Being with the Berry's was a lot like being in a carnival where everyone was related. It was loud and noisy and there were actually a fair blend of smells, with so many people packed indoors and trucking in and out with food. Getting out with Rachel had been a relief, even if it was with three relative strangers. None of them looked very much like Rachel, except for Saddler, and Saddler was a step child. Even then, it was only in base appearances of being a brunette with brown eyes. Rachel was darker than Saddler and her features were very different, at times softer and other parts more angled. Dylan and Tommy were identical, but Tommy had a Mohawk dyed purple and orange while Dylan's tattoo peeked out from his collar. Their other brother, Marcy, had gages big enough for Quinn to fit two fingers through and a dog collar with a bell on it. And besides that, all three of them were fair haired and had gray eyes as well as Nordic features, like their father.
Rachel was a sort of middling child. The Jewish side of the family was very pale and the Black side of the family was more varied, differing shades of brown, but nothing as close to tan or golden as Rachel. Rachel didn't seem to pay any of it any attention and Quinn found herself sitting next to Dale when she wasn't trying to escape in her room. Dale was very quiet and polite and more than once, got her a water bottle when he heard her clearing her throat. He didn't seem attracted to her anymore and she was briefly concerned as to whether it was because she was living with Rachel – which she really wouldn't have minded because some part of her liked the idea of being marked, of other people knowing about them – but the larger part of her was certain it was because her pregnancy was showing. She wasn't so much upset that he wasn't into her as to what it meant.
She was rounder now, and while Rachel seemed entranced, she knew she was becoming less conventionally attractive. She had a paunch and when she looked down, it was harder to see her shoes. Her stomach had been fluttering around anyways, reminding her that it was too big. Her face was rounder now and her mood swings were more prominent to the point where she'd snapped at Brittany. She was more insecure now, she could admit, and some days, normally Saturdays, when Rachel woke her up with soft, gentle kisses and caresses, she just couldn't control her libido. She'd gotten aroused during school just about every day that week by stupid, miscellaneous things, and had more than taken it out on Rachel once they were home.
Her parents were starting to trust Rachel again, and they'd been left alone all of four times the past month, but each time for hours, even a weekend once. They'd made good work of that time alone. Most of the time, it was just talking and they had tried oral sex once, when they were sure that Rachel's dads would be gone for a while. It'd been awkward, to be sure. Rachel seemed fairly big to Quinn, but was so very pretty. Her skin was golden-brown down there too and her head purple and thick. She was wide enough to stretch Quinn's lips some and she'd tried to cover her teeth to ensure that she didn't hurt Rachel. Still, Rachel had hissed a few times, when she'd forgotten, and had not been afraid to say, "A little softer, please."
Rachel made sure that Quinn could control the pace, hands under her ass, legs twitching to keep from bucking upwards and ramming it down her throat, sounds high-pitched and stuck in her throat. There hadn't been much taste throughout the blowjob, just sensation, and she'd definitely gotten wet at the sounds her girlfriend made. Even though they'd discussed it earlier, Rachel had still tried to pull her away to release, the entire time making nonsense noises. Quinn had stayed down, pushing the hands away, and swallowed her cum. Bittersweet and thick, it spread across her mouth like warmed dark chocolate; there was a vaguely acidic aftertaste, but it faded quickly. Rachel had seemed more skilled, though, between her legs. It felt like her tongue and actual lips were everywhere, nearly sucking her orgasm out. Rachel was exceedingly gentle, tongue in circular patterns, her own fingers holding herself open so Rachel could dive even deeper. Rachel's fingernails dug into her hips, leaving shallow red furrows, in an effort to keep from touching her, and she felt a deep sort of smugness that her beautiful girlfriend who always seemed to be in control of herself was having trouble not touching her.
It was, however, mostly kissing and reading and Rachel babbling to her baby bump now that it was more defined. She had never expected that being crowded so much could be cute, but every time she thought she would be irritated, Rachel would have a tiny little smile on the edges of her mouth or her eyes would be bright with – something and the irritation would dissipate, replaced with fondness and love for her other.
But that was then, this was now. And the now was peppered with people who wanted to know how they'd met, how far along was she, was it a girl or a boy, did they have names picked out; with just Rachel, Quinn was okay with not knowing exactly what to do, but with so many people asking her, she felt obligated to respond, but "We're not sure yet" was becoming increasingly invalidating.
And somehow, Rachel was perceptive enough to know that she didn't want to be in a house full of strangers who bore less than a passing resemblance to Rachel and invited her to the mall. Being with anonymous strangers meant that she wouldn't have to play nice with them or anything. She could be rude, she could be mean, she could leave at the first sign that this was not something she wanted to hear.
The car ride was a dull affair. She and Rachel were tucked into the same seat of the rather motley van, and it smelled faintly of piss and more strongly of mold. There was a suspicious stain on the floor of the van and they'd both lifted their feet as soon as they were possible. Rachel was small enough that her knees touched her chest comfortably and Quinn did feel more awkward, more unattractive. It was just hard. Rachel was beautiful, downright tiny, even had the exotic down pact in their relationship with her olive complexion and long dark hair. Quinn had been pretty self-assured that she was attractive and would probably remain so, but she hadn't accounted for pregnancy. The weight wasn't just in her stomach; it was gathering in her thighs, in her ass – which really didn't need any more weight – along with her face.
The mall was crowded, probably with the late Christmas rush, and she almost immediately swept along in the wave, away from almost all of the others. Saddler was nearby, and they walked next to one another.
"How far along are you?" Saddler asked, shouting over the din.
Quinn could barely hear her, but mentally counted, "Sixteen weeks."
"What?" Saddler yelled, unable to hear.
"Sixteen weeks!" She replied, louder.
Saddler still couldn't hear, apparently, and pulled her into one of the quieter stores. It was cooler immediately, and they were both flushed from the heat of so many people in an enclosed space. This way, Saddler looked a little more like Rachel, and Quinn said, "I'm sixteen weeks."
"Then you've come to the right place!" Someone said behind them, and they jumped in surprise. The woman behind them had her hair in an updo as well as in what seemed a uniform of a black shirt and black pants; stitched into the black shirt was a techno colored rattler. They'd stumbled into a children's boutique, apparently, and this woman smelled a sale.
They assured the woman that they were just browsing, did not need help, and then set off to look around. Perhaps it was because they were both outsiders in the tight-knit family, but they found themselves getting along pretty well, now that Saddler knew for sure. They ooh'ed and aah'ed over adorable little bibs and Saddler found a white one with a star motif and they agreed that it was perfect for any child that was part Rachel. Saddler never asked awkward questions and didn't hover, going to the bathroom and leaving Quinn alone without asking if she would be okay alone, as Rachel tended to.
The store wasn't very crowded, and she was looking at bodysuits when a woman bumped into her shoulder gently and said, "Oh, I'm sorry."
Quinn looked up to say that it was fine, and was, for a moment, utterly stunned. She openly gaped. The woman's brow furrowed, in a gesture Quinn was obscenely familiar with, and said, "Miss, are you alright?"
She licked her lips, blinking hard to snap out of her trance, "Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry, you just heavily resemble someone I know."
It was hard to pinpoint where, exactly, she looked like Rachel or if she'd just superimposed Rachel's features onto the older woman, but it was definitely a stark resemblance. They could almost be confused for twins, really, but she'd mapped Rachel's features out more often than not. Besides, Rachel was wearing one of her color blind outfits again. She'd had on orange skinny jeans with a brown shirt in the house, then a yellow hoodie, then over that a striped gray and black sweater, then over that a bright green winter jacket, bright yellow combat boots with flowers everywhere, and a beanie that resembled either a mutated cat or a rabbit, where the strings and tassels hung around her shoulders. The combined look was that her girlfriend was possibly deranged or had let a four year old dress her.
The woman gave her a puzzled look, then her face cleared a little, softened to match the clarity, and said, "Oh, I know what you're talking about. Sectionals, around a month ago? I have a show choir and we went to see the competition for regionals, y'know, do a little scouting. You were in – ugh, I can't remember the name-"
"New Directions," Quinn supplied. The team had probably called them names like 'Nude Erections' or stupid things like what the hockey players called them and that had stuck, rather than their actual name.
She smiled and nodded, "That was it. Yes, your performances were fantastic, especially the solo at the end."
She grinned without really meaning to, "Yeah, that was my other. She's fantastic." Quinn blushed when she realized she'd said other, something she had previously only used in her head. Girlfriend only covered so much, though.
The woman didn't say anything about that, instead, extending a hand, "I'm Shelby Corcoran. I'll be your competition in Regionals, I'm coach for Vocal Adrenalin."
Quinn returned the handshake, "Quinn Fabray." She found herself liking Shelby, as she didn't give her any pitying looks for her pregnancy or scathing looks. It didn't help that she looked like Rachel, which would probably always endear her immediately to someone. They talked for a little while, mostly small talk, still in the same place.
Shelby's eyes turned to the side of Quinn's head and she paled so abruptly, she was momentarily worried that she would faint. Quinn turned as well, and couldn't help the gasp. It wasn't just in her mind, this resemblance. The only ways they differed at first look was with their jawlines, and Shelby's eyes were narrow and green – rather like Judy's now that she looked again – rather than the big brown ones she was used to. There were probably more differences but the overwhelming similarities were shocking.
"Come here," Quinn managed to get out. Rachel looked at her, swallowed hard, blinking her eyes rapidly, and then approached her. She was shaking faintly and Quinn took her hand. The skin was clammy, and even her fingers trembled as she intertwined their fingers.
Shelby continued to look at Rachel, and then said, "You're so much bigger than I thought you'd be."
Rachel just stared at her.
"Did they rename you Rachel?" Shelby asked. She didn't seem to take offense to Rachel's silence.
The girl shook her head. "No," She rasped. "It's my preferred name. My legal name is Spencer."
Shelby bit her lip, "I'm glad they kept it."
It was very quiet for a very long time. Rachel and Shelby stared at one another until Rachel jerked her eyes away and her shoulders hunched, as if they would make implode into herself. Quinn could see some of her reaction, despite her being very close to stunted, and saw it as Rachel all of two seconds away from running away into a corner and crying. Shelby did not seem to be having the same crisis that Rachel was in the middle of.
She'd obviously thought about meeting Rachel again, had lines prepared, and seemed to let them shuttle out without really thinking about it. "I need to tell you something," She started, but Rachel made a strangled noise in her throat, almost a moan, and looked on the verge of throwing up or passing out. She'd taken on a faintly green tinge. Shelby looked concerned, and Quinn was as well. Rachel was normally very steadfast, if a little moody or hyper at irregular intervals, but this had really thrown her for a loop, if not several loops.
"Can we meet in the food court?" Quinn asked in Rachel's stead. "I think she needs a moment."
Shelby nodded hastily, "Yeah, yeah, that's fine. I'll – I'll meet you at a table near the salad bar."
She guided Rachel to one of the corners of the store as Shelby left, her back to a wall so she could see everything while blocking Rachel's view, and Rachel pressed her face to Quinn's neck. Her breath came out in huge, shuddering gasps, like a panic attack, and the fingers threaded through Quinn's tightened, nearly scrambling for some grounding connection. She murmured into her ear for long moments, just nonsense sounds, until Rachel had calmed down some, and Quinn took a glance around. There were no cousins or nosy women looking, so she lowered herself and pressed a kiss to Rachel's lips. Her lips were dry, chapped, and even there she was shaking.
"Calm down," She said into Rachel's mouth, barely leaving. "Please, calm down."
Rachel swallowed, pressed her lips to Quinn's, and breathed out heavily.
"I've never thought about her," She finally said, rushed, panicked. "My – my biological mother. I mean – I have thought about her, but never outside of the abstract. She was just this womb I came out of, not this person, and I look just like her, what does she want from me? I'm not prepared for this, this was not in the revised fifteen year plan," She rambled.
Quinn let Rachel finish rambling, rubbing her back and scratching at the back of her neck until she'd found Rachel's "off switch." Gerard called the area just below the nape of her neck, where the vertebrae of her spine were most visible, especially the largest one, that, as it calmed down Rachel and put her into what could be considered a trance of satisfaction. Rachel shut up, nearly melting into her embrace with what was almost a purr, and arched into her hand. It always freaked her out because she could pretty much do anything to Rachel and Rachel would pretty much roll over and take it. She moved her hand back down, to the small of Rachel's back, and could feel everything rushing back to Rachel swiftly in how she tensed up.
Quinn took her free hand and placed it on Rachel's neck. She could feel the pulse under her palm, hot, feathery, very rapid, and ran her fingers across the skin there, then up, to behind Rachel's ear, where it was warmer than normal because of the hat. She pressed her hand along the side of Rachel's face, somehow knowing the contact would soothe her. Slowly, gradually, the tension leaked out of Rachel, and she pressed another kiss to her forehead. "Better?"
Rachel smiled faintly, the curve of her smile pressed into Quinn's hand, "A little. I didn't know you could do that."
She shrugged, a little embarrassed. It'd been mostly instinct and the strong desire to comfort Rachel, who felt everything so strongly. Rachel nuzzled into her palm, kissed the space in between the longest lines, and swallowed again. "I think I can do it," She said. She looked like a little girl afraid of getting in trouble. Her eyes were huge, so soft and trusting, it was like Quinn was her entire world. A small part of her was terrified but a bigger part was more than entranced, because Rachel was rapidly making her way into being the only part of the universe that Quinn could understand.
"C'mon," She said, and tugged Rachel along until she walked of her own volition.
Shelby was sitting where she said she'd be, with two seats reserved in front of her.
"Grab a seat," She said to Rachel, who gave her a terrified look, but sat down. Quinn left her and Shelby at the table and went to grab two salads and a small churro with chocolate sauce from the kiosk. Rachel loved them; they were one of her few non-vegan indulgences, but Quinn found them too sweet. The churro sat on top of one of the salads and she gave them to Rachel, who gave her a small smile, but still looked scared. Quinn didn't blame her, really, and kissed the top of her head before she sat down as well. There was a long silence, and then Shelby seemed to jump into the middle of a script and said, "I was seventeen when I had you."
They glanced at one another, then hastily looked away. Quinn counted the scuff marks on a trash can. That was older than they were now; Rachel wasn't even fifteen for another twelve hours.
Then, Rachel frowned, and said, "I thought you were a surrogate."
Shelby shook her head, "No, not like that. My parents wanted something simple and permanent, your parents were looking for a child, and my parents knew someone who knew their plight. We arranged it, we met beforehand, if that's what you meant. They'd tried a couple of surrogates, I think, but they'd normally back out once they were further along in the pregnancy, maybe four or five months, and they tried to sue once, but the courts nearly laughed them out. They decided that rather than fight and possibly lose for years, they decided to try adoption instead."
She looked at Rachel, just to see what the girl was doing, but Rachel was opening the salad container, and taking bites of it rapidly, possibly so Shelby wouldn't expect an answer. Her leg was shaking in her anxiety and Quinn put a hand on Rachel's knee, rubbing with her thumb along the bone.
Rachel looked at her, flickering her eyes around Quinn's face and then ducked her head a little, stopping her frantic chewing.
"Was I an easy pregnancy?" Rachel asked, after almost a minute of silence, with a very quick glance at Quinn.
Shelby smiled, "After the two months of near constant morning sickness, you were very easy."
Quinn gave Rachel a look, and received a sheepish smile in response. It made her want to kiss Rachel, possibly just reach over and run her fingers through the long hair, but instead, she rolled her eyes at her other.
They ate lunch together, and Rachel didn't talk much. Shelby seemed to be verbose, though, or perhaps had just spent so long thinking about what she wanted to say that she'd be damned if she never talked about it.
"Your father," Shelby said, when they were nearly finished and Rachel had slurped through three slushies. She kept getting up to get them because they were the furthest away from the table and she was too jittery to sit around for so long. At some point, Quinn was fairly certain that the people just put crushed ice in the cup. "Would you like to hear about him?"
"I already have two," She shrugged, "What's one more?"
It was a bit of a rude thing to say, but Rachel didn't seem to regret it from Shelby's perspective, no doubt. Her hand was tight, though, intertwined as it was with Quinn's. Her casual nonchalance and blank mask took Quinn back to the morning after the party, when she'd biked Quinn home. She'd been hiding her insecurities then, Quinn realized, and was doing the same thing now. She did want to know Shelby, her biological father; she did want some connection with these people, and Quinn couldn't begrudge her that.
Shelby was hesitant, then said, after a moment, "He was a year older than me. His name was Alfred, so everyone called him Freddie. You have a lot of his features, I don't know how you look so much like me."
Rachel wasn't going to ask, so Quinn asked, "Features?"
She nodded, "Yeah,that was his build, short and slender. He was probably five three or five four. Same eyes, same nose, same mouth, you even have his mole."
Rachel's fingers twitched, as if she wanted to touch the mark, but all she said was, "Was?" She moved her free hand up and started biting on her thumb nail.
Shelby had a soft, small smile, that was unbearably sad, so sad that Quinn felt that this was what loss looked like, in its half-healed form, still aching but no longer a fresh wound, "He got into a car accident the day you were born on the way to the hospital. He was the one that named you."
Rachel looked down at the table thoughtfully, switching her thumb for an index finger, "And that's why you gave me up for adoption?"
Shelby shook her head, but Rachel wasn't looking up to see, "No, we were giving you up regardless. We were kids, there was no way we were ready to be parents. Maybe if we'd been together longer than six months or if we'd have had a better support system, we would have tried, but I don't think you'd have been in the best care. The Berry's did right by you."
Quinn looked at Rachel, thinking of what a wonderful person she was, and agreed, "I think so too." Rachel was still shaking her leg, had chewed through the second cuticle as well, but her face was a little softer, her eyes a little calmer. She wasn't sure if it was Shelby's statement or Quinn's agreeing that had done it, or if it was a combination of the two.
After a moment of utter silence, then Shelby added, "I've never had another child."
That did it. Whatever had been keeping the girl in place vanished, like smoke in the breeze, and Rachel stood abruptly, face a blank mask, and left the table. She walked right out of the food court, probably the mall. Quinn considered going after her, but sighed softly instead and said, "You shouldn't have done that."
Shelby looked numb, "I was just telling her the truth."
Quinn made a fist with her left hand, pursed her lips, "I'll talk to her. Give me your number or a business card, and I'll see what I can do."
The woman fumbled momentarily with her purse, then pulled out a business card – heavy paper, eggshell colored, the ink a deep black – and Quinn slipped it into her own purse. She stood up and looked at Shelby, "I'd tell you this was a pleasure, but it really wasn't. This was sudden and no one was prepared and trying to guilt trip her into talking to you like that definitely doesn't endear you to me."
Shelby looked like she was about to protest, but Quinn continued, "I don't want to hear about it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find her."
She left Shelby with their trash on the table. Searching for Rachel didn't take long. She called Rachel and Rachel answered, without any sort of greeting, "I'm in Sports Authority." Rachel hung up immediately afterwards. The store was near the entrance, but that wasn't why Rachel was there. Tommy was looking at hockey sticks and Rachel was speaking to him rapidly in Hebrew, pacing around him in a circle. He was unbelievably patient, she saw, and only responded when he was sure she wasn't just pausing to breathe. They talked for a while, and then stopped, and Tommy sat on the bench, examining the stick closely. Rachel continued to pace, taking her hat off and running her hands through her hair as she thought, wrapping the tassels around her fist. Sports Authority was less occupied by casual pursuers as the other stores and just about everyone was looking at the special on air rifles and BB guns. Since there didn't seem to be anyone that they knew, she intercepted Rachel's pacing by coming up behind her and wrapping her arms around her waist, pressing herself fully to her back. The layers between them pillowed Rachel's muscles, kept her from feeling Quinn's familiar front, and for a moment, Rachel tensed, but Quinn muttered, "It's me."
Rachel calmed almost immediately, nearly melting into her embrace. She tilted her head back so that her forehead brushed Quinn's chin and the blonde tilted her head so she could press a kiss to Rachel's temple. She held her for a long time, more for herself than Rachel after a while, just to assure herself that Rachel was alive and well and there, achingly present, before Rachel's cell phone rang. Quinn walked away to give her some privacy and looked at the golf section. Russell played every weekend, although she had no particular attachment to the sport.
The conversation was short and Rachel took her hand when she was finished, leaving the store together, then out the mall. Rachel shuddered and pulled the hat on. Quinn stuffed her hands into her black gloves. Tommy was shortly behind them as they went to the parking lot and got into the driver's seat, turning the heat on as they waited for Dylan and Saddler. Rachel leaned against her side as they got comfortable, and Quinn straightened the hat on her head of dark hair. Rachel kept quiet about Shelby, not saying a single word along the trip, until Tommy leaned back and said, "Hey, Spence, how about we get you a tattoo for your birthday?"
"Yeah," Dylan continued, sniggering, "We'll get one right on your dick. It'll say 'all welcome.'"
The brothers laughed at their wit and Saddler looked a little uncomfortable. Rachel was unfazed. "What a staggering display of wit," She said dryly and they both flipped her off, which sent her off into giggling. Her giggling made Quinn laugh just because it was infectious and adorable. Her eyes would squeeze shut, her dimples would come out on full display, her smile would be huge and gorgeous, and she'd even start hyperventilating as her laughter went on because she'd laugh as other people laughed at her because of her laugh until it was a cycle of red faces and tears; if that wasn't adorable, Quinn's middle name wasn't Lucille.
Sure enough, Tommy and Dylan started laughing as well and Rachel kept laughing and because the situation was just that absurd, Saddler startled laughing, and Saddler had such a weird laugh, like a hiccuping donkey that had gotten kicked in the ribs – wheezy and loud and somewhat choked off - that everyone else went into peals of laughter. Tommy continued to drive because it was mostly a straight ride and he could laugh hysterically without hitting anyone.
They made it home in one piece and Dylan immediately slipped on a patch of ice, which made them laugh harder. By the time they were in the house, everyone was red-faced and gasping and Quinn collapsed on the couch, Rachel next to her, and the other three found spots on the couch to sit on and lean against until they were pretty much in a huge pile of limbs. Most of the adults had rolled their eyes at the teenagers but now that they were calm, flushes dying down, Gerard was snapping pictures left and right of them. Quinn tolerated the pictures and pushed the hat off to nuzzle Rachel's hair, which smelled a little like sweat but mostly like shampoo and the crisp freshness of winter outdoors.
It was late evening by then, and people started to leave. Tommy, Dylan, and Marcy all left, giving the two of them kisses and teasing Rachel that they'd bring their tattoo supplies tomorrow. Soon, it was just them in the house, along with Rachel's fathers, and she gave Rachel the card now that no one was really around to hear her blow up.
Rachel held it with the ends of her fingers, swallowing hard, rather than saying anything or really looking at Quinn.
"It's a nice business card," Quinn told her, then winced. There was no way Rachel would be as concerned with the aesthetics of it when her entire life was just –
"I like this part," She replied quietly to Quinn. "Where her initials go off the square and you can see the difference between white and eggshell."
"Yeah, me too."
Rachel laid fully on the couch, hair tumbling around her head, like a ragdoll, and Quinn rolled over so that she was behind Rachel on the couch, spooning her from behind. The TV was off so they stared at the fire. For long moments they laid there, lost in the heat and rhythm, and then Rachel's hand reached backwards for Quinn's hip and she stroked her thumb along the arc of bone and muscle.
"I'm going to invite her to my birthday party," Rachel announced. The birthday party wasn't very large, but there were enough people – mostly relatives, Quinn was ashamed to admit that it was probably her fault for that – to cover an additional person. The Gleeks were coming, though, mostly because they owed Rachel for saving their asses in Sectionals, along with Dave, Puck, and some of her coworkers. Winter break was a slow season for the café, despite what should have been a holiday rush, because they depended on college students, and most of them were home, so Rachel hadn't been called into work lately. She was almost starting to miss the caffeine scent that had hung around Rachel for so long, like a mist or perfume. She hadn't gotten Rachel a birthday gift, mostly because she wasn't sure what to get her. Given enough time and affection, Rachel didn't really have wants. Whether that would change when they were together longer, whether it would prove to be a good or bad thing, when Rachel was more or less secure about the relationship would just have to be seen.
"Okay," She replied. It was squarely Rachel's decision and Rachel wiggled from under her and left the room, then up the stairs double time. Quinn took a shower instead of going in the room with Rachel and hearing her side of the conversation. Since they lived together, they often tried to give each other moments of privacy, such as being on the phone and they hadn't showered together because it was more of their "private time." She left and peeked in on Rachel. Rachel was petting Toto's head, legs crossed, visibly excited.
"Hey, what'd she say?"
Rachel grinned, "She said she'd come by. I'm nervous, but it's a good nervous."
Quinn smiled, "Good." She kissed Rachel's forehead, then gave a soft sound as Rachel tilted her head up and kissed her mouth, withdrew, then kissed her again and again in this fashion, slowly bringing them both onto the bed as Quinn followed her mouth. The kisses were so soft and gentle, such emotion present, that Quinn cooed into her mouth, sucking on her tongue. She ended up straddling Rachel, and the dog left, and Quinn continued to sigh softly as Rachel stroked her back. Rachel hissed as Quinn's nails dug into her shoulders and practically crushed Quinn to her. She could feel Rachel's erection pressed against her tummy and angled her hand so that she could grasp her fully. Rachel moaned loudly, tearing her mouth away momentarily.
There was a sudden knock on the open door. "Hey," Jeremiah warned, "Too handsy. Go to bed."
They groaned, but separated. "Quinn, go to your room," He said. She got up without complaint, and kissed Rachel with a soft, "Good night."
Rachel stroked her cheek, "Night."
She passed by Jeremiah and he kissed her forehead, brushing her hair away from her face momentarily. "Night, pretty girl."
She grinned at him, and went to her room. She turned her lights off and closed the door. Her bed was still comfortable and she snuggled into the blankets as she drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Rachel bounced into her room, shouting, "It's my birthday!" The Sun was nowhere close to up. She jumped on the bed until Quinn sat up and groaned, then Rachel left and she could hear a muffled scream as she jumped onto her parents bed. She rolled over and smiled to herself, then felt her stomach, especially the distended lower belly. "It's your other mommy's birthday," She whispered, feeling a little silly, but mostly feeling right in this movement, even as Rachel skidded into her room, giggling, and jumped back into her bed. Gerard and Jeremiah were right behind her and fell onto the bed as well, laughing, and began tickling both of them.
The men crowded them together on the bed and she could feel Gerard rub her head as she stared at Rachel's beaming face, and Jeremiah further up behind her.
"Happy birthday, Spence," Gerard said.
"Yeah, baby, happy birthday," Jeremiah continued, kissing the back of Rachel's head.
Rachel looked at Quinn and Quinn couldn't stop a slow, small smile from forming deep in the pit of her being, then out fully.
"Happy birthday," She repeated, and kissed Rachel's nose, aware that her fathers were millimeters away. There was a twitch in the pit of her stomach but she and Rachel were so close that she saw Rachel's eyes widen.
"Quinn," She said reverently, cupping her abdomen with a hand, "How often has that been happening?"
Quinn tried to think, "Maybe a couple of days, three or four days."
"That's the baby," She remarked, and her voice was choked, was nearly silent. "That's our baby."
Quinn's mouth fell open, "Oh my God."
Rachel grinned, and pulled her closer, so close that her hair tickled Quinn's neck, "This has been the best birthday ever."