A/N: Apologies for the radio silence, have been out of the country and laptop-less, followed by muse-less :( She's back though so here I am.
Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading this little story of mine, the stats are astonishing, and I hope you enjoy it.
Throughout this chapter, Billy Joel's "The Longest Time" was the inspiration and will be quoted. Please listen to it, if you're not familiar, as it'll help.
Anyway, on with the show.
Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been, never will be.
If you said goodbye to me tonight
There would still be music left to write
What else could I do
I'm so inspired by you
That hasn't happened for the longest time
What the heck is Quinn doing in the bathroom? Surely a shower shouldn't take this long? Maybe she's reciting the New Testament? Or maybe she's reminiscing about last night? Oh yeah, maybe I should help her relive it? I remember how much she likes shower cubicles, ha. Actually, better put Operation Mrs Puckerman into action.
Where's my phone? Oops, in my jeans, which are on the floor by my boxers. Might put the boxers on actually, Puck Jr keeps stirring, especially when I think about how naked Quinn is just moments away. Need to focus on the bigger picture and get a hold of Finn. I need his "wisdom", haha, will do it by text though. Don't want to rouse Quinn's suspicion.
"Yo Finessa hw r u?"
"Fine, tired tho. Boy, Josh is loud"
"What did u expect? Look at his mum :P"
"Hey! Y U up this early on Sat?"
"At Quinn's..."
"WTF? R U serious?"
"Yeah, she rang last night. Missed the Puckzilla, obv"
"No seriously, I thought you were at Mike's?"
"I was but it's a long story. I need ur help tho"
"What can I do for Mr Puckerman?"
"I was wondering if ur spare room will be free when Charlotte breaks up from school in a couple of weeks?"
"Need 2 check with Rach but I think so, why?"
"I have a plan. I think my douchebag habits are being leaving me – finally! - & I want to take my girls to NYC. That's where you come in"
"OK but why now? Rach has been trying to get you guys over here for ages"
"I have an ulterior motive"
"Which is? Tell me. Don't make me set Rachel on you"
"Argh anything but her ;) I want to propose and ur the only 1 out of the Gleeks married. I need some advice and brainstorming. Mr Shue's no use, he's more smitten with Mrs Shue now than he was when we were still in school"
"Wow I honoured. I'll have to tell Rach though"
"Do you guys not share anything? On the other hand I don't wanna know. Just as long as she doesn't tell Quinn. We all know how she is with secrets..."
"Hehe yh ur right but it worked out, didn't it?"
"Only through blood, sweat, tears & lots & I mean lots of patience. I know she can do better & I'm probably punching way above my weight but she's it for me. The last 6 months were unbearable & I want to prove my love to her even if it involves standing up in front of the whole of Lima or wherever"
"Dude R U gay now? :O"
"Oh hardy ha ha, no. I just wanna make it right & true for all of us. She's outta the shower – don't u dare hold that thought! - & I'll ring you in the week ok?"
"Sure, have fun Loverboy \m/"
He's such a punk, but I'm so pleased that we're friends after everything. Don't get me wrong, Chang's a good friend but he's not Finn. Ugh, I'm thinking like a girl now.
"Puck, the shower's free but you'll have to give it some time before the damn boiler heats up again. I swear, I spend more time waiting for it to work than I do using it. Piece of shit."
"How about I warm you up instead, eh?" while I waggled my eyebrows at her. Her pupils start dilating but soon enough Queen Quinn arrives and is in charge.
"Not right now, but hold that thought. I want to get Charlotte from your sister then maybe we can go out to breakfast as there's only limes and some off milk in the house. I kept meaning to do a big shop but what with Charlotte's classes, after-school activities, her playdates, and then work, I kinda forgot. I mean you saw the pizza boxes last night and..."
I get up and hold her, she's doing that Berry nervous verbal vomit thing. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they're friends but why did she have to pick up that habit and not Berry's love of knee highs?
"Breathe Quinn, we're fine to go out to breakfast and then we can go to Walmart if you want, on me. We can do all the family things I missed and maybe buy Charlotte some new bits and pieces, what do you think?"
"Ok but wherever we go, they must have bacon. I've had this pathological craving for it since I woke up."
"Cravings? Already? I know I have super sperm but that's ridiculous."
"Shut up Puck, you're not that special."
"Oh yeah? Want me to prove it?"
"Down boy, get in that shower and let me get changed. I want to see my baby girl, I missed her yesterday."
"Yes Mama bear. See you in a bit." and kissed her on the cheek then slapped her butt before walking out of the room.
"PUCK!"
Haha, I love that she still reacts to me that way. Her conservative, Christian good girl façade never fooled me. She's been hot for me since the summer before seventh grade when I started working out a bit and got a mohawk. Yeah ok, same for me too but her curves had just kicked in and she started growing her hair out which was all kinds of humana humana.
Jeez, I'm perving on my child's mother like some damn weirdo who hasn't ever seen her naked. I know I'm Jewish but that doesn't mean I have to act like Jacob Ben Israel. Besides my hair is still 1000% more awesome than his will ever be. Better get in that shower and "relieve the tension".
Once I thought my innocence was gone
Now I know that happiness goes on
That's where you found me
When you put your arms around me
I haven't been there for the longest time
Having finished, I head back to the bedroom, wrapped in a towel, to see Quinn stood in her underwear in front of her full length mirror. Two Quinns is a good thing, particularly to me, but I don't understand what's up, especially given the look on her face.
"Quinn, what's going on?" while I walk up to her.
"Oh, just looking at myself. I still can't believe how much my body has changed since Charlotte's conception. My hips are wider, my boobs filled in a bit more and my stomach still has those stretch-marks, despite all those creams I keep buying, and if we get pregnant again, more are going to appear, and only my legs stayed the same." all said in one breath.
"Do you know that everything you just mentioned are the things that attract me more than I can ever explain? That those marks gave us both the most beautiful girl who fills my heart with joy and manages to wrap me around her little finger every single time and that I'm beyond privileged to get to do it all over again with you. That your boobs filled in because you started eating normally again, after that rotten Ms Sylvester diet and that your hips make me think the most lecherous thoughts and nothing or anybody has changed that fact for me. You're the most stunning woman I know and having those perfect legs of yours wrapped around me makes me the smuggest bastard this side of the Atlantic so please don't tear yourself down. I love you Quinn, so does Charlotte and we love you because of everything about you."
"You bastard, you've made me cry" she says, whilst hugging me.
I kiss the top of her head and say "It's all true and not just said to get into your knickers. We don't have the time for one and now I'm craving bacon too. My mum's right, you're a bad influence."
"Whatever, you told me all about your mum's Schindler's List and sweet and sour pork ritual. You can't have it both ways. Besides, you're the bad influence, why else would I be hugging you? It's not because I love you or anything."
"You keep telling yourself that, sweetheart. I know you far better than you think. Anyway, stop trying to turn me on further, get dressed. We've got to get Charlotte and eat already. I'm starving."
"Yes sir!" She salutes then bends over to get some clothes out of the dresser. It's like God is taking the piss out of me right now, which is ironic because whatever gets thrown at me in my life, it's not God I need, just the dangerous sinner/saint in front of me.
I'm that voice you're hearing in the hall
And the greatest miracle of all
Is how I need you
And how you needed me too
That hasn't happened for the longest time
We finally show up at my mum's late, because we needed to pick up the dog, which I get blamed for, obviously but it all doesn't matter when Lottie comes tearing out of the front door and straight into my arms.
"Daddy, Daddy, I missed you so much! Bekah and me did some drawings when waiting for someone to come get me. Wanna see?"
"Don't you want to say hello to Mummy too?"
She wiggles out of my arm and does the same jumping hug to Quinn.
"Hey babygirl, how are you? I missed you so much. Were you good for your auntie and grandma?"
"Yes Mum, durr" then she rolls her eyes, which gifts me a kick to the ankle from Quinn though I can't imagine why.
Thankfully, Mum makes us all come inside and Lottie wiggles out of Quinn's arms to stand between us and hold both of our hands. I look over at Quinn and from the massive smile on her face, I know now isn't the time for another asinine comment so I just grip my little girl's hand more and smile too.
After a quick catch up with my mum and sister, we packed up Lottie's stuff whilst leaving Betsy with Bekah for today and make our way over to the truck.
"Daddy, why did you come with Mummy today? I didn't think I'd see you until tomorrow."
"Would you rather I left then, Lottie?"
"No, Daddy, no, course not, silly." and she giggles.
"Yes Daddy can be quite silly, can't he?" interjects Quinn whilst sticking her tongue out. If I wasn't driving, and Lottie was still at my mum's, I'd have made great use of her cheekiness but instead I focus on the road and Lottie.
"We decided to meet up and take you out for breakfast or have you eaten already?"
"Grandma made me have some Grape Nuts and said they were good for me but I wanted bacon instead which just made Grandma sad and Bekah laugh. I don't know why. Can we go get some bacon, please Daddy?"
Quinn and I glanced at each other and burst into laughter. Charlotte joined in without really knowing why, "Why's that funny, Mummy?"
"Because that's what we were hoping you'd say, darling. Now tell us all about you and Bekah got up to last night."
"Well, we did the drawings that are in your bag, talked about Betsy and why she has to go out for a long walk everyday. Bekah said it's because she gets crazy trapped inside most of the day and that walking her wears her out. What does that mean, Daddy?"
"Ask Mummy, she's the queen of that." I don't even have to look at Quinn to feel the daggers.
"It means she needed to get some fresh air and some exercise."
"Oh so that's what we're calling it now, are we?"
"Puck, focus on the road and stop winding me up." I can't stop laughing though.
"What does that mean, Mummy?"
"It means that Daddy likes being funny, sweet pea. Now tell me what else you did with Auntie. Did you watch Hannah Montana or something?"
"No Mummy, that's really old now. No one watches it" Again with the eyeroll followed by more daggers. "Although Grandma said something about her being with child but I don't understand what she meant. Is that an illness?"
And so the conversation went on. Charlotte may look more like Quinn but there's no way of denying who her father is. Lord only knows what would have happened if Quinn's initial plan hadn't been dashed by Rachel. One time her big mouth was useful, if I don't think about Finn's constant praising. Almost enough to put me off the upcoming breakfast.
I pull up at a diner, just on the outskirts of town. Better than IHOP and they have a genuine jukebox with all the old classics plus their bacon is crispy, not chewy, which Quinn prefers. Boy am I whipped. I wonder what my 15 yr old self would think of this situation. I think he'd be happy to have Quinn actually, even if he'd smack me upside my head for some of the stupid things I've done.
Maybe this won't last very long
But you feel so right
And I could be wrong
Maybe I've been hoping too hard
But I've gone this far
And it's more than I hoped for
We head over to one of the booths, which looks out onto the parking lot, hardly the best view but it's comforting. Lima might not be a great, heaving metropolis but it's home.
A waitress comes over and hands us menus and Lottie gets given a colouring sheet and some crayons. However surly the waitress, she'll be getting a tip for that alone. Most places ignore the children then tut less than discreetly when the kid plays up out of boredom. Some can be such morons sometimes. I may not have gone to Math very often but it's called correlation, people. Look it up.
Lets see how right I am. Quinn will order the cinnamon French toast, a portion of bacon and if she's feeling crazy, some scrambled eggs. Lottie will want a stack of pancakes with bacon with syrup, which she won't finish leading to Quinn and I fighting over her leftover bacon whilst I shall order the truckers breakfast, which has almost everything in it, with extra bacon. What is this bacon obsession my family has?
"Can I take your order yet?"
"You want to go first, Puck?"
"No, I'll wait. Go ahead, darling."
"Ok, can I have the cinnamon French toast, scrambled eggs and a portion of bacon, with an iced tea, please?" YES! I rule.
"And the little girl?"
"Can I have some pancakes and bacon and a chocolate milkshake, please? Is that ok Mummy?" Round 2 goes to me too!
"Yes, as it's a special treat."
"I love you, Mummy."
"Love you too, pickle."
"Aww, isn't she adorable?"
"Yes, she is and can I have..."
"He'll have the trucker's breakfast with extra bacon, and a coffee, please." Damn, she smirking at me now. Still, the score is 2-1 to me. It's not my fault, I'm a growing boy, after all. Besides, Quinn can help me expend the calories so it's win-win for me whatever happens.
The waitress walks off to put our order in so I start flicking through the jukebox. Proper old tunes, I'm in heaven. I put some quarters in, program some songs and then ask Charlotte to pick a number and a letter. E14 it is and up comes an old Billy Joel number – The Longest Time. I remember finding this album in the basement the Summer of 2008 when Mum paid me to tidy it up. It was meant to keep me out of trouble and away from "bad influences" as she called them. Ha, if only she knew. For some reason, it always reminded me of Quinn and being here with her, and our child, all these years later has to be a sign, doesn't it?
"Charlotte, will you sit here a minute or two? I need to borrow Mummy for something, is that ok?"
"Puck, what are you doing?", while a suspicious expression forms on her beautiful face.
"Just trust me." and then that eyebrow goes up. Ignoring it, I stand up out of the booth and hold out my hand to her.
"Will you give me the honour of dancing with me?"
Charlotte's giggling now as Quinn's gone bright red and those magical eyes of hers have dilated again.
"I take it that's a yes?"
"Yes, of course, although why you have do this is in a diner before we've even eaten yet..."
I kiss her, which stops her from rambling again, and she gets out of the booth. We sway gently together and I realise that the rest of the diner has stopped what they were doing to watch us. Not that I give a damn.
My favourite bit has just kicked in :
Who knows how much further we'll go on
Maybe I'll be sorry when you're gone
I'll take my chances
I forgot how nice romance is
I haven't been there for the longest time
I had second thoughts at the start
I said to myself
Hold on to your heart
Now I know the woman that you are
You're wonderful so far
And it's more than I hoped for
"Do you know this song has always reminded me of you, Quinn?"
"Really? Why? I never had you down as a Billy Joel fan."
"Aside from his super awesomeness and lyrical skill, he's Jewish plus he married Christie Brinkley, what's not to like? Oh and listen to the lyrics. They're how I feel about you. "
She rolls her eyes and does that half smile thing of hers then rests her head on my shoulder and remains there until the song ends.
I bow to her, she curtseys and we return to the booth where Charlotte's clapping our performance. Then the diner patrons join in too so I wave to them.
"Mummy, why are you still red?"
"Because Daddy's naughty and likes to embarrass me."
"Is that what happened to Betsy when she used to pee in the house?"
"Umm not quite, darling. It's more like Daddy thinks he's so cute and loves to show everyone else that it's true. Making me dance with him is his way of making that point extra clear."
"But Daddy is cute. I mean Kayleigh's dad scares me, he has horrible teeth, some baby animal lying under his nose and he always smells too sweet. I'm lucky to have such a cute daddy, at least that's what Ms Fletcher said last week when he came to pick me up."
"Oh did she now? Well isn't that interesting. Maybe I'll need to go in there and set a few things straight." Her face has changed from smiley to Mama Quinn with a bee in her bonnet.
"Quinn," I take her hand "don't worry about it. I've met Ms Fletcher, you've met her, she makes McKinley's old librarian look like a goddess and compared to Kayleigh's father, Jacob would be a marked improvement. Besides, here comes breakfast and being angry makes it harder to digest. Relax, it's just you and always has been. What happened to the Quinn Fabray of old?"
"She went and fell in love, that's what. All your fault." she pouts then giggles.
"Daddy, why was Mummy angry? Is she hurt? Did I say something wrong?" and her lip starts to wobble. I really didn't expect to comfort both of them before we'd even eaten.
"No baby, you didn't. Mummy just started thinking and you know how much that hurts her, right?" To this, Quinn just shakes her head and smiles.
"Mummy's really clever though, what do you mean?"
At this point, the food arrives and it's all anyone can focus on.
"I'll tell you later, pumpkin. Remember not to soak the pancakes though, because you won't eat them."
I don't care what consequence it brings
I have been a fool for lesser things
I want you so bad
I think you ought to know that
I intend to hold you for the longest time
And to think that in a parallel universe, we're not sitting here and Charlotte's with some other family while Quinn and I still struggle to get over her and maybe I'd be trying to find comfort in every random tall brunette's arms, that passes my way, trying not to think of Quinn or blondes or anything that can remind me of her or our baby.
Thankfully, we're in this universe, sitting in this booth, eating what seems like half a pig between us and I couldn't want for anything else. Yes, Operation Mrs Puckerman is certainly underway and my boy's in the loop too. Excellent.
A/N 2: I have no idea why this turned out so long and why it's super fluffy, the muse gets what she wants I suppose, but if you enjoyed it, please let me know. Remember candy is dandy but reviews make the next chapter come along quicker.