A/N - It's time… FINALLY it's time for Quinn to gather her courage and jump…

(BTW, can I say that Jaxon is just so freaking cute! :) Seriously, it should be illegal!)

Chapter 11 – Dinner as a Family

"She's actually perfect, Cassie," Rachel beamed like a 14 year old schoolgirl as she talked to her best friend on the phone. "I mean she's genuinely so… perfect. I-I can't even think of another word that could describe her. She's got like, the most beautiful hazel eyes that show a hint of gold under just the right lighting. She's just-"

"Perfect. Got it," Cassandra interrupted, rolling her eyes. What the hell was happening to her badass best friend? She'd never seen her act this way over anyone before.

"Shit. Sorry," Rachel blushed. She opened the fridge and pulled out a bottled water. "She does things to me, Cass. You know, like-"

"Dude! Gross… Stop! I don't want to know about your girlfriend giving you a lady boner!"

"Well, she does!" Rachel exclaimed, giggling when she heard gagging noises on the other end of the phone. "And she's not my girlfriend."

"But you want her to be," Cassie stated.

A small smile grew on the singer's face. "Yeah… I do." She would admit that the last part of their date was a little… concerning. But at least Quinn invited her over for dinner, and to get to know her son.

Her son… Shit! Her son!

"Shit!" she yelled, a total freak out building in her gut.

"What now?" Rachel could actually hear her best friend roll her eyes.

"Her son's going to be there," she said, sounding like she was about to be lined up in front of a firing squad.

"Yeah, you're friends now. Of course you'll end up meeting the ankle biter eventually."

"I know. But, Cassie, I'm nervous! What if he doesn't like me? What if he says I can't be his mom's friend?!" Rachel's voice escalated, rising to a pitch Cassie was sure only dogs could hear. "What if he kicks me out of their house?!"

Another eye roll. "Oh for hell's sake, Berry! Get your shit together! The kid's only three!"

Rachel stopped her pacing and put her forehead down on the cool kitchen counter, breathing deeply and trying to slow her racing heartbeat.

"If you want to get on the kid's good side, buy him a present or something."

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows. "Like what?"

"I don't know… like a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition… or the book 'How to Stay Straight When Your Mom Isn't', or some shit like that. How the hell should I know?"

"Cassie!" Rachel exclaimed.

Cassie shrugged. "Gift cards are always nice."

~~~~~QR~~~~~

Quinn found herself once again chasing Jaxon around the house, trying to get his clothes on. She was already so nervous about tonight.

She was sure Rachel was going to flip a lid when she found out that Jaxon was her son.

Brittany and Santana had decided that this would be the perfect night for a romantic date at a hotel, which Quinn was thankful her two best friends wouldn't be strolling through her front door unannounced. That would have just caused a lot more unnecessary drama.

After Jaxon's nap, Quinn had dressed him in some nice jeans and a dark blue t-shirt with a musical note on the front, but the moody boy wasn't having it and proceeded to pull off every piece of clothing she'd put on him… including his diaper. And now she had a naked toddler running around and Rachel was supposed to arrive in just over an hour.

Finally catching the boy, Quinn tried to get the t-shirt back on him but he kept squirming away. "Jaxon, you need to get your clothes on. We're going to have a special guest for dinner tonight," she told him.

But he was in one of those moods where he only wanted to do things his way… and that included running around naked. Quinn barely managed to get a diaper and pants on him, but then finally gave up and let him run around without a shirt.

Relieved to have at least a half-dressed son, Quinn hurried into the kitchen to check on dinner. She'd decided on chicken noodle casserole, since it was one of Jaxon's favorites and she knew he would eat it. It was either that or hot pockets.

Feeling momentarily relieved that food was cooking perfectly and the table was already set for dinner, she went back into the living room to get Jaxon. She picked him up and carried him into her bedroom. But the second she set him on the carpet, he took off again for his own room.

Quinn went to change out of the sweatshirt and shorts she'd been wearing all day. She searched her closet for something nice, but still comfortable. If she was going to have to have a heavy conversation, and more than likely an argument, that night, she at least wanted to be comfortable.

But she was still so nervous. She'd been thinking all day about what exactly she was going to say to Rachel, but everything she thought of didn't seem right. Her mind was a big jumble of explanations and stories of Jaxon and apologies. There really was no good way to tell a person that they were the mother of her child. "Surprise, Rachel! You have a kid."

She was just pulling on her shirt when Jaxon ran back into her room yelling, "Mama! Mama!"

Quinn turned to look at her son and she couldn't help but laugh, even through her stressed-induced anxiety.

Jaxon was standing there with his hair all spiked up in a stiff mohawk. Quinn guessed that he'd gotten into Brittany and Santana's room - again. She had figured that since her best friends were always over at her house, Quinn might as well give them their own bedroom. At least this time Jaxon only got into their hair products, unlike last time when he came out carrying a vibrating vibrator and asking what it was for.

She chuckled as she covered her mouth with her hand and asked in amazement, "What did you do, my boy?" She began to laugh harder when he started to dance around the room.

"I dance, Mama!" he called out, his smile huge as he moved his little legs in his impromptu dance, his bare tummy sticking out.

Seeing her son's utter happiness, all the stress and pressure Quinn was feeling about seeing Rachel melted off her shoulders. It was moments like this that Rachel deserved to experience with their child. It was moments like this that Quinn desperately wanted to share with Rachel.

After filming Jaxon's goofy dance and sending it to Santana and Brittany, she got him all cleaned up - he still refused to wear a shirt - and now both Fabrays were as ready as they could be to greet Rachel.

At exactly 6pm, the doorbell rang.

"Door!" Jaxon yelled from his bedroom.

Quinn rolled her eyes, making a mental note to thank Santana for teaching her son that annoying habit.

She made her way toward the front door, taking a deep breath and making sure her hands weren't shaking. Finally confident, she opened the door to reveal a smiling Rachel Berry, holding a bouquet of gardenias.

Rachel had been so nervous all day, which was so foreign to her. She never got stage fright or nervous meeting people, but the thought of going to see Quinn again set the butterflies in her stomach loose, and they were going crazy. Their night together a month ago had been a dream come true for the singer, and then the previous evening had been fantastic up until Quinn's sort of freak-out. But Quinn had said that she had something important to tell her, so Rachel just chalked it up to nerves.

When she stood at the front door of Quinn's house, Rachel took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders. "Get it together, Berry," she chastised herself. "Quinn likes you. She's introducing you to her son. That is a big deal." One more deep breath and she pushed the doorbell button.

As soon as the front door opened, Rachel's butterflies turned into a flame of arousal. Quinn was standing before her looking oh so sexy wearing skin tight jeans and a sleeveless shirt that showed off a bit of her cleavage. Rachel thought she looked absolutely perfect.

Realizing she was just standing there ogling the blonde, Rachel cleared her throat and held up the bouquet of flowers. "For you."

Quinn's eyes swept over the brunette's body, and she couldn't help but lick her lips at the sexy black jeans and tank top the singer was wearing. It reminded Quinn of a 'bad girl', and she was definitely okay with that. Several memories of the nights the two women had spent together flashed through her mind.

"H-Hi, Rachel," she stammered as she opened the door wider, graciously taking the flowers. She brought them to her nose and inhaled their sweet scent. "How did you know I loved gardenias?"

Rachel shrugged and smiled, "I listen to every word you say, Quinn."

Quinn smiled shyly. "Thank you, Rachel. Please, come in."

Rachel nodded and stepped inside the house. She gave Quinn a soft kiss on the cheek and a happy smile. She took in her surroundings, looking around the beautiful house with a large living room that was decorated in a classic but casual style. There were several toys and other random kid stuff scattered around that was evidence of a child living there. She felt instantly comfortable as she breathed in the wonderful scent of vanilla and cinnamon.

"You look amazing, Quinn," she said softly, pulling the blonde into her body. She reached up and cupped Quinn's jaw, lightly brushing her thumb across the soft skin.

Quinn smiled shyly. She felt heat spread across her cheeks and her heart raced faster when Rachel touched her. "Thank you, Rachel. You look incredible. I'm glad you're here tonight."

But before Rachel could say anything, a shirt-less little boy pushed his way between them and looked up at Rachel with wide brown eyes. "You special?" he asked with excitement.

Rachel didn't know what to say. She cocked her eyebrow and looked at Quinn for help.

Quinn smiled and answered, "Yes, Jaxon. Rachel is our special guest tonight. You remember Rachel from the playground?"

Jaxon nodded. "You pretty," he said, then buried his face in his mother's legs in embarrassment.

Rachel smiled at the cute little boy as she knelt down so she was at his same height. "Thank you, Jaxon. You are very handsome yourself." She reached into a small sack she'd been holding and pulled out a kid-sized CD player. It was more of a toy, but it was small enough for Jaxon to carry around and it had a microphone attached so he could sing into it and record his voice. And unlike Cassie, the employees at the toy store were more than helpful. "I brought you something, Jaxon. I hope you like it." She placed the recorder in his small hands.

"What is it?" he asked curiously as he turned the foreign machine over in his hands, studying it.

"Can I show you how it works?" she asked, then when he nodded, she pressed a few of the large colorful buttons and the room was filled with music.

A big smile spread across the little boy's face. And Quinn just about had a heart attack as she watched the two brunettes stare at each other with the exact same Berry mega watt grin on their faces.

"Music!" he cried, excitement beaming from him.

Rachel chuckled. "Yep, music. Your mama told me you like music and you love to sing."

Jaxon nodded vigorously. Rachel spent a few minutes showing him how the recorder/player worked. It was a simple toy, so Jaxon learned quickly.

"I'm… I'm going to pull dinner out of the oven," Quinn told them. "Rachel would you mind hanging out with Jaxon for a couple minutes?"

Rachel glanced up at her. "I'd love to spend time with him. What do you say, Jaxon? Do you want to hang out with me until it's time for dinner?"

He nodded, and the two brunette's played with the new toy for a while, listening to songs and recording Jaxon's voice. He thought that was the best part. But soon his attention span shifted and he asked Rachel, "Play cars, 'Chel?!"

Rachel chuckled at the way he pronounced her name. He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward his toy box.

Rachel was enjoying spending time with Jaxon. She felt really comfortable around him as he jabbered on and on about things. It was fun to watch his excitement as he showed her his toys and how they all worked.

She kept staring into his dark chocolate eyes. They seemed to pull her in.

When he sat down on her lap, she wrapped her arms around him. She took in his smell, wanting to stay and hold him forever. She glanced up and noticed Quinn leaning on the archway of the living room, silently watching them. She softly chuckled, "He's a really great kid, Quinn."

As Quinn stood there, she was shocked by what was taking place in front of her. The sight of Rachel holding their son for the first time left her in a state of awe. It would be an image that would stay with her forever. She was shook out of her reverie when she realized Rachel had said something to her. "Uh, yeah."

Rachel noticed the stunned look on Quinn's face. "What's the matter? Is this not okay?" She looked down at Jaxon in her lap.

Rachel's nervous questions brought Quinn out of her state of shock. "No, Rachel, you're fine. I'm just surprised how fast he's warmed up to you. Jaxon normally doesn't do well with strangers."

Rachel smiled at her. "I don't either." Quinn gave her a look of disbelief since the rock star frequently stood on stage in front of thousands of people; so Rachel rolled her eyes and corrected herself, "Okay, I'm mistrusting of strangers, but with good reason." She looked down at Jaxon, who was playing with an airplane, and she couldn't fight the wave of happiness that came over her.

Watching as Rachel held Jaxon, Quinn bit her lip and thought about how she could definitely get used to seeing him cuddled up in the brunette's lap all the time. Seeing them together was so overwhelming. Before any tears escaped, she quickly turned toward the kitchen. "I'll be right back."

Rachel nodded and looked back down at the little boy.

He smiled up at her, his white teeth shining. "You 'Chel?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as he stared up at the brunette singer.

Rachel smiled back at him. "That's me. Who are you again?"

"Jaxon!" he proudly told her, pointing to his chest.

Rachel ran her fingers through his thick wavy dark brown hair. It was so soft. She leaned down and buried her nose in it, inhaling the sweet scent of the toddler. She grinned. "Well, Jaxon… do you have another airplane? Then we can play together."

He quickly jumped out of her lap and over to his toy box, producing another airplane in seconds.

When Quinn made it to the kitchen, she dropped down on the stool and laid her head on the island. She could do this. The three of them would have a nice dinner and then after she put Jaxon to bed, she would talk to Rachel. And no matter what happened between the two of them, she wouldn't prevent Rachel from being a part of Jaxon's life. Even if Rachel hated her after learning the truth, she would make sure Jaxon spent time with his other mother.

After pulling the cooked casserole out of the oven and setting it on the table, Quinn walked back into the living room and saw the two brunettes making airplane noises as they flew the toys around the room. She smiled, stopping to watch them. Rachel was so natural with Jaxon and she could tell that Jaxon enjoyed having the singer around. She cleared her throat and called out, "Dinner time, you two."

"Yay!" Jaxon yelled through his laughter. He hurried over to his toy box and put his airplane away, then he turned to Rachel. "'Chel, plane go in toy box," he told her.

Rachel smiled and put her plane away. Then she grabbed ahold of him, tossing him up in the air. He squealed as she caught him.

"Again!" he called.

Rachel laughed. "Okay. One more time." She tossed him high in the air, laughing at his squeal of excitement. They followed Quinn into the dining room and Rachel realized she was having a lot more fun than she'd anticipated. She set him down in his high chair then took the empty seat across from Quinn.

After everyone had their drinks and dished up the casserole, they ate in silence for several minutes.

Just being there with Quinn and Jaxon in such a natural setting was definitely something the singer could get used to. A nice little family who had dinner together every night, talking about their day and laughing at jokes. It was a picture she never thought she'd be able to have… but with Jaxon and Quinn she could actually see it.

Rachel's curiosity finally got the best of her and she asked Quinn what had been on her mind the most, "So… Jaxon's father was a brunette? Because he obviously didn't get that dark hair from you." She grinned at the little boy and ran her fingers through his thick hair.

Quinn choked on the water she was drinking, and began coughing. She wasn't expecting to bring this topic up over dinner. She cleared her throat. "He, um… he doesn't have a father."

Rachel scrunched her eyebrows together, giving her a confused look, then looked back at Jaxon. "What?"

More than anything, Quinn wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole. She had really wanted to wait until Jaxon was in bed before they had this serious conversation. She took a deep breath. This was it. She looked over at Jaxon, who was finished eating and now only making a mess of his food on his high chair tray. "Hey Jax?" she asked. He looked up at her. "Let's get you cleaned up then you can go play for a few minutes before bedtime."

He nodded his head enthusiastically. "'Kay!" He struggled to stand up, then Quinn took him over to the kitchen sink to get him all washed up and clean. When she set him down, he took off toward the living room.

Quinn began cleaning off the table, putting all the dishes in the sink.

Rachel sat watching her, knowing she was trying to get out of answering her questions. "Quinn?"

Quinn turned around to face Rachel. "How about we have this discussion in a little while, after Jaxon goes to bed? Please?"

Rachel tilted her head, wondering why Quinn was so apprehensive and nervous to talk about Jaxon's father. Was this the issue she'd told the singer about the previous night? The one that she was so afraid to voice? Quinn must not have a good relationship with the guy if just mentioning him gets her frazzled. Or maybe she had gone down to a sperm bank and conceived Jaxon that way? That would explain the 'no father' thing.

Rachel nodded then walked over. She wrapped her arms around Quinn's waist and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her neck. "Okay. We can talk about it later. How about I help you clean up, then we can spend some time with Jaxon?"

A small smile formed on Quinn's lips and some of the tension fell from her shoulders. "Thank you."

With both women helping, it only took a few minutes to get the table cleaned off and all the dishes rinsed and put in the dishwasher. Then they went into the living room and spent some time playing and laughing with Jaxon.

Rachel was amazed at how quickly she'd fallen for this little boy. He was the epitome of cuteness and he obviously had everyone he ever met wrapped around his tiny finger. He seemed like a naturally energetic and happy child, wanting to play and move around a lot.

When Quinn finally announced that it was time to put the toys away and get ready for bed, Jaxon pouted but obeyed his mother. He went to his room and grabbed a new diaper, his jammies and Lankie, bringing them out to his mama. Quinn quickly helped him get changed and soon enough, he was all ready for bed.

"Story p'eas?" he asked, looking up at his mother with chocolate brown puppy dog eyes.

Quinn rolled her eyes and laughed. Her son was going to have every girl drooling over him when he was older. "Okay, but only one," she told him as she grabbed one of his books and sat down on the couch.

Jaxon grinned and climbed up on the blonde's lap, wiggling a little to get comfortable. He saw that Rachel was sitting over on a different couch, and he didn't like that. "'Chel, sit by Mama," he said, pointing to the spot on the couch next to Quinn. "Story."

Surprised that the toddler wanted her to be a part of his story time, Rachel smiled and did as she was told.

As Quinn read the story aloud, Jaxon cuddled more into her chest, sucking on his thumb and holding Lankie. His eyes were fixated on all the pictures. Hearing his mama's voice as she read to him was always one of his favorite things in the world.

"The end," Quinn said as she closed the book and set it on the coffee table.

"More," Jaxon told her, sitting up on her lap.

"Sorry, Jax. I told you we were only going to read one story tonight," Quinn said gently.

Unfortunately, Jaxon decided that he wanted to be difficult. He folded his arms tightly and stated stubbornly, "No. More story."

Quinn took a deep breath. Of course Jaxon would choose tonight to throw a tantrum. The night she was going to tell Rachel that he was her son was going to be accompanied by the singer's first experience with a Jaxon-tantrum. "Sweetie, I told you before we even started that we were only going to read one story."

Jaxon pushed himself off Quinn's lap and turned to glare at her. Then he huffed over toward the bookcase and grabbed another book off the shelf.

"Jaxon," Quinn warned the small boy as she stood up to walk over to him. She knew exactly what he was trying to do, but it wouldn't work. He knew it was time for bed, and with Rachel there, he thought he could get away with more than usual.

Jaxon held up the book he was holding and demanded, "Read, Mama."

Oh that was a bad choice.

Quinn did not take kindly to being told what to do, especially by a stubborn three year old who was throwing a tantrum. She put her hands on her hips in her old high school HBIC stance, and stared down into those defiant brown eyes. "I will not tolerate you speaking to me that way, Jaxon Berry Fabray. You know better-" Quinn instantly froze when she heard a sharp intake of breath behind her. Then she realized what she'd just said. Shit, she thought as she dropped her head. Shit shit shit.'

Without looking over at Rachel, she scooped up her son and carried him down the hallway to his bedroom. It took her around twenty minutes to get Jaxon to calm down and finally fall asleep. She was also trying to stall her upcoming conversation with Rachel. Obviously by the shocked noise the brunette made when Quinn said Jaxon's full name, Rachel had heard it. And now she was sure to have many many questions.

Quinn closed her eyes and finally accepted her fate, whether it be good or bad. She closed Jaxon's door and slowly walked down the hall like she was walking toward her execution.

She saw Rachel still sitting in the exact same position she'd been in before, but now she was holding a small stuffed animal that must have been missed when they cleaned up the toys earlier. She was leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, studying the small toy while her mind was far away in thought.

Quinn cleared her throat softly and Rachel turned to look at her as she walked back into the room and tentatively sat down on the couch next to the singer.

Silence suffocated the room as the two women just sat there.

Rachel finally leaned back and looked over at Quinn. She could see the slight tremble in the blonde's hands and could see how nervous she was.

She smiled reassuringly at Quinn and reached over, taking one of her hands and softly rubbed the back of it with her thumb. "Well… um… I guess you liked me more than I originally thought, since you named your son after me and all," she joked, trying to lower the tension in the room. When Quinn didn't move or say anything, Rachel continued, "Quinn, look at me." Slowly Quinn raised her head and caught Rachel's intense gaze. "I need you to talk to me. What's going on?"

Quinn took a deep breath and decided the 'ripping off the band-aid' approach was going to be the best. "Rachel, uh…" Her stomach was in knots and she felt like she was going to throw up. "Rachel, the night we spent together four years ago… you, ah… you got me pregnant."

~~~~~QR~~~~~