maybe…." she mumbles. "I think the best way to…get her to take one is if you…." Puck looks up at her slightly amused as he watches her struggle with her words. Quinn wants to smack herself for sounding like such a moron. She's always been so sure about everything she thinks and says. Words have honestly never been this hard to find. She blames Puck for that. Puck and his…She shakes her head a subtle warmth crawling up her neck.

"Got in there with her?" he finishes raising a brow. She can only nod as it deepens to a light pink settling on her cheeks. Knowing that it will more than likely land him in hot water, he fights the smirk that wants to spread across his lips as he watches Quinn's face turn color, her gaze averted in the opposite direction. He nods realizing that it might be the only way they get a bath out of her. "Can you take her for a minute?" Quinn nods uneasily as she offers to take her, relieved when she seems oddly…quiet now. He smiles as he takes Beth back, a small nod being his silent approval. "Being a good girl for Mama?" he asks as he steps in, in nothing but boxers. Despite everything, she can't help but stop and stare for a minute. It's not like she hasn't seen any of it before. In fact, she's seen more of it than she should. Still, there's something new about it. Maybe it's the fact that she's stone-cold sober this time. Either way, she spends the next ten minutes just…watching.

Even if she doesn't dare to touch Beth yet, that doesn't hide the fact that she can see them. Little tiny bruises and lacerations cover her impossibly small body, the sight of each one causing her throat to go dry as a lump finds its way there. She watches Puck tense in visible anger as he lightly traces over them, whispering apologies for every one of them that hurts Beth. Shaking her head, she decides to watch them instead. Quinn still can't get over how gentle a guy like Puck can be. He's handled her so carefully it almost makes her want to cry. Why couldn't my daddy be like that? It takes her until now to finally admit why it was she envied Puck so much when it came to Beth. He is everything a father should be, everything hers should have been.

"I lied," she whispers. He looks up at her with curious eyes that don't waver for what feels like a long time. "The night she was born…When we watched her outside that window…I said "no" while everything in me but one little piece said "yes". I let the little piece win. The last thing I wanted was to…become my mother. I couldn't…I wouldn't let her live my life. You learn from your history or you're doomed to repeat it," she whispers. He nods. He nods because he knows. Quinn may never remember blacking out like she often does but he's the one left with the reminders when it happens.

"You're not your mother," he says letting the water cascade over Beth's lathered hair. "I don't know how you would even think that…" Quinn offers a small private smile. Looking down at her watch, she realizes it's around that same time now. Round one. As is their routine, there is no ice breaker. She just says what needs to be said

"I live a life of perfection, Puck. I practically breathe it. I have to. That's how I was raised. I know firsthand what it does to someone. I wasn't gonna be that person, that mom."

"You're not," he mumbles, a light growl to his reply. Quinn just shakes her head.

"I pray I don't end up like them…"

"I don't know why you're praying for stuff like that. I can already tell. Remember this morning when she had her first meltdown?" she nods. "She was all good as long as you just held her for a minute. You sat up here for about twenty minutes and just let her sleep. Not in her crib, where she could have been. You just held her. You jumped out of bed even before I did to get back here. You defended her against Shelby. Twice. That last one? That tells me the most...You didn't have to. I'm not sure what an empty boob does for her but she was calm and quiet as long as she thought she was doing something. All of that tells me a lot. You're nothing like your parents, Quinn. I don't know how many times we're going to have this talk until you actually believe me." Despite how much she wants to contradict him, all Quinn can do is smile. Puck feels a similar expression cross his face when he sees it. It's genuine, bringing a light to her eyes he hasn't seen in a while. The full affect sets something off in him that he hasn't felt all year, though he can't exactly place it.

Quinn chuckles as she watches Beth's head lull forward onto her father's chest. Stepping forward they make a quiet exchange so Puck can make his way out. After only a minute, Beth starts to squirm finally settling in the crook of her neck. Only the smallest of whimpers this time as she sleepily calls out for Puck.

"He's here, Beth," she whispers.

"Lemme just grab my extra pair of clothes. I'll be right back."

"You keep an extra pair of—? You know what, nevermind." She decides not exactly having the energy to question his motives. He returns a minute later in fresh clothes as they make another quiet exchange. After changing her into clean pajamas the two spend a minute just starring at each other. "You take this one. I'll take the one across the hall…"

"It's not like we haven't done it before," he pointed out. She wants to reason with him that his room had been her only option earlier that night. Now, they had more options. More than they should for a single woman and a baby. Instead, she rolls her eyes at him, setting them in a glare. "I won't do anything, I swear," he says raising his hands in surrender. Quinn only groans but finds herself agreeing with him. She won't tell him but being alone is really the last thing she wants tonight.

"I'm trusting you," she muttered as the three make their way to the bedroom. As they both slip under the covers, Beth comfortably lying on Puck's chest, Quinn offers him a small smirk when she sees his eyes light up.

"Is that my…?"

"It was the first one I could find in a rush," she says quickly.

"Uh huh…." He smirks.

"It's a nice shirt, okay? It's warm…." Quinn adds in a whisper. And it kinda smells like you. His smirk turns to a real smile as she voices her line of confessions. Puck continues to stare her down teasingly causing her to cross her arms angrily. "What?" she bites.

"I like it," he admits. Offering him an exaggerated sigh, she turns back to face him running a hand quietly through Beth's hair.

"Sweet dreams, baby," she whispers. Turning back to Puck, Quinn hesitantly rests her head on his shoulder, her action receiving a questioning look. "The pillow's too soft," she lies. He nods bringing his arm back around her. After a few minutes, she sighs, deciding that the arrangement's only for tonight. Tonight, she needs this, probably more than ever. Not Puck but the way his arm kinda just lays there protecting her, protecting both of them. Almost like he's supposed to. She needs safe. Tonight, more than anything, she just needs to feel safe. Wanted would be nice. Wanted and loved. Yeah, love would be nice too. Though she can't exactly put a finger on what that is or how it's supposed to make her feel. All she knows is that it's different. Different in a way that terrifies her. Different in a way that almost makes her want to run and hide. But there's nowhere to go. Nowhere she can or wants to go.

Hearing his steady breath as he quickly falls to sleep Quinn suddenly feels at ease, a sense of peace washing over her. Then it hits her. It's just Puck. Right here, right now, all she really needs is Puck. Puck and Beth. "Goodnight…Noah," she mumbles before letting her head roll onto his shoulder again. Once she does, Quinn can feel herself falling asleep faster, easier, than she has in almost a year.

---

A/N: Alright so I wasn't planning this one for a while but...Guess the story writes itself.