A/N: Thank you for the reviews, they were wonderful, as always. km: as far as Russell being in the sequel, I'm not sure yet, it is definitely a possibility, his return could make for some interesting drama. Okay...soo I know I said there would be only one more chapter after this, but I had a snippet go wild and take on a life of it's own, and it somehow ended being over four pages long, so I will be posting that one separately, either tonight or tomorrow. Just a warning, that chapter will be rated M, it involves the "Diddly" as Rachel Berry would say, so if that is something you do not like, skip Chapter 21. Chapter 22 will be the last chapter, really I mean it this time. This chapter is just cutsie little Faberry moments. As always feedback is greatly appreciated.
"Your Rachel loves you Miss Beth." Rachel cooed at the baby she was bouncing on her knee; she abruptly stopped the bouncing when she noticed Quinn frowning next to her on the couch. "What is it Quinn? Do you not like it when I say things like that to her? I'm sorry I thought you were okay with it, but if it makes you uncomfortable-"
Quinn placed a quick kiss on Rachel's lips, she has found doing so is the most effective way to get her girlfriend to stop talking when she started off on one of her ramblings. "No, Rachel it's not that. It just feels kind of silly for you to just be her Rachel, you are so much more than that, I know you love her just as much as I do."
Rachel pursed her lips and thought for a few moments. "Aunt Rachel?"
Quinn scrunched up her face. "That would indicate we had a sisterly relationship, which would be wrong on so many different levels. You aren't just an aunt figure to her either, you love and protect her like some crazy mama bear protecting her cub." Quinn's eyes widened and she smiled brightly at her girlfriend. "That's it! You are her Mama Ber, like B-E-R, like Berry. Mama Ber, get it? Pretty clever huh?"
Rachel smiled. "And here I thought I was the creative one, impressive Quinn. You hear that Beth? You've got yourself a Mommy and a Mama Ber."
Rachel frowned as she watched Beth attempting to crawl, but only managing to turn herself around in circles on her blanket laying on the floor in the nursery. "Do you think perhaps all the dancing you did during Glee while you were pregnant jostled her around a bit too much and gave her some type of neurological damage?"
"Rachel!" Quinn snapped defensively. "She is only six months old for goodness sakes. Her pediatrician says she is just fine and right on track."
"Alright, alright. I'm just worried about how this will affect her twenty year plan."
Quinn raised her brow at Rachel.
Rachel sighed. "You know the plan, Quinn. Tap and jazz class by nine months, vocal lessons and ballet by her first birthday and acting class by age two. We will have her enrolled in prestigious dramatic arts school by the age of four and in her elementary school years she will be well known in the community theater circuit, doing off broadway by high school of course, and she will have the lead in a well known Broadway show by the time she's twenty."
"Yes, yes 'the plan', I know the plan, you have it on a storyboard in her nursery, how could I forget it?" Quinn smiled down at her daughter who was still happily turning around in her never ending circles. "What if she wants to be a doctor or a lawyer or something?"
"Of course I will support her if she deviates from the plan, but come on Quinn, we know that is very unlikely. We are talking about the infant who can sit and intently watch West Side Story and Wicked, and despite your skepticism, I know she bops along to the beat of every show tune she has ever heard."
Quinn rolled her eyes, but she knew Rachel was right, Beth already seemed to be showing a love for show tunes and musicals. Never again would Quinn question Nature vs. Nurture, her daughter was more like Rachel Berry every day, and to be honest, that terrified Quinn just a little bit.
Looking in the mirror Quinn groaned and tugged at the sweater she was wearing, somehow she knew she would come to regret allowing Rachel to choose the outfits they wore in the photo for their holiday card. She really knew she was in trouble when Rachel took up knitting two months ago.
Quinn could not help but laugh as she looked in the mirror at the two off center white reindeer who looked more like unicorns that were humping each other. Rachel had insisted they were grazing reindeer and became pretty miffed when Kurt pointed out there was no grass in the North Pole, and reindeer did not graze on snow.
Quinn was not sure which was worse the mid thigh-length red and green plaid skirt, the sweater, or the knee high green socks, she decided they were all probably equally awful, and when thrown together it was a disaster. She heard Beth crying in her nursery and assumed her daughter was going through a similar torture.
Rachel met her in the hallway, wearing a blue shirt with a dreidel in the center, Quinn thought it looked more like an acorn, but she would never tell Rachel that. She also wore a matching blue plaid skirt and
white knee highs. But Quinn loved the way quirky way Rachel dressed, it was so Rachel Berry and Quinn had grown to love every piece in Rachel's wardrobe. Although the look was perfect for Rachel, Quinn did not think it suited her and secretly hoped the holiday cards would somehow get lost in the mail.
Poor Beth's sweater seemed to be worse than Rachel and Quinn's combined. "I made hers several sizes too big, in hopes that we could somehow make a tradition out of this." Rachel's voice squeaked in excitement as she pointed to Beth's sweater, which was beige and had a large Santa Claus on it with a Christmas tree body or maybe it was a Christmas tree with a Santa head topper, Quinn couldn't really tell. Tiny menorahs and dreidels surrounded the Tree Santa.
Quinn smiled at Rachel, and despite how stupid she thought they all looked, the smile was genuine. "I would love to do this every year." Quinn would wear this outfit everyday for the rest of her life if she had to, the memories she was making with Rachel and Beth were definitely worth the humiliation.
Santana cursed under her breath as she groggily made her way down the stairs, wondering who would have the gull to be ringing her doorbell at nine in the morning, on a Saturday. She resisted the urge to slam the door immediately after opening it when she saw Rachel Berry standing on her front porch, looking way too peppy for Santana's liking. "Man-Berry, what the hell are you doing here?
Rachel pushed her way into the house. "Good morning to you too, Santana. You know I'd prefer for you to call me Rachel, or if that is too difficult for you, perhaps maybe even just plain Berry would be alright."
"If you came here to lecture me about your nickname at nine in the morning on my only day to sleep in, your next stop is going to be the emergency room or maybe even the morgue."
"I actually needed your help with something."
Santana could tell Rachel was nervous. "Whose ass do you need me to kick? Did they do something to Q or Beth?"
Rachel scoffed. "Not everything is about violence, Santana. This about love, despite extensive googling, I am still not quite confident on how to do...it."
Santana's eyes widened. "Do what?" She asked, hoping this conversation was not going where she thought it was.
"You know, it. Diddly."
Santana pondered what the meaning of 'diddly' could be for a few moments. "What the hell Berry are you constipated or something? Can we please not have this conversation? Please. This is disgusting, you don't just go around asking people to help you with that kind of thing. Eat some fruit or something."
Rachel stared at Santana in confusion before her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "What? No Santana, diddly, not doodle."
"What the fuck Berry? All this diddly doodle nonsense is making me feel like I'm in one of those horrid Wiggles movies you like so damn much. Get to the point or better yet, just go find someone else to pester, Kurt is morning person."
"You know Santana, diddly...it. I know you and Brittany-"
"Berry." Santana warned, finally understanding what the girl meant. "One more word and I swear to God I will..."
"I just want it to be good, I want it to be earth shattering for Quinn."
"That's it Berry." Santana grabbed a hold of Rachel's arm and led her back to the front door. "The thought of you and Quinn fucking or doing the Diddly or Doodley or whatever the hell your pre-school leveled brain calls it, makes me nauseous. Talk to me about it again and I will break that nose of yours." Santana shoved Rachel out the front door before slamming it shut. Rubbing her temples as she felt the onset of a migraine coming on.
Feeling defeated Rachel headed home, she smiled brightly when Quinn greeted her with a warm kiss. "Rach." Quinn furrowed her brow in concern and examined the red mark on Rachel's forearm. "What happened?"
Rachel blushed and pulled her arm out of the blonde's grasp. "You really don't want to know."
"Rachel."
"I asked Santana for diddly tips." Rachel blushed even more and refused to meet Quinn's eyes.
Quinn opened her mouth to speak, but only a breathy laugh came out, she was not sure if she was more amused or embarrassed. She laughed again, this time much louder, and pulled Rachel into a comfortable embrace. "I am far too thankful you lived through that experience to even be slightly mad at you." Quinn rested her chin atop Rachel's head. "I love you Rachel Berry, even though your use of the word diddly makes me crazy."
"I love you too." Rachel murmured into Quinn's shoulder, relishing in the sweet vanilla scent she loved so much.
Quinn sighed as she watched Rachel stomp her foot, abruptly turn on her heel, and march out of the choir room. "I'll get her." She said standing up, shooting Mr. Schuester an apologetic look before leaving to go find her girlfriend.
"Maybe if I punch her in the face every time she does that it will deter her from doing it three times a week" Santana offered, gaining herself a glare from Quinn as she shut the choir room door.
"Rachel?" Quinn called out as she opened the bathroom door. She shot Rachel a disapproving look when she spotted her standing at the mirror. "You know, doing that does not accomplish anything, it just pisses Santana off and frustrates everybody else."
"Does it frustrate you?" Rachel asked, her eyes wide. She knew she was dramatic and over the top, and secretly feared that she would one day scare Quinn away.
Quinn laughed. "No, to be honest I find it to be absolutely adorable, so don't even think about trying to use it on me, you will not get your way, all it does is make me want to-"
"To do this?" Rachel grinned and pointed to a faded sharpie drawing of herself performing sexual acts on the outside of one of the stalls.
Quinn blushed as she stared at her artwork from over a year ago. "I was going to say cuddle."
"Well if Mr. Schu continues to make attempts at ruining my career you are going to want to cuddle with me a lot, I will not tolerate such deliberate sabotage."
Quinn pulled Rachel into an embrace. "Rach, giving Mercedes a solo will not ruin your career, I promise. Now give me a kiss and lets put our big girl panties on and head back to Glee."
"I hate this." Quinn mumbled as she and Rachel stood in the cemetery, while Beth lay sleeping in her stroller a few feet away. Quinn stared at the flowers she placed next to his gravestone, they were bright and cheerful and she did not know why she bought them, it just seemed appropriate. She knew if he was here he'd roll his eyes and mutter something about how dudes don't like flowers. "Will it always be like this?" She asked, turning away from his grave to face Rachel.
"What do you mean, Quinn?"
Quinn glanced back over at Beth. "Her birthday is in four days. This is supposed to be a happy time, filled with celebration, not sadness. It isn't fair to her. There will always be this dark cloud surrounding a day that is supposed to be all about her."
Rachel frowned, she had the same thoughts earlier this morning, but decided to keep them to herself. "I think every year when this day rolls around, it will always be sad, and maybe we will always shed a few tears. However, we will always have to remember to move forward, past all the sadness, and focus on the brand new, perfect little person we got so soon after losing him. Beth got everyone through Noah's death, she made us all realize life goes on, and there is a reason for living. And that is something worth celebrating, plus we will always have to be sure to spoil her on her special day, just like he would want us to."
"You amaze me." Quinn pulled Rachel close to her. "You always know the right thing to say." She turned her attention back to the gravestone, staring at his name and the dates beneath it, knowing that one day she will have to explain what they mean to the little girl sleeping behind her, thankful she would have Rachel by her side, holding her hand. "Do you think he would be okay with us? With our relationship?"
"Are you kidding? He would think it was totally hot."
Quinn had not expected to laugh during this particular outing, but she did, complete with a little snort, because Rachel was oh so right.
"Kurt! Mercedes!" Rachel shouted as she stood in the kitchen, causing Santana's hands to immediately begin massaging her temples, in an effort to ward off the migraine she was sure Rachel Berry would give her in the next five to ten minutes.
Kurt and Mercedes reluctantly walked into the kitchen, closely followed by Quinn who had heard Rachel shouted. "What's going on?" She asked, today was Beth's birthday party and all the Gleeks plus Mr. Schuester, Ms. Pillsbury, Rachel's dads, and oddly enough Sue Sylvester had come to celebrate.
Rachel pointed down to the cake, which was in the shape of a gold star, with Beth's name scribbled across the middle of it. "Kurt, Mercedes you had one responsibility, bring the cake here in one piece, and look at this! Just look at this!"
Everyone peered down at the cake which was sitting on the table, there was lick/bite mark right in the center, someone had successfully removed the E in Beth. Santana immediately slinked out of the room to find Brittany, recognizing the situation, this had happened at her cousins birthday as well. "Someone licked the baby's cake! The party is ruined!" Rachel exclaimed in her dramatic fashion.
Quinn sighed as she glanced out the window and saw Santana in the backyard, wiping Brittany's face with a paper towel. "It's okay, Rach, the party is perfect, you did a great job planning it. You know with all those lists you've made, and the powerpoint presentation you made everyone watch, you worked really hard, and I'm sure Beth will appreciate it when she is older. We can just eat the points of the star, Beth has her own little cake anyway."
Quinn was relieved when Rachel settled and Beth's party went off without another hitch. She wrapped her arms around Rachel as they stood over Beth's crib that night, the little girl was sleeping soundly, her soft brown curls perfectly outlining her face. "You have a beautiful daughter, Quinn." Rachel smiled, it was true Beth was a beautiful little girl.
"No." Quinn responded, pulling Rachel in closer to her. "We have a beautiful daughter."
Rachel's smile grew even brighter. "Yes. Our daughter is beautiful."
A/N: I also wanted to say something regarding Puck's death, while I initially intended to have his killer revealed, I decided terrible, random violent crimes such as that happen far too often and a lot of the time you never know why it happened or who did it, it is unfortunate, but a reality. Also I felt that spending anymore time on Puck than I already had would take the focus too far off of Quinn/Rachel.
