A/N - Thanks for all the awesome feedback! You guys are the best!

Disclaimer: Still don't own Glee.

Chapter 18

It was getting to be Jaxon's bedtime, so the two women got him ready for bed and tucked in. He wanted Rachel to sing him a lullaby like she usually did when she put him to bed, and he was out cold within minutes.

Now they sat back on the couch, their knees touching and fingers laced together. They sipped on red wine and continued their earlier conversation.

"So, tell me about your family," Rachel said as she tucked her leg under her.

Quinn cleared her throat, not really wanting to get into her personal family drama, but she and Rachel were trying really hard to be open and honest with each other. And knowing about family was basic information, but it was still a hard conversation to have. "Well… I was raised in Ohio."

"Really?" Rachel asked surprised. "I guess I always took you for a native California girl."

Quinn laughed. "Hardly. I lived in a very small and conservative town, where reputation was everything."

"Sounds like show business," Rachel muttered.

The blonde laughed again. "Probably. But show business is open to accept people's differences. Unlike Lima, where anyone different than the norm, like gays, are scorned and mocked. It was a very difficult place to grow up in." She shook her head. "Anyway… the day after graduation I packed up and moved to New Haven where I went to Yale. I was only seventeen."

Concern filled Rachel's expression. "Have you been back to Ohio?"

Quinn shook her head. "Nope."

"But you have seen your parents since then, right? I mean, that was what? 10 years ago?"

"Around 10 years, yeah. But no, I haven't seen my parents since the day I left. I haven't even talked to them. They basically disowned me."

"But why?" Rachel asked.

Quinn took a big gulp of her wine. "Well… they kicked me out the day before graduation because I finally got up the courage to tell them I was gay. And they also disowned my little sister, Charlie, for standing by my side and supporting me. It was the summer before her sophomore year and my parents just kicked her out of the house. Not even a goodbye, just a 'Get the hell out of our house! If you support that dyke, then you are just as disgusting as she is!'"

Rachel's jaw was on the floor. "You have got to be shitting me! They did that to their own daughters?!" she exclaimed, anger quickly rising to the surface. If she ever got her hands on those bigots, she would tear them apart!

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, they did. And what hurt worse, was that the majority of the town took their side. The town was small and anyone remotely different was shunned."

"What happened to Charlie?"

"She went to New Haven with me. She finished high school while I worked my butt off to support us. I was a pretty good student in high school so I was lucky and had received several scholarships from universities all around the country. One was a full-ride, living expenses included, to Yale. So we took that money and rented a small apartment just off campus. Charlie went to high school while I took a full load at college, plus I had a full-time job at an art gallery and Charlie had a part-time job at a small diner. After high school she received a full-ride to UCLA. I had just finished up my degree in Art History so we had no reason to stay in Connecticut. We packed up and moved out here. When she started college I told her that I didn't want her to work so she could just focus on her studies. She refused at first, she is quite the stubborn woman." Rachel laughed. Now she knew that stubbornness ran in Quinn's family. "But I eventually wore her down. She graduated last spring with a degree in Film Studies."

"Wow," Rachel said, awestruck. "You both are so strong. I don't know if I could have done that."

"Well I decided years ago that if our parents ever showed up at our front door, begging for forgiveness, I don't know if I would be able to let them back into our lives. My mom wasn't so bad, but she has always done whatever my father told her to do. I could see that losing her only two children killed her, but she chose her husband over us. So… that's it," she shrugged.

"So they have no idea of how successful you guys are or anything about Jaxon?"

"Nope," Quinn said, popping the 'p'.

A comfortable silence filled the room as the two women were both deep in their own thoughts. Rachel couldn't comprehend having such a terrible relationship with her mom. Her mom was such a rock in her life, Rachel wouldn't know what to do if Shelby ever kicked her out of her life.

"Where is Charlie now?"

"Well, after graduation she and a few of her friends decided to take some time and 'explore the world', as she told me…" Quinn smirked at her sister's adventurous attitude. "So they left for Europe and have been traveling around ever since. They should be back soon, or at least I hope they do. It's been a long time now." Turning the attention away from herself, Quinn asked, "What about you?"

"Huh?" Rachel asked, setting her empty wine glass down on the coffee table.

"Your family. I want to hear all about them."

Rachel chuckled at what she was about to reveal. "Well, I was born and raised in New York City. That was where I fell in love with the arts, particularly music. And unlike how you were raised, I was taught to love everyone no matter their religion or color or any differences they might have."

"That sounds wonderful," Quinn told her. "I want to raise Jaxon with that kind of perspective."

"I agree. And he will be. He'll learn that every person is special and deserves respect, and that love is love no matter what form it comes in," Rachel said. "I'm an only child. My mom was really young when she had me, so it's just always been me and her. She was also an only child and her parents died when I was little, so I never really got to know them."

"Are you and your mom still close?" Quinn asked.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah. She has always been my hero. She is the most loving and accepting person in the world. I was really lucky."

"You told me that your mom lives here?" When the singer nodded, she continued, "Why haven't I met her yet? Have you told her about Jaxon?"

Rachel chuckled. "Yes, she knows about Jaxon. She actually knew about Jaxon even before I knew about him, which caused quite a loud and dramatic argument between the two of us. And… actually you have already met her."

Now Quinn was really confused. That didn't make any sense at all. "Hold on… I've already met her? And how in the world did she know about Jaxon before you did?"

Rachel squeezed Quinn's fingers and pulled their hands onto her lap. "She was the doctor who delivered him. And she was the first person in this world to ever see him."

The blonde sat there, staring at Rachel as the words circled around in her head. "What?" Quinn asked flabbergasted.

The singer smiled. "Shelby Corcoran is my mother."

Stunned silence filled the room. Quinn didn't think she had ever been more shocked in her entire life than she was at that moment. Dr. Shelby Corcoran was Rachel's mother?! The doctor who loved Jaxon so much and always seemed to glow whenever she saw him was actually Jaxon's grandmother? No wonder there was such an obvious bond between the two of them. So then that meant…

"Shelby has known who Jaxon was this whole time?" she asked in disbelief.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah. When you told me that Shelby Corcoran was your doctor, I completely freaked. And unfortunately you witnessed that at the park. A lot of the anger and pain I was feeling was directed towards my mother. Don't get me wrong… I was plenty angry at you too, but I just couldn't believe my own mother would keep the knowledge of my son from me."

"W-Why did she?" Quinn asked. "Why didn't she tell you as soon as she found out?"

Rachel rubbed her thumb across the blonde's knuckles. "After I left the park that day, I went straight over to her house and unleashed all my anger and frustration out on her."

"That must have been scary," Quinn joked.

Rachel chuckled. "Yeah. It was pretty bad. I yelled and screamed at her for quite a while, but I'm sure you've known my mom long enough to know that she just stayed calm and took it, took all the anger and pain I threw at her and just held me. She held me in her arms until I couldn't scream anymore." Rachel rubbed her free hand over her eyes. "Anyway, she explained that she couldn't tell me about Jaxon because of doctor/patient confidentiality. And also because my name wasn't on his birth certificate, I didn't have any rights to him. Well, until I could have a paternity test taken."

"I am so sorry, Rachel," Quinn said sadly, wiping a tear from her own cheek. "Between me and your mom, you must have felt so betrayed."

Rachel nodded. "Yeah. It was definitely the worst day of my life." After a pause, Rachel shook her head, like she was shaking the thoughts away. "Anyway… back to happier things. My mom told me that she realized Jaxon was actually mine when you and Santana were arguing about his middle name in the hospital. You both must have said some things that made her put the pieces of the puzzle together."

Quinn thought back to the day Rachel was talking about. Shelby had asked her what she was going to name her son and when Quinn had said she wanted his middle name to be 'Berry', Santana had completely freaked out and went on and on about how Jaxon's other parent was a rock star and just left her after their one night stand. Quinn was sure Santana had even let it slip that the baby's other parent was a female. No wonder Shelby pieced it all together.

"It all makes sense now," Quinn murmured, thinking out loud more than talking to Rachel. "The way she looks at him, the comments she made about how he was a lot like her own daughter. The reason she had already tested him for Ty Sachs disease. Jaxon even looks exactly like you, Rachel! No wonder she figured it out so early on."

"Are you mad at her?" Rachel asked concerned. She didn't want this to ruin the good relationship Quinn had with Shelby as a doctor.

Quinn shook her head. "No. I'm not mad at her. I'm actually grateful."

"Grateful? Why?" Rachel asked, curiosity shining in her eyes.

Quinn's looked back up to those deep brown eyes that always made her heart stop. "Because… I honestly think if Shelby had told me who she was, I would have freaked out and purposely avoided her. I would have stressed everyday that she was going to tell you and that you were going to show up one day and take him away from me. Her not telling me was the best thing she could have done. That way she was able to see Jaxon and keep tabs on him and watch him grow. No wonder he likes the musical 'Wicked' so much!" she exclaimed and they both laughed.

After laughing for a few minutes, Rachel squeezed Quinn's hand. "Do you want more kids?" she asked seriously.

Feeling the distinct change in the atmosphere, Quinn looked deeply into Rachel's vulnerable eyes. "I would love more children. What about you?" she asked curiously, even though she was sure she already knew the answer.

Rachel grinned. "It would be an honor to have more children with my girlfriend," she whispered as she captured Quinn's lips with her own. Her hand cupped a pale cheek and she deepened the kiss.

Pulling back breathlessly, Quinn grinned cheekily, "Should I be jealous and have to kick some bimbo's ass, or are you upgrading me to girlfriend status?"

Rachel blushed. "I wanted to ask you, but… I'm new at this relationship stuff and I didn't want to mess it up. So… uh, yeah… Quinn Fabray, will you be my girlfriend?"

Quinn grinned, her eyes twinkling as she crushed their lips together again. "All your poor fangirls, what are they going to do when they find out that the sexiest singer in the world now has a girlfriend?"

Rachel laughed, then pushed a lock of blonde hair behind Quinn's ear. "They're just going to have to suck it up and live with it."

~~~~~QR~~~~~

Rachel called and made arrangements for her, Quinn and Shelby to meet for lunch in a few days. Quinn had always liked Shelby and trusted the doctor with her life, as well as with Jaxon's life. The older brunette had been a wonderful doctor and friend to them over the last few years.

When Quinn had first found out she was pregnant, one of her regular buyers at the art gallery had recommended Dr. Shelby Corcoran to her. And after researching online about Dr. Corcoran, Quinn found nothing but praise for the doctor. Shelby had won several awards and had been a part of various different charities, most of them having to deal with children.

Because of all the success Dr. Shelby Corcoran had, Quinn was surprised that there had been an open spot for a new patient in her clinic. And when she showed up for her first pre-natal appointment, the receptionist had even made the comment that it must have been fate, because the doctor hadn't had an opening in years.

Quinn also chalked it up to fate because when she met Shelby for the first time, she immediately felt like she knew the older brunette. She always felt so comfortable with Shelby and had instantly trusted her.

It was a little tricky when the doctor had asked about the baby's father. Quinn had just told her that the father wasn't in the picture. Shelby accepted that answer and moved on to the next question.

And truth be told, Quinn had secretly considered Shelby a mother figure. She wasn't terribly older than Quinn and she always had a natural spunk to her. So needless to say, Quinn was shocked and happy when Rachel had told her that Dr. Shelby Corcoran, the woman who cared for Quinn during her pregnancy, delivered Jaxon and had been his doctor his whole life, was actually Rachel's mother.

Quinn asked Rachel why their last names were different.

Rachel explained, "My mom had me when she was seventeen so I have her maiden name. But when I was eight she married Luke Corcoran. She asked me if I wanted Luke to adopt me and have his last name, but I told her no; I loved my name, it just rolls right off the tongue," Rachel grinned.

"Is she and Luke still together?" Quinn asked her.

Rachel shook her head, sadness replacing her usual spunk. "No. He died five years ago in a car accident. He was a great guy and he was a really great father. My mom had a hard time after that, so she moved out here to LA to be closer to me."

Knowing that Shelby was Rachel's mother also answered the reason why Quinn always felt so comfortable with her and why Jaxon absolutely loved her.

When the three women were able to coordinate all their schedules for a lunch outing, they all had a blast. Quinn felt a warm motherly glow from Shelby touch her heart as the doctor pulled her into a hug when they had first arrived at the restaurant. There was lots of laughing and talking and the warm atmosphere was comfortable and just perfect. Quinn was thankful that no one approached Rachel for an autograph that day, it made the time more private.

They made plans to have dinner over at Shelby's house in the near future so Jaxon could officially meet his grandmother.

~~~~~QR~~~~~

'Good morning, Rach. :) -Q'

The beep of the incoming text message on Rachel's phone stirred the singer awake. She blindly reached out and grabbed the phone from the night stand. When she read Quinn's text, the singer smiled and her heart skipped a beat (as stupid and cliche as that sounds, it was true).

She groggily typed out her own message through half-lidded eyes and sent it.

'Good morning to you too, babe. -R'

Rachel had another wonderful evening with Quinn and Jaxon the night before. This time she took them to the movies then out for ice cream. She was on cloud nine and excited that Quinn agreed to restart their relationship. And Rachel promised herself that she wouldn't throw this chance away.

She moved her leg in a swooping motion beneath the warm covers from one end of the bed to the other, just enjoying the feel of the satin sheets against her naked skin.

Today the warm comfort of the sheets were cocooned all around Rachel, caressing her with the promise of more wonderful hours of blissful sleep. Why was it that the bed always felt much more comfortable on days she had to get up early?

Holly had scheduled a long day of interviews for the band and the first one started at 9am, and Rachel knew the publicist could get very scary when she was upset and being late to an interview would definitely make the blonde angry.

Without giving in to another tempting second of the comfort and warmth of her bed, Rachel threw the covers off and pulled herself out of bed. Making her way out of her bedroom and down to the kitchen for a much needed cup of coffee. Smelling the aroma of the hot morning brew that Cassandra must have already made seemed to clear the singer's mind a little.

"Good morning," Rachel chirped as she entered the kitchen and saw the blonde lawyer sitting at the table drinking her own cup of coffee and reading the morning newspaper.

"Morn-" Cassie began, but stopped abruptly when she saw Rachel's naked body strolling nonchalantly over to the coffee maker. The blonde had known the singer for many years and knew she loved to be naked. At first Cassie was a little hesitant when years ago she watched as Rachel Berry walked out of the bedroom completely naked and then proceed to saunter around the house like it was no big deal. She even stayed naked all day long. Cassie asked her why the hell she didn't have any clothes on, Rachel just told her that she felt the most free when she was naked and always got the most inspiration for writing new songs.

Cassie would be the first to admit that Rachel's toned and tanned body was incredible to look at. There were definitely worse things to see in the morning. And now, after seeing Rachel's naked body so many times, Cassie didn't really notice anymore, but today the singer seemed to be glowing.

"What has you so happy this morning?" she asked.

Rachel poured some coffee and turned to smirk at her best friend. "Just a good night with Quinn and Jaxon last night is all."

Cassie's eyebrow raised. "Wow, Rach. That's like… what? The third time this week? You two are sure spending a lot of time together."

"What can I say? Quinn is giving me a chance to be in their life and I'm taking it. Jaxon means the world to me and you know how much I've been wanting to be with Quinn for the last several years. I'm determined not to screw it up this time. After Jaxon's accident, I realized that Quinn and I need to be together. We work really good together."

Carrying her cup back up to her bedroom, Rachel grabbed her phone off her bed and made her way to the large en-suite bathroom. After a long hot shower, Rachel was drying her hair when she heard her phone beep, signaling a new text message. She turned off the hair dryer and opened up the text.

'Did you sleep okay? -Q'

'I slept great. I actually had a dream about you. ;) -R'

It was a hot sex dream. Rachel couldn't help it. Quinn was sexy as hell. And the singer's cold showers seemed to last longer and longer as the days went by.

~~~~~QR~~~~~