A/N - Hey Everyone! I just wanted to say a couple quick things:

I know everyone is mad at Rachel for calling Quinn a whore, but Rachel was in shock and throwing up her defenses and blindly attacking in anger. She's just really hurt.

A few people have mentioned that they know the reason why I made Cassie a lawyer is because of a custody battle, but I promise that is not the reason at all. That would be too predictable.

I have to give a shout out to those readers who have never reviewed a story before but are reviewing mine - WOW! Thank you so much! :)

Also it's great to see several of my readers that reviewed on my other stories enjoying this one as well. Thank you for your much needed continued support.

And lastly (I promise!) - I want to thank everyone for their reviews and opinions, they help me SO MUCH as a writer! Keep them coming!

Disclaimer: Oh… and I don't own Glee.

Chapter 13 - Simple Conversations are Never Easy

By the time Quinn, Brittany and Jaxon arrived at the park, Jaxon was about ready to have a mental breakdown by how excited he was to see Rachel again.

They grabbed everything they would need out of the car and headed across the large expanse of soft green grass toward the play equipment. Before they got too far, Brittany realized she forgot a few things and went back to the car to get them.

Quinn immediately spotted Rachel leaning against a large shade tree, wearing a pair of loose shorts and a light pink tank top. The singer had on a pair of large sunglasses and a baseball hat, her hair up in a ponytail. And she still looked sexy as hell.

Quinn prayed to all that was holy that Rachel's anger had simmered down a little since the previous night.

Rachel had arrived at the park a little early, wanting to have a few minutes to gather her thoughts before Quinn and Jaxon showed up. She had been seriously thinking about everything Cassie had said that morning and had to admit that her best friend was right, she needed to see the situation through Quinn's eyes.

And she was trying… but the hurt and betrayal was still so strong.

When she first saw Quinn get out of the car, her anger began to flare again, but it was quickly overridden when her eyes spotted the little ball of energy running towards her. With a huge grin on her face, she bent down and caught Jaxon as he leaped into her arms.

"'Chel!" he cried, excitement written all over his face. "'Chel!"

When Rachel wrapped the little boy in her arms, it felt amazing! Like a missing piece of her soul had just been returned to her - a piece she never knew had been gone, but now felt empty without. Rachel closed her eyes and breathed in her son's scent, still amazed that she actually had a child of her own. She never thought it would ever be possible, but here in her arms was a little boy who looked so much like her.

She stood up, bringing him with her. They smiled at each other and laughed. She gave him another big hug, which made him giggle, then she kissed his cheek. "You are so perfect," Rachel whispered, her vision becoming blurry from the happy tears forming in her eyes. Quinn came up and stopped beside them and Rachel turned, meeting her eyes. "Thanks for bringing him," she said softly. "I really appreciate it."

Quinn could tell that Rachel was still upset with her, but as she watched the singer holding their son and tickling him, she saw Rachel's deep brown eyes soften, and was thankful that Rachel really did love Jaxon and hadn't denied him.

"You're welcome," Quinn answered quietly. "And I was uh… I was wondering if… when we're through here… if you and I could talk?"

Rachel nodded, knowing they did have a lot to discuss. "I wanted to apologize for calling you…" she looked down at Jaxon and amended what she was going to say, "... A bad name last night. It was very rude and disrespectful of me. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Rachel. I have a feeling our emotions are going to be a little sensitive for a while."

Before the singer could respond, she was interrupted by the bouncy boy in her arms.

"'Chel!" Jaxon exclaimed, planting his hands on the singer's cheeks, forcing her to look at him.

Rachel grinned at him. "Why… hello, Jaxon."

It was then that Rachel clearly recognized the famous Berry watt smile lighting up the little boy's face, and her heart instantly melted and tears pooled in her eyes again.

"Mama?" Jaxon asked, turning to look at Quinn. "'Chel go down slide?"

Quinn smiled at him. "I don't know, Jaxon. Why don't you ask her?"

He looked back at Rachel and tilted his head in curiosity as he asked, "'Chel go down slide peas?"

Rachel grinned. "You bet. Let's go!" And the two brunettes were off to the playground.

Brittany caught up to Quinn and spread a large blanket down under a tree. "She seems really nice, Q. It's obvious she already loves Jaxon."

Quinn nodded and sat down next to her friend. "Yeah, from what I've seen, she really does care about him. I'm glad she wanted to spend some time with him."

"Why don't you go over and join them?"

Quinn shook her head. "No. It's better for Rachel to have time to bond with him."

They watched in silence for a while as Rachel and Jaxon went down the slide over and over again. Sometimes the little boy would sit on Rachel's lap to go down, and other times she would catch him at the bottom, Jaxon squealing in delight the whole time. They were both laughing and having a great time together. Jaxon was a chatterbox and showed Rachel everything all around the playground; from the slides to the swings to the jungle gym, and then back again.

After a good forty minutes of nonstop movement, Jaxon pulled Rachel over to the large sandbox.

"Build castle," he told her as he plopped down on the warm sand and began scooping up some sand in his hands. Rachel was about to sit down next to him when he asked, "'Chel, sip cup peas?"

The day was getting pretty warm, so Rachel wasn't surprised that Jaxon was thirsty. "You bet. I'll be right back," she told him, kissing him on the top of his head before making her way over to Quinn. She was surprised to see another blonde woman sitting down on the blanket too. The singer hadn't seen her earlier when Quinn and Jaxon had arrived. The thought that she could be someone special in Quinn's life made Rachel unexpectedly jealous. She found she didn't like that idea at all. "Hey," the singer said as she reached the blanket, her arms crossed in front of her.

Quinn looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun, and saw Rachel standing in front of her. "Hey," she replied, a small smile touching her lips. She noticed Rachel's gaze was on Brittany, and realized that the two women hadn't met yet. "Oh sorry! Rachel, this is Brittany, one of my best friends. Brittany, this is Rachel."

Brittany bounced to her feet and flung her arms around Rachel's neck, startling the brunette. "Hi, Rachel! It's so good to finally meet you!" she exclaimed.

Shocked, Rachel didn't know what to do with this perky woman, so she just softly patted Brittany's back. Suddenly she remembered her from the last time they were at the park. She'd been playing in the sandbox with Jaxon and a Latina woman. "It's, uh… It's good to meet you too, Brittany. If I remember correctly, Quinn was saying the other day that you live next door to her and Jaxon, right?"

Brittany nodded and grinned. "Yep! My girlfriend, Santana, and I do."

Realizing that the tall blonde wasn't Quinn's girlfriend made Rachel feel a lot better. She turned to the other blonde, "Um, Quinn, Jaxon wants to have his sippy cup."

Quinn looked behind Rachel and saw her son sitting in the sandbox, already deep in his own world. She pulled the cup out of the diaper bag and handed it to Rachel. "Here you go."

But before Rachel could take it, Brittany snatched it. "I'll take it to him, Rach. I need to give him his sandbox toys anyway," she said, holding up a canvas bag full of plastic shovels, pails and dump trucks. Secretly the dancer just wanted Rachel and Quinn to have some alone time together.

"She's… enthusiastic," Rachel commented with a smile as they watched Brittany bounce her way over to the sandbox and hand Jaxon all the items.

Quinn let out a laugh, shaking her head in admiration of the innocence of her friend. "Yeah, Brittany's always been that way. She perfectly compliments Santana. Santana is…" not knowing how to describe her best friend, Quinn just said, "... opposite of Brittany."

Silence hung thick in the air between the two women. Which seemed to be happening a lot lately.

Rachel decided to take a small break and sat down a few feet away from the blonde. "Thanks again for bringing Jaxon. It's been a dream come true being able to spend time with him."

Quinn nodded. "You're welcome. He was really excited when I told him we were going to be hanging out with you today."

The singer smiled softly as she watched Jaxon laugh at Brittany's antics as the tall blonde made funny sand sculptures, adding voices to each character.

"You did a great job raising him, Quinn," Rachel said, scratching the back of her neck.

Quinn's surprised eyes darted back over to see the genuine look in the brunette's eyes. "T-Thanks, Rachel. He's a really great kid. And now that I've been getting to know you more, I can see where he gets some of his little quirks."

Rachel chuckled. "Is that good or bad?"

"Mostly good," Quinn responded teasingly. "I now know where he gets his energy and playfulness from. I didn't realize how playful you were until recently; the media never shows that part of you."

"Yeah, well… I guess I'm just a big kid at heart," Rachel said as her smile widened.

It was quiet for a minute while both women watched as Jaxon mowed down one of Brittany's sand creatures, then laughed when the blonde dancer tackled the little boy, hearing his loud squeal.

"Quinn, I wanted to talk to you about custody and visitations. I want to be a part of my son's life."

Quinn sat up a little straighter on the blanket. She knew they needed to have this conversation, and she hoped they could keep it civilized. "I agree. Well um… what were you thinking about visitation?"

"I want him to be with me every other week. I already missed so much of his life, and I don't want to miss anymore of it," Rachel stated, trying really hard not to let resentment flood into her words.

But Quinn could easily hear it. She heard the pain and anger. But… she took in a deep breath and prepared herself, because she knew this conversation was just about to turn ugly. "I'm sorry, Rachel, but no. It's not going to work like that."

Stunned into silence by the immediate rejection, Rachel gaped at the blonde. She couldn't believe Quinn had just shot down her request. "Excuse me? Did you just say that I'm not going to be allowed to see my son?"

"No, I'm not saying that at all, Rachel. I'm just saying that I don't want him living with you for a week and then at home for a week. He's only three years old and he's just going to get confused."

Rachel clenched her teeth, pushing down her defensiveness. She knew that she and Quinn needed to work this out; not just for their sakes, but mostly for Jaxon's. So she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing, "Well then, what do you propose?"

"I say he needs to stay in his home and we can schedule times for you to come and see him."

Rachel balked, then sprang to her feet and stared down at the blonde, completely mystified. "You have got to be kidding me! I am not some playmate that needs to make an appointment just to see him. He is my son, Quinn!"

Quinn quickly stood up. "Can you please keep your voice down?" she whispered harshly, gazing around and making sure no one was looking at them.

Rachel's frustrations were hanging by a thread. "I don't give a shit what anyone else thinks, Quinn! I am telling you right now that you are not keeping my son from me," she stressed.

"Rachel, you can't just come into our lives and start demanding things!" Quinn's voice grew louder as the over-protective mother in her reared its head. "You don't know anything about children and how to take care of them. You know nothing about my son and what is the best for him!"

"He is my son too! You've robbed me of all this time with him and never even gave me the chance to get to know him!" she growled, pointing her finger in Quinn's face.

"I am his mother, Rachel! I make the decisions that are best for him!"

Rachel bit her lip and turned to face away from the blonde. She knew she was about to explode and needed to calm down. She laced her fingers together on top of her hat and squeezed hard making her knuckles turn white, she scrunched her eyes closed and breathed in deeply. After a few moments, she turned back to face Quinn and said between clenched teeth, "From past evidence, it's obvious you suck at making the best decisions for Jaxon. You only decide what is best for yourself. And I swear, Quinn, if you think for even one second of trying to fight me on this, I will get my lawyers involved and take you to court so fast your head will spin! They'll shred you alive and make it so you'll never get to see Jaxon again."

"Oh, so now you're threatening me?!" Quinn asked incredulously, folding her arms protectively over her chest.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Quinn. But if you push me too far, I promise you will regret it," Rachel insisted.

Quinn stumbled a step back like she'd been slapped. Rachel had just threatened her! And everyone knows never to threaten to take a baby cub away from it's mama bear. All hell will break loose. "How dare you try to intimidate me, Rachel Berry," her voice was low and menacing as she glared at the brunette with cold hazel eyes. "It won't work. Besides… just so you are aware, you don't even have any rights to Jaxon right now, so you should be grateful I'm even offering to let you spend time with him at all. So by all means, feel free to go after me with every legality you want, Rachel, because as it stands now, you are nothing to him!"

"What the hell are you talking about?! I am his mother! Just look at him – he looks exactly like me!"

Quinn glared at the angry singer. She knew she was about to throw the fatal blow - and she did feel bad about it - but if Rachel thought she could just show up in Jaxon's life and start demanding things, she was sorely mistaken. "It doesn't matter, Rachel. When Jaxon was born, I made sure Shelby didn't put your name on his birth certificate! So you have no right to him!"

Rachel gasped and took a couple steps back. At first it felt like a 5,000 pound weight had just landed on top of her, but then her anger just multiplied. She felt like her whole body was about to explode. It was such a powerful feeling, nothing or no one had ever pushed her this far. "What did you just say?" she sneered.

Quinn crossed her arms and smirked. "You have no rights to him, Rachel." She hated being such a bitch, but she had been shoved too far into her own anger and there was no way to stop it now.

Rachel couldn't breath. But after a few moments, one thing Quinn had said made its way to the front of her mind. "Who the hell is Shelby? Some girlfriend who wants to take my place as Jaxon's mother?"

"No, she's not my girlfriend, she's a doctor," Quinn scoffed. "Dr. Shelby Corcoran. She's been Jaxon's doctor since he was born. Actually she was the who delivered him."

Just then, time froze.

Everything stopped and went silent as Rachel absorbed what Quinn had just said.

What in the hell fucking shit?! her mind screamed. Her eyes shot daggers at the blonde, and Quinn instinctively took a step back, feeling the heat of Rachel's gaze hitting her full force. "What. Did. You. Just. Say?" the brunette growled through clenched teeth, her face turning red and her hands balled tightly into fists.

She hadn't thought it would've been possible to be any angrier than she had been a few minutes ago, but oh… oh how she was so wrong! With this new information, she was a live breathing volcano on the precipice of exploding.

Quinn swallowed, backing down a little. The rage that was flowing off Rachel at that moment was very… unnerving, to say the least. "Uh… um… Shelby isn't my girlfriend, she's Jaxon's doctor."

"You have got to be-!" Rachel started but stopped, her whole body was shaking. She couldn't believe it. Her own mother had known about Jaxon all these years and she hadn't even bothered to tell her?! Rachel refused to believe that her mother hadn't made the connection; Jaxon looked exactly like her.

She just couldn't believe this! Rachel spun away from Quinn, her hands rubbing her face in frustration. She bit down on her lip until she tasted blood. "We will continue this discussion later," she threw over her shoulder in a low voice as she stormed toward her car.

Quinn took a deep breath and rubbed her temples, trying to lessen the pressure that threatened to explode in her head. She sat back down on the blanket, then looked over and saw Jaxon and Brittany happily playing in the sandbox.

At least Jaxon didn't hear all that, she thought gratefully.

But unbeknownst to the two fighting women, while they had been so absorbed in their argument, they failed to notice the camera flashes.

~~~~~QR~~~~~

A/N - Any guesses on how the upcoming visit to Shelby is going to go?