Glee 1. Morgan Spurlocking Is Not A Verb

**A/N: ****Though I have watched a few documentaries on the subject, done hours worth of research, and talked with many mothers who have either given birth at home with a midwife or gone the hospital route, I have never actually given birth so please forgive any inaccuracies. This story is going to focus less on the medical side of the labor and birthing process and more on the almost mundane hours that happen in between inactive and active labor.**

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9:45 PM

"Hello, baby," Rachel says the moment after the camera is turned on. She's standing in the living room of the small apartment, photos of family and friends hang on the wall behind her, as well as movie posters and playbills. A dying houseplant can be seen in the bottom right corner of the screen.

The brunette has a big smile on her face, her hair is back in a sloppy bun, and it's still damp from the shower. Her face has been washed away of that day's makeup, and she's wearing a black spaghetti strap undershirt and loose-fitting sweats. She's practically shaking with excitement as she looks into the camera she's holding in front of her face.

"I'm recording this message to you right now because here on May twenty-second, two thousand twenty your mom – well, your other mom – just went into labor with you about two hours ago. I know she won't like it if I have the camera on her throughout the entire experience because giving birth can take a _long_ time, and she might get cranky, but –"

"Oh, that's just great, Rachel. Paint me out to be the prude who's smothering your inner documentary filmmaker while I, your wife, try to work an entire human being out of my body." Quinn's voice can be heard somewhere off camera, and she sounds slightly irritated, but there's also a playful lightness to her tone. Rachel's smile gets bigger, and an impish glint appears in her eyes. She turns her head to look off camera, and lightly bites on her bottom lip, suppressing a laugh.

"Those are your words, babe, not mine," she says. The laughter she's trying to hold back bubbles in her voice, making her words sound slightly strained. As soon as the words leave her mouth a small pout takes over her face as she continues to look at Quinn. "Aw, sweetheart, I was just playing around." Rachel looks back at the camera, her face splitting smile back in place. "Let's go see your mom. I think she's just a little worried about everything that's going to happen soon."

"I'm not worried," Quinn says as Rachel walks further into the room, the camera still pointed at her face. The background blurs, and the camera shakes as she sits down on the couch and scoots closer to Quinn, allowing both of them to be in the shot.

Quinn's short blonde hair is put back in a pony tail, and she's also in her nightwear; a grey t-shirt with the logo of a heart with a unicorn horn sticking out the top of it that should be loose fitting, but fits snuggly over her protruding belly and swollen breasts, and her black yoga pants, which are pretty much the only pants that fit anymore.

She gives a shy smile to the camera, but doesn't look directly at it for more than a couple seconds at a time. Her insecurity about her "water weight from hell" becomes more evident now that a camera is pointed at her.

"We don't even know if I'm in labor," she says, turning her head to look at Rachel. The angle is a little awkward since they're sitting so close, but the brunette also turns to look at her wife, only a couple of inches separate their faces. "This could just be really bad heartburn and you're doing all of this Morgan Spurlock-ing for nothing."

Rachel leans forward and lays a gentle kiss on Quinn's lips, and some of the anxiety drains from the blonde's body. The kiss lingers for a few moments before Rachel pulls back and presses her forehead against her wife's. They look into each other's eyes for a few moments just breathing each other in, and Quinn visibly gets more and more relaxed in Rachel's close proximity.

"Babe, you've been having small contractions every thirty minutes for the last couple of hours, and your back has been cramping," Rachel says softly, a huge grin slowly breaking out on her face as she speaks. Quinn's shoulders tense at her words. "You're in labor, sweetie."

"You don't know that for sure," she says, the anxiety she's feeling coming through clearly in her voice. Rachel brings her free hand up and gently strokes Quinn's cheek with her fingertips. "I had some really spicy food for lunch, and I didn't stretch all day so my muscles could just be stiff. I can't be in labor." Her voice sounds small, and Rachel places another sweet kiss on her lips before turning back to the camera.

"Baby, your mom is just in denial," she says, and ignores the scoff that Quinn releases at her words. "I think she's really scared right now. You weren't supposed to be here for another three weeks, and your mom doesn't like it when things don't go according to plan." Quinn rolls her eyes, and places her hands over her stomach, a habit she's developed whenever she feels vulnerable or really insecure.

"Right, because you're normally the calm and laid back one when things go wrong," she says, trying to sound playful, but instead she sounds scared. Rachel looks over at her and places her hand on the back of Quinn's neck, gently massaging the tense muscles she finds there as she studies the blonde's face for a moment.

"Nothing's going wrong, sweetie. All of our plans are still the same, they're just a little early," she says in a soothing voice. It seems to calm Quinn down a little, but the fear she's feeling can still be seen in her eyes. "Do you want me to text Brittany? She and Santana will rush right over if you need some more moral support." Quinn gently shakes her head and lets out a small sigh as Rachel continues the massage.

"No, I don't want to bother them yet," she says, her head lulling backwards, and her eyes shutting for a few moments as she basks in the calming feeling of Rachel's expert fingers. A small smirk tugs at her lips, and she looks over at Rachel, hazel eyes shining with mischief. "Can you imagine Santana's freak out if this is just a false alarm?" They both laugh, and Rachel switches the camera to her other hand, giving her tired arm a break. The camera shakes a little before she steadies it.

"Yeah, she'll probably start ranting in Spanish, throw in something about Lima Heights Adjacent, yell '_no me gusta,_' give you a hug, then stomp back to the car while Brittany stands back watching the whole thing giggling the entire time," she says, and Quinn starts laughing harder at the images popping into her head at Rachel's words.

"We have the best friends," she says around her laughter with nothing but sincerity in her voice. Rachel gets her breathing under control, knowing that the camera is shaking the entire time while she's laughing. She doesn't want this part to be un-viewable or cause anyone motion sickness.

"Yeah, we do," she says, and gives Quinn another sweet kiss. When the kiss ends, Rachel scoots away, putting a little more distance between herself and the blonde. She pulls the camera forward until she's looking through the viewfinder, and focusing on Quinn's face. "Hey babe, will you show your stomach to the camera? I want her to be able to see what you looked like before she came into the world." There's a moment of hesitation before Quinn smiles into the camera.

"Ok, but just for a second. I really need to pee," she says, lifting up her shirt over her belly, resting the material right below her breasts. Rachel tilts the camera so the only thing on the screen is Quinn's swollen stomach, her delicate hands gently rubbing up and down the sides.

"There you are, baby girl, all snuggled up in Mommy's tummy," she says, her voice beaming with pride. They fall silent as Quinn continues to rub her stomach. A slight wince can be heard, and her hands begin to rub a little faster, and just a little deeper into the muscles. Rachel tilts the camera up for a shot of Quinn's smiling face. The sound of her sharp inhale at the sight of her wife's beaming face can be heard, and the blonde's smile grows a little at her wife's reaction.

"I really hope our baby looks like you," Rachel says, her voice serious. A chuckle reverberates in the back of Quinn's throat. She lets out a long, slow breath, and her hands finally slow to a stop, gently resting protectively over her stomach.

"Well, prepare to be disappointed because she's going to look like you," she says with a cheeky grin. Rachel's small laugh can be heard, and Quinn bites her bottom lip at the sound.

"How much do you want to bet on it? There's a fifty-fifty chance she's going to look like one of us, remember?" she asks, her voice carrying the amusement she's feeling. Quinn continues to relax, no longer caring about her appearance as she focuses her attention on her wife instead of the camera aimed right at her face.

"Alright, if you're right then you get to pick her first name, and if I'm right you get to do all the night and early morning feedings and diaper changes by yourself for the first six months," she says, quirking a challenging eyebrow. Rachel's childlike laughter can be heard and the camera quickly tilts down until only Quinn's stomach is in view.

"Did you hear that, Fanny? Your mommy said I get to name you," she says with an amused tone of voice. Quinn's laughter can be heard, and Rachel quickly moves back up to Quinn's happy face. Then suddenly the laughter stops, and a serious expression takes over the blonde's features.

"Ok, seriously Rachel, I really need to use the bathroom. Help me up." Quinn starts to lean forward and places her hands on the couch cushions, trying with all of her might to stand on her own, but she sinks back down in the overstuffed couch. A look of frustration falls over her face as she pulls her shirt back over her belly.

"Ok, just let me turn this off," Rachel says, her voice strained as she tries not to laugh, and the screen cuts to black.


	2. Crazy Moms Be Crazy

12:00 AM

The camera turns back on, and an image of Rachel sitting in their kitchen comes into focus. The kitchen – otherwise known as Quinn's domain – is decorated with dark hues of red, with pictures of flowers in stark white frames hanging on the walls, each of them a Christmas gift from Quinn's mother after she finally accepted their relationship. The two have been together for nine years and came out to their parents after six months of dating. There are only four pictures.

Rachel still looks excited, but now that some time has passed it's more contained. "Hello, baby girl," she says with a small smile on her face; light bags are starting to form under her eyes. "Your mom went into labor with you about four hours ago, and she's finally accepted that it isn't just really bad heartburn so, yay!" She laughs a little into the camera, and Quinn's loud scoff can be heard somewhere out of frame.

"Will you let that go?" she asks, the irritation evident in her voice. "Having contractions is scary. You try it sometime." Rachel gets a small smirk on her face and a wicked gleam in her eyes. She glances somewhere off camera and her smile only grows when her eyes land on her wife.

"I do every month, sweetie, they're called 'menstrual cramps'," she says and bites down hard on her lower lip to stop herself from laughing.

"I cannot believe you just said that to me," Quinn's angry voice yells from somewhere in the apartment. "For the love of god, please tell me you did not just say that to me." Rachel's chest quivers as she wills herself not to laugh, and she looks back into the camera, her eyes shining.

"Sweetheart, could you please take a deep breath and get rid of all this anger? I'm trying to do another entry for the baby's video diary. This is an important day, and I want her to know everything that's been going on," she says, trying to keep a straight face as she swivels the viewfinder around and tries to smooth down the flyaways sticking up on her head.

"Fine, hand me the camera," Quinn says and loud footsteps can be heard, getting closer and closer to the kitchen. "I'll tell her everything she needs to know." Rachel lets out a loud squeal, and the sounds of a struggle are all that can be heard as the camera shakes erratically for a minute.

"Rachel, hand it over!"

"No, it's mine. You gave it to _me_ for Hanukah!"

"I don't care, I want to make an entry for our child!"

"You're going to be angry and mean, though! This is about joy! Be joyous!"

"You are being such a _brat_! Just give me the freaking camera!"

"Language, Quinn. Our _daughter_ is going to be watching this in a few years!"

"Oh please, if she can't handle the word "freaking" by age four then she can't call herself a Fabray."

"Don't say things like that!"

"She's taken over _my_ body. I'll say whatever I want!"

"That isn't fair for her. She didn't ask to be born, we decided!"

"Rachel, I swear to god, _just give me the camera_!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Freaking, yes!"

A loud yelp echoes in the tiny space, and a moment later the camera comes into focus on an agitated looking Quinn. Rachel is in the background with a huge grin on her face.

"You've been pressed right up against my bladder for _weeks_ now, and I have to pee every fifteen minutes," she starts, and Rachel lets out a loud bark of laughter. "I feel really anxious and claustrophobic, and I can't sit still, and if you do not stop kicking me you are grounded for the first two years of your life _at least_."

Any composure Rachel was holding onto dissipates with Quinn's final complaint, and she begins laughing so hard she can barely breathe. It's the type of whole body laugh that grabs onto your throat, takes control of your extremities, and refuses to let any sound escape. Her face is beat red, large hot tears slowly trek down her cheeks, and her jaw is forced open and she can't close it no matter how hard she wills it.

Quinn can see her in the viewfinder, and her jaw clenches so hard the tendons on the side of her neck stick out. As the seconds tick by, an array of emotions are displayed on her features. First is anger, then that slowly starts to disappear as Rachel hunches forward, her hands on her knees in order to keep herself from tumbling over. As the blonde watches her wife completely lose it, a small smirk tugs at the corner of her lips. When Rachel falls to her knees and clutches at her chest with one hand in a struggle for air, Quinn has to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"Your mom," she says, looking back at the lens with a big toothy smile. "Not me, but that one over there, is a total nut job. Good luck with her, baby." Quinn's eyes narrow into a steely glare, and she gently rests one hand on her stomach. "Quit kicking me." Her voice is low, but firm, as she continues to glare into the camera. "Are you defending her? You're defending her, aren't you?" She rolls her eyes and takes one last glance into the view finder and shakes her head as Rachel's breakdown continues. "Whatever, I need to pee." She lowers the camera, and her voice can be heard out of frame: "The camera's on the table, babe."

"I can't breathe!" Rachel gasps from the floor. The artery in her neck is prominent, and her face is so red so looks as if she's about to pass out. Tears are still running down her face, and she tries to wipe them away in vain as they are instantly replaced. "I can't breathe!"

"You're talking," Quinn's voice sounds from across the room, her tone is lighter than before, full of amusement and her own struggle to not break down into a fit of laughter. "That means you're breathing."

"No!" Rachel yells and continues to struggle for air. She's now clutching her chest so hard her knuckles are turning white. "For real! I. Can't. Breathe!"

"Again: you're talking, that means you're taking in oxygen and turning it into carbon dioxide." The sound of fading footsteps is heard, and the sound of a door closing interrupts Rachel's hysterical laughter. She tries to stand, but another fit of giggles overpowers her, and she falls forward. There isn't enough time for her to put her hands out to catch herself, and she lands hard on the kitchen floor, face first.

A few minutes pass and all that is seen is Rachel lying on the floor, loud breathing sounds coming from her shaking body as she tries to get herself under control. After a long moment of complete silence, the brunette finally stands, and makes her way over to the table. She unceremoniously plops down into one of the chairs and picks up her camcorder. She aims it at her face, and looks at the viewfinder. She begins to wipe the tears from her cheeks with her thumb, sniffling loudly, as she gets her shaky breath under control.

"I look like such a mess now. We're normally not this crazy, baby girl, but my body doesn't handle sleep deprivation very well," she says, and wipes at her runny nose with the back of her hand. "Ew, my face is so puffy," she says to herself, then looks straight at the lens. "We might have some break downs together when it's three in the morning and you've been up every two hours, and you won't go back to sleep." She looks back at the viewfinder and shakes her head a little. "Ugh, I need to go wash my face, but I'll be back soon with another update. Hurry up, baby, we can't wait to meet you." Everything blurs as she turns the camera around, and with one last sniffle the screen goes black.


	3. She Is No Walter Cronkite

**A/N: A big thanks to my beta for getting these back to me so quickly! Slowly chipping away at the fourth chapter right now, and it should be up sometime today. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, and added this to their alert list!**

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3:30 AM

The camera comes into focus on Rachel's face, and she has a small smile as she looks into it. "Hello again, little one," she says, keeping her voice down. "It's three thirty in the morning now, and as you can see some things have changed around here." She slowly pans the camera around the living room before aiming the lens back at her face. She still has that air of excitement about her, but she's starting to show how tired she is, and instead of talking in her normal voice, her volume has gone down to a "stage whisper."

"Your mom's contractions are starting to get a little stronger, but they're not getting any closer together, and all of that joking around we were doing earlier is gone. We've turned off the overhead lights, and only have a couple of lamps turned on. I even lit some of her favorite candles – cucumber melon, keep that in mind for Mother's Day – and now we're trying to keep everything calm and relaxed because she's still feeling pretty anxious, and she's been pacing around the apartment a lot.

"Listen to me, I sound like I'm reporting on a war or something. 'Hour eight behind enemy lines: jokes have been outlawed and fragranced candles have been lit in an attempt to ease the ongoing tension, and open up space for peace talks.' I bet Walter Cronkite would have been too chicken to report live from a delivery room." A small giggle escapes her throat as she closes her eyes and softly shakes her head.

"I'm going to be honest with you, baby," she says, and opens her eyes again, and looks directly into the camera. "I am so tired right now I think I might be a little delirious. Anyway, the real reason I'm recording a new entry in your video diary – besides to show off my awesome mug." She picks up her coffee mug off the end table next to the couch and holds it up closely to the camera, turning it until the iconic _Wicked _logo comes into view.

"They stopped running that show about two years ago, I think, but I'm sure by the time you're old enough to sit through an entire Broadway musical without fussing there will be a revival, and I will be playing Elphaba. But, as I was saying." Something off camera catches her attention, and her entire facial expression changes. Her muscles relax, her smile is softer, and her eyes shine a little more brightly.

"Hey sweetheart," she says, and takes a sip of her coffee, making a loud slurping noise. Her eyebrows burrow a little and worried expression crosses her face. "Are you still feeling antsy?" Quinn's voice can be heard, but she's too far away and speaking too softly for the camera to pick up what she's saying. "Aw, sweetie, come over here."

"Rachel, I don't want to be on camera right now," the agitation in Quinn's voice cracks through the room. The brunette visibly flinches, but she keeps her emotions under control. She takes in a deep breath under the guise of taking a sip of coffee, and slowly releases it into her mug. She even goes as far as pretending to swallow so Quinn won't know what she really just did.

"You don't have to be on camera if you don't want to, honey. I just want to give you some love," she says, her tone light and sweet, and it sounds just a tad forced. When there's no response, she sets her coffee mug back down and shifts around on the couch until she's leaning against the arm of it. "Here, I'll put the camera down." The camera shakes a little as it's placed down on the table, and she goes about adjusting the camcorder until it's in the right spot so there's a side view of the living room with her dead center. "There, sweetie, come sit down."

"Rach, I just said I don't want to be on camera," Quinn snaps, and this time Rachel doesn't stop the emotion from showing clearly on her face. "I'm sorry. I just feel really weird right now. I can't really explain it. I just have this strange feeling all over and I can't make it go away." Quinn's voice is trembling, and the hurt washes off Rachel's face and is immediately replaced with concern.

"Ok, I'll turn the camera off, and why don't you come sit down, and I'll give you a back rub? Does that sound good, sweetie?" she asks, picking up her mug and taking another long slurping sip. As she sets the mug down, Quinn's belly and legs come into view. She gently smoothes her hand over the top of Rachel's head and lets out a long sigh.

"Yeah, that sounds great," she says, sounding exhausted and a little scared. The camera shakes again as Rachel turns it around and hits the power button, rendering the screen to black.

(fifteen minutes later)

When the camera is turned on again, Rachel is looking into the lens, but this time she isn't smiling. "Remember earlier when I was messing around and said that jokes have been outlawed in the apartment? Well, that's a real thing now," she says, her voice wavering, and she takes a very strong pull from her coffee. "I made one little joke to your mom, and she took it the wrong way. I don't know how she was supposed to take it since she's been so sensitive right now but it wasn't my…

"Anyway, she's locked herself in the bathroom, and she's crying. She won't let me in, and she screamed at me to go away. I don't want to wake any of the neighbors up because she's probably going to be very loud later on when she's giving birth to you and making them mad now could make things worse for all of us later." She lets out a long, exasperated sigh.

She looks back into the camera, but before she can say anything there's a quiet knock at the front door. Her eyes grow wide with excitement, and that award winning smile reappears on her face. She sets her mug down a little too hard, and it lets out a sharp noise, sloshing the liquid inside.

"This is what I was trying to tell you about earlier," she says, and quickly stands up. There's another knock at the door, this one shaper, and she can hear whispering on the other side of the door. Her smile grows even wider as she keeps the camera trained on her face as she walks across the room to the foyer area. It takes a long moment to unlock the four dead bolts, unhook the chain, and finally open the door.

"Oh my god, Rachel, you're having a baby!" Brittany's excited voice explodes into the tiny microphone, and she tackle hugs Rachel right there in the doorway. The two start laughing, but Rachel quickly gets her under control.

"Shh, Brittany, Quinn's been feeling a little nervous and grouchy. We need to try and keep really quiet and stay calm," she says and pulls back from the hug. She turns the camera onto her two best friends; Brittany's practically glowing with excitement and Santana looks irritated enough to kill.

"I'm making a video diary for the baby so when she's older she can look back on the day she was born," she explains. Brittany lets out a little 'aww' noise, and Santana tries not to have a reaction. "Ok, baby, this is your Auntie 'Tana." She zooms in on Santana's face, and the taller brunette gives her a death glare. "And this is your Auntie Brittany." She pans over to the tall blonde. Brittany smiles bigger and waves at the camera. "But they're not just your aunties; they're also going to be your godmothers."

"In name only," Santana cuts in and crosses her arms over her chest, pulling her coat a little tighter around herself. "If anything happens to your mommies, you're going to be shipped to Lima, Ohio and be raised by either your very flamboyant grandfathers, or your socially-conservative-but-trying-to-get-over-it grandmother. Good luck with that, kid."

"Ah, don't listen to Auntie 'Tana, Munchkin. She's just grumpy because she hasn't had any coffee yet," Brittany says, wrapping an arm around Santana's shoulders. She leans down and gives her a small peck on the cheek. Santana bites the insides of her cheeks, but the small smile still manages to tug at the corners of her mouth. It disappears quickly, though, and she starts looking around the room.

"Where's Quinn?" she asks, and the two stare at Rachel expectantly.

"Well, um, that's kind of complicated," she says, sounding sheepish.

"Complicated how?" Santana asks, her eyebrows furrowing and her head shifting forward in that challenging way she knows intimidates Rachel.

"Um, in the way that I accidentally said something stupid and she locked herself in the bathroom and she won't come out," she rushes out in one big breath, and both women visibly tense up.

"Alright, I'll bite, Hobbit. What did you say to Quinn?" The slightly taller brunette takes a step forward, and even in a puffy down stuffed coat she still manages to look as threatening as she did back in the days of McKinley High.

"I may or may not have, inadvertently, unintentionally, completely accidentally –"

"Out with it, Smurfette."

"I said that the birthing tub we're going to use looks like a miniature version of the rehabilitation manatee tank at Sea World." There's a long, tense pause as Santana glare daggers into the little Broadway star. She starts shaking her head from side to side, and muttering under her breath as she pushes passed Rachel and stomps towards the bathroom passed the kitchen and down the hall.

"_Yo no puedo creer que Quinn se casan como un asno estúpido. Es afortunado que no se pegan el pie en el culo monstruosamente pequeño._" The camera stays on Santana as she gently knocks on the bathroom door. She quietly says something, but she's too far away for the camcorder to pick up. Only a second later the door is unlocked, and she slowly makes her way into the room, shutting and relocking the door behind her.

"Do you know what she was saying?" Rachel asks, her voice sounding incredibly small.

"No," Brittany replies, her voice dead serious. "But if it's any consolation, I don't think you'd want to know." It wasn't. "So how do you accidentally say the birthing tub looks like a manatee tank?" Rachel turns the camera, pointing it at her friend, nothing but confusion written all over her face.

"I was giving her a backrub, and we were talking, and it just slipped out!" she says, and Brittany gets that far off look in her eyes that always makes Rachel really nervous.

"Santana kept slipping out last night. We never really got to finish. I think that's why she's so cranky right now." There's a long, awkward pause, and the only sound is the static being picked up by the microphone from the deafening silence.

"Remind me to edit that out later." The screen cuts to black.


	4. Auntie Godmothers

7:45 AM

When the camera is turned back on, the image on the screen is of the couple's best friends sitting at the kitchen table, each nursing a cup of coffee; Santana's fourth and Brittany's second. Brittany still looks like she's excited enough to explode, but now that Santana has caffeine in her system she doesn't look like she's ready to start a fight.

"How did it go in there, Rachel?" Santana asks, looking up at the other brunette. Her tone is light and teasing, but the look in her eyes shows her concern. "Is she still burning a hole in the carpet?" While she asked her question, Brittany reached over and grabbed Santana's mug, and took a sip. She contemplated for a moment, then took a large drink, and slid her own mug towards her wife, replacing the stolen ceramic cup.

"No, she's laying down in bed right now," Rachel says, and lets out a small sigh. "She said her feet are starting to hurt from all the pacing. I offered to give her a foot rub, but…" she pauses, and the other two look at her with anticipation. Santana has a particularly wicked gleam in her eyes as she watches one of her best friends squirm. "Shekickedmeout. Ok, so-" she's effectively cut off by the sudden laughter coming from across the table.

"That's because after all these years you still don't have a firm grasp on tact," Santana says around her chuckling. Then she looks directly into the camera with that evil grin she perfected in her teen years. "Your mami is loco, Pumpkin, and she's probably going to say some things to you that she doesn't really mean, but her little foot just loves to live in her mouth. And don't ever ask her for advice about clothes. If you ever need some fashion tips just come to Auntie 'Tana and I'll hook you up."

"That definitely won't be happening," Rachel says around some giggles. "I remember how you used to dress in high school and my baby won't ever, ever, ever dress the same." Santana scoffed in mock hurt, and gave Rachel a little glare. "I want my daughter to be respected for her intellect, not ogled by half the school." This time Santana's scoff wasn't faked.

"Please, girls aren't respected for their intellect in high school. What fantasy world are you living in?" she asks, and Brittany's eyes lit up. A small smirk spread across her lips, and she took a sip of coffee to try and cover it up.

"The fantasy world where my children help change the country for the better by setting an example, and taking action into their own hands instead of simply settling for the monotony they're surrounded by," she says in one long breath, and it's clear from her voice this is something she's said before. Santana looks back into the camera, her face void of any expression.

"Remember to take an extra pair of clothes with you to school when the slushie facials start," she says, and can't help the little smirk that pulls at her lips. Brittany gives Santana a smack on the arm, and when the brunette goes to protest she receives _that look_ from her wife. The look that means if she argues she won't be getting any anytime soon. She looks back into the camera with a big smile.

"I'm just messing with you, Pumpkin," she says, and glances at Brittany through the corner of her eye. "Of course you're going to grow up to change the world, and we'll all be right behind you, cheering you on." That seems to satisfy the blonde, who gently rubs her wife's back while taking another sip of coffee.

"Alright, so, now that we got that cleared up, I was wondering if you guys wouldn't mind answering a few questions," Rachel says, and her blonde friend instantly smiles, and nods her head.

"Of course we will, Rachel. You didn't have to ask us," she says, taking another sip of coffee. Though Santana remains silent, the tension that appears on her face gives away how much she disagrees with that statement.

"Ok, first question: who do you think is going to be the favorite aunt and why?" The two laugh, and look at each other with little smirks on their faces. Brittany gives Santana a playful glare, and her wife simply raises a challenging eyebrow. After a few moments of silence, the blonde looks back into the camera with a big smile on her face.

"I'm totally going to be the favorite aunt because she's going to have sleepovers and play dates with us all the time. I'm going to have lots of different costumes and fake jewelry for us to play with, and I'm going to teach her all kinds of sweet dance moves that she can show off to the other kids." Santana rolls her eyes and shakes her head. Brittany ignores her and continues.

"And once a month we'll have a big auntie-niece day, and we'll go to the movies and out to lunch, and then go to the park to feed the birds. And I'll buy all kinds of board games we can play together, and I'll teach her to tell really good ghost stories. It's going to be fun." Rachel's quiet laugh can be heard as Brittany finishes pleading her case.

"So basically instead of having a baby of your own you're going to time share mine?" she asks, and the three share a laugh as Brittany simply nods her head. "Alright, that all sounds pretty good, and she's going to be one lucky little girl to have you in her life." Brittany gets a bashful smile, and tries to hide it behind her coffee mug. "Santana, what do think Brittany's going to be the favorite auntie?"

"No offense to Britt, but no. I'm going to be the favorite, hands down," she says, sounding dead serious. Brittany aims a playful scowl her way, and Santana leans over and places a small kiss on her cheek. "As soon as she cuts teeth I'm going to sneak her candy. I'm also going to give her ice cream – the real stuff, none of your imitation vegan stuff. I'm going to let her stay up as late as she wants, sneak her into her first R rated movie, give her, her first alcoholic drink, and we'll have a standing appointment to get our nails done." Brittany glances off camera, and then has to bite her lips to stop herself from smiling.

"Santana Lopez, you will not do any of those things," Rachel says, and she sounds slightly horrified. Her friend just shrugs, and takes a long sip from her coffee cup. If she notices that it used to be Brittany's she doesn't let it show. Then she looks up at Rachel with a little smirk on her face.

"No one ever becomes the favorite by following the rules, Berry," she says, and then she looks directly into the camera. The devilish smile she perfected as a teenager appears on her face. "Trust me, Pumpkin, you and me? We're going to be total partners in crime. We'll be runnin New York like a couple of bosses by the time you hit preschool." Brittany bursts out in a fit of laughter, Santana looks satisfied with herself, and Rachel turned the camera so it was pointed at her very un-amused looking face.

"And that, baby, is why you won't be left alone with Auntie 'Tana," she says, and Brittany giggling can be heard. "I guess Auntie Brittany is going to be your favorite by default." Santana starts laughing too, and Rachel can't help the small smile that tugs at the corners of her mouth. "Well, baby girl, I need to go check on your mom, but I'll be back soon with another update." Suddenly the camera turns until it's aimed at the couple again. "Anything you want to say before I turn it off?"

"I love you, Munchkin!" they say in unison with big smiles on their faces, and a second later the screen goes black.


	5. Aerial Assault

10:30 AM

When the camera turns on the image on screen is a somewhat bashful looking Quinn. She's sitting up in bed leaning against the headboard with a few pillows propped up to cushion her back. She lets out a big sigh and looks into the camera. The bags under her eyes give away just how tired she's feeling.

"Hello, baby girl. Your mom thought it would be a good idea to record my own entry on this video diary she's making for you," she says, and a nervous smile blossoms on her face as her cheeks pink with a light blush. "I feel so stupid right now. I've never really been comfortable in front of a camera." She bites her bottom lip, and her face tenses for just a second. She releases another small sigh and softly shakes her head.

"Well, no, that isn't true. There was a time in my life when I loved being on camera. There was even this kid at school who would do these dumb interviews for his blog, and I treated it like I was being interviewed on the red carpet. I swear I'm not that vapid or narcissistic anymore." A small chuckle reverberates in the back of her throat, and she looks down at her stomach, placing her free hand on top of it, and a small, happy smile pulls at her lips.

"You finally stopped kicking me about two hours ago. I guess you're settling down now that you're ready to be born. I'm going to be honest with you, I feel totally blindsided. This wasn't supposed to happen for another three weeks. I thought I would have more time to prepare. I mean, we already have everything we need; it isn't about that. I just don't feel like…." She looks back into the camera with tears swelling up in her eyes, her hazel irises rimmed red.

"My parents were never very open or affectionate with me or my sister for that matter. I had a lot of pressure from them to be this perfect girl they could dote on and brag about to their friends and the people at church, but they were never really there for me, especially when I needed them the most." She winces and slowly takes in a big breath as she shifts her hips around. After a few seconds of complete silence, she exhales and her face relaxes again.

"These contractions are starting to get really annoying," she says with another light chuckle. Then she takes in a big breath and holds it for a few seconds before very slowly releasing it, her whole body visibly relaxes as she does so. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is I don't want to repeat that with you, and I'm so afraid I'll start to do that without even realizing because that's just how I was raised.

"I already love you so much. I can feel it in every cell in my body, and I promise I'm going to try my best to share all of this with you. I promise you, baby girl, that no matter what happens, what kind of trouble you get into as you grow, or what kind of problems you're dealing with, I'll always be here for you. I'll always try to be understanding, and no matter what happens, sweetie, I'll always love you." She wipes away the tears rolling down her face and takes a moment to get her breathing under control. She softly rubs her stomach and another small smile slowly appears on her face.

"I almost envy you in a way, baby. You're going to get absolutely everything I never did when I was growing up. You're going to be surrounded by a group of people who love you and encourage you to find what you're passionate about. I wouldn't be surprised if your mom already has you signed up for acting and singing lessons." A small laugh bubbles out of her chest.

"And your Auntie Brittany is going to teach you all about dancing and never losing your imagination, and Auntie 'Tana is no doubt going to teach you about fashion and being a fierce leader and how to talk your way out of pretty much any situation you'll find yourself in." She looks down for a second, smiling lovingly at her swollen belly before looking back into the camera.

"You're going to grow up in this apartment learning all about music, and theater, and literature, and poetry, and art, and in high school you're probably going to rebel and only listen to death metal, and watch those horrible reality shows, but that will be ok as long as you're doing something that makes you happy." She winces again and clamps her eyes shut tightly and tries to breathe her way through another contraction. This one only lasts a second and a look of relief washes over her face.

"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that you decided you're ready to come out now. Your mom and I have always been really bull headed, and we tend to follow our own schedules, especially your mom. She can drive me crazy sometimes too, like when I really need to pee and she's locked in the bathroom doing her crazy nightly cleaning ritual. I can't wait to see how she tries to maintain that when we're trying to take care of you. Watching her throw a tantrum because she hasn't been able to properly moisturize her face or exfoliate her pores from all the dirt and grime in the world because she's too tired might be worth all this pain."

"I do not throw tantrums!" Rachel's voice suddenly yells from across the room. Quinn gets a huge smile on her face as she looks off camera. Her eyebrow quirks up, and her smile turns into a smirk as she looks back into the camera with mischief in her eyes.

"She's lying right now, baby. Your mom throws temper tantrums all the time. Last week she ranted for twenty minutes and threw a glass against the wall because her favorite restaurant took their vegan dishes off the delivery menu." Quinn looks off screen again and raises that eyebrow in a challenge.

"That wasn't a temper tantrum. That was a completely reasonable reaction to finding out the only way to get my favorite food is by going across town and waiting in line for thirty minutes, then bringing it all the way back here where it will be cold or soggy." Quinn rolls her eyes and looks back into the lens.

"It was a temper tantrum. Just like she had the other day when she couldn't find her phone and stomped around the living room cussing her head off until she found it. Want to know where she found it? In her back pocket." There's a really long silence and a triumphant grin appears on Quinn's lips. "See, she's not arguing with me because she knows I'm right and she can't think of anything to say."

"I have big emotions; you knew that when you married me. Hell, you knew that when we got engaged, and when we first started dating, and even before we became friends!" she yells, her voice defensive and strained. Quinn lets out a little gasp, and a playful smile tugs at her lips.

"Language, Rachel, our daughter is going to watch this one day," she says in a mocking tone. A small pillow comes flying from across the room and tags Quinn on the side of the head. She immediately bursts into laughter, but tries as hard as she can to keep a straight face. "Ow! I can't believe you just threw something at your pregnant wife. You see the way she treats me, baby girl? She can be so awful sometimes."

A small snort can be heard from off camera, and it makes Quinn giggle some more. Then her eyebrows furrow, and she gets a frustrated look on her face. "Great, now I have to pee again. Rach, help me up." The screen cuts to black.


	6. Be Your Not Pretend Self

**A/N: Yay, new chapter! Only two more chapters left in this little story. Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing, and adding to their story alters!**

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"Rachel," Quinn calls out, her voice strained as a contraction takes over her body like a wave. The image on screen is of Quinn standing in the doorway between the living room and kitchen. Her arms are above her head, and she's gripping the frame so tightly her knuckles are turning white.

"I'm coming!" Rachel's voice can be heard off screen, and the clanking sound of dishes shortly follows. The camera slowly zooms in towards Quinn, and the image blurs for just a moment until it comes into focus. The blonde's eyes are shut tightly, and she's biting her bottom lip.

"Britt, what are you doing with Hobbit's camera?" Santana's whispered voice can be heard as Quinn continues to grip the doorframe, and tries to breathe deeply. Rachel rushes out of the kitchen and stands behind the blonde. She presses her front against Quinn's back, and places her hands over her wife's hips. She slowly adds pressure and softly rubs, and a look of relief falls over Quinn's face.

"I want the baby to see what they're really like," she says, and Rachel places gentle kisses across Quinn's shoulders and the back of her neck. After a few seconds of this, the other woman begins to slowly relax in her wife's arms. "They don't always bicker and get mad at each other."

"Yeah, the dwarf has always been able to thaw out the ice queen," she says and a small smack can be heard followed by a muffle laugh. At the same moment, Quinn rolls her head back until it's resting against Rachel's shoulder, and the brunette starts placing delicate kisses on the side of her neck.

"Be nice, Santana. The baby is going to think you're a bully if you keep saying things like that." Rachel places one last lingering kiss on Quinn's neck before she reluctantly backs away. She goes back into the kitchen, disappearing off screen. Quinn stands there for a few seconds rubbing her stomach with a serious look on her face.

"I'm going to call Christina," she says, and Rachel can be heard replying, but her voice is too quiet for the camera to pick up. "I think it's starting to get close." Brittany follows along with the camera as Quinn walks across the living room, and starts digging through her purse. After a few seconds she lets out a frustrated huff. "Dammit, where is it?" Santana can be seen walking towards her, and she very slowly reaches out, taking the handbag and searches for the phone.

"It's alright, Quinn. Why don't you go relax and I'll give the midwife a call? She'll probably wanna lecture me on making sure the water in the tub stays warm but not too warm, and to get the towels and junk ready," she says, and Quinn lets out another small sigh.

"Thanks. God, I cannot wait for these pregnancy hormones to go away, and be nothing but a horrible memory." Santana gets a wicked smile on her face as she continues the search.

"Yeah, all you gotta look forward to is months of sleep deprivation, and the post partum hormones that'll make you cry at the drop of a hate," she says, her voice strained with the laughter she's trying to contain.

"Screw you," Quinn shoots back with a small smile. Santana finally pulls the phone out of the bag, and searches through the contact list.

"Better watch the language, blondie, you're on candid camera," she says, and lets out a little chuckle. Quinn quickly glances around until she spots Brittany sitting on the couch, camcorder in hand. She blushes, an embarrassed expression takes over her face, and she turns slightly away from the camera pointed directly at her.

"God, Brittany," she says, her tone sounds a bit whiney and defensive. "How long have you been filming me?" The taller blonde lets out a quiet laugh, and zooms out when Rachel walks into the room. She gets a small smile on her face when she realizes why her wife is acting so shy.

"Only for a couple of minutes," she answers, her voice light and playful. "The baby needs to see what you guys are like when you're not pretending to be yourselves." Quinn's eyebrows furrow slightly, and Rachel tilts her head to one side, her expression contemplative.

"Is it sad that I know exactly what she means by that?" Quinn looks over at her with a smirk on her face, and Santana walks off screen as she waits for the midwife to answer her call. Rachel shakes her head as she looks at her wife. "Don't give me that look. Just because you're not saying anything doesn't mean you're not making fun of me."

"Was that a double negative? Because your argument isn't valid if it's a double negative," she says, and Rachel gives her a small, playful glare, which only makes the smile on Quinn's face grow a little larger.

"Yeah, well…your face isn't valid," she bites back, her tone sounding somewhat uncertain. Quinn's expression screws up in pure confusion as she stares at the brunette for a few seconds, her head tilting to one side.

"What? That doesn't even make any sense," she says and a laugh bubbles out of her throat. Rachel rubs her face with both of her hands and lets out a small, whiney noise. Quinn takes pity on her, and wraps her arms around her wife the best she can with her belly in the way.

"I know, but I'm exhausted," she whines, and Quinn places a lingering kiss on her temple. "Don't expect me to be able to think logical."

"I think you mean 'logically'," she says with a playful smile tugging at her lips.

"You're not being very nice right now," Rachel says, jutting out her bottom lip in a big pout. She makes her chin quiver, making herself look as pathetic as she possibly can.

"No, but I also have a human being tearing apart my insides so no one can expect me to be nice right now," she says, the playful smile never leaving her face as she watches Rachel's face form a little glare.

"I hate that you get to play that card whenever you want," she says with a little huff. Quinn laughs and gives her another little kiss on the side of her head. "It should have a limit per day or something." Quinn quirks her eyebrow in disbelief as she stares at her wife for a few seconds.

"When you're the one about to give birth you can play it as many times as you want," she says and Rachel's shoulders shudders with the laughter she's trying to hold in.

"I'll keep that in mind," she says, and the two share a lingering kiss, and reluctantly break apart. The brunette lets out a small sigh, and gently rubs Quinn's back. "I'm going to check on Santana; make sure she and Christina aren't bickering like the last time they spoke." Quinn softly giggles, and watches as Rachel leans down and leaves a small kiss on her stomach. "Hurry up, baby, we're all waiting to meet you." She leaves one more kiss on Quinn's lips before the camera cuts to black.


	7. Welcome Home

10:17 PM

When the camera is turned on again, the energy in the room has shifted. The only light is a dimmed lamp, and a few of the cucumber scented candles create a soft glow in the room. Quinn is in the birthing tub wearing only a maternity bra, her body resting on her knees, and her arms crossed over the rim of the tub, her head turned to the side resting over her arms, and exhaustion written all over her face.

Rachel is sitting on the floor next to her wife, her fingers softly combing through sweaty blonde hair. Their faces are only a couple inches apart, and every emotion they're feeling can be seen on their expressions as if any and all filters have been removed from their minds. The fear, anxiety, concern, pride, joy, anticipation, and impatience clearly shine through.

Suddenly Quinn's body tenses, her jaw clenches tightly and air is pushed forcefully out of her nose as she bears down, her face contorting with a look of pain and resolve. No one says a word. Rachel simply continues to stroke her hair, making soft shushing sounds as Quinn rides out the contraction. Time seems to stand still until her body finally relaxes, and she rests against the side of the tub again.

"How did I let you talk me into this?" she asks, her voice a hoarse whisper that the camera barely picks up. Brittany steps closer in order to capture the conversation, but keeps just enough distance to give the two a sense of privacy. Rachel gets a small smile on her face, and she gently caresses one of Quinn's cheeks with her thumb.

"I didn't talk you into it," she says softly, trying to keep her tone light. "We agreed, remember? You're where you want to be in your career, and you can afford to take the time off right now for maternity leave." Quinn's eyebrow quirks up, and Rachel's smile grows just a fraction bigger.

"So I'm being punished because you haven't won a Tony yet?" she asks, and Rachel's face freezes as she runs her eyes over her wife's face, clearly trying to decipher the intention behind that question. When a small smirk tugs at Quinn's mouth, the brunette relaxes and smiles back as she continues to stroke the blonde's hair.

"Yes, exactly," she says, her voice bubbling with the laughter she's trying to suppress. Quinn lets out a small chuckle, but it's cut off when she's hit with another contraction. She squeezes Rachel's hand, and the diva's eyes grow wide at the sudden pain. Quinn's chest slowly rises as she forces herself to breathe through it.

She lets out a small whiny noise in the back of her throat and collapses against the rim of the tub again. She begins to squirm around; moving her hips this way and that in an attempt to relieve the pressure. Tiny whimpers continuously fall from her lips and get louder when she can't find the release she's looking for.

"Sweetheart, hey," she says in that soft reassuring tone that normally brings her wife comfort. Quinn doesn't seem to hear her, though, or is choosing to ignore her; it's unclear which one is true. "Shh, listen, ok, honey?" The blonde keeps moving around, however, her face tense, and eyes unfocused. Rachel gently takes Quinn's chin between her thumb and index finger and turns the blonde's head towards her.

"Please look at me, sweetie," she says, her tone a little more firm, but still just as loving. Quinn finally gives in and looks into Rachel's eyes, her own hazel orbs large and glazed over as she tries to focus all of her attention on her wife. "I promise you the day after I win my first Tony we'll make an appointment at the clinic, and you can knock me up." A shaky, wet laugh bubbles up in Quinn's throat.

"Yeah, you promise?" she asks, her voice trembling slightly. Rachel nods, tears cascading down her face as she moves some of Quinn's hair out of her eyes. The blonde's breathing becomes heavier, and she squeezes Rachel's hand again.

"Yes, sweetie, I promise," she says, her voice strained. "We'll give our girl a little brother or sister to play with and you won't have to go through this again." Before Quinn can respond, another contraction hits. The tendons in her neck stick out, and her whole body goes rigid as she pushes. This contraction is different than the others. It lasts much longer, and no matter how hard she tries Quinn just can't take a breath.

Rachel's chin and lips begin to quiver as she watches her wife. She's never been good at watching other people in pain, and this is especially brutal. She makes more shushing sounds, and strokes Quinn's hair with her free hand in an attempt to bring her some comfort. As soon as the contraction passes Quinn pants heavily, trying to catch her breath, and sweat drips down her forehead.

"What if," she says, her breathing still rough and ragged, "you never win a Tony?"

A short bark of laughter escapes Rachel's mouth, and her anxious muscles relax a little. She wipes away the tears clouding her eyes and sniffles loudly. "I'll settle for a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, whichever one comes first," she says.

Quinn just nods her head and closes her eyes. Her breaths start to slow down, but don't fully return to normal, and she begins to shift her hips again. One of her hands disappears under the water, and her eyes pop open, large and surprised as she looks at Rachel. The brunette's body tenses up, but she forces herself to remain calm.

"I can feel the top of her head," Quinn says with a small smile. Rachel shifts so she's sitting on her knees and is practically shaking with excitement. She glances down into the tub, but the angle of Quinn's body prevents her from seeing anything. "It feels like she has a lot of hair." A huge smile breaks out on the brunette's face, and she wipes more tears out of her eyes.

Quinn tries to speak again, but it's cut off when another contraction hits. She gets a look of determination on her face as she bears down, and beads of sweat roll down her forehead. A small, high pitched squeak echoes through the room, and a second later she reaches below the water with both hands. The tension in the room becomes almost palpable, and the sound of all three onlookers gasping can be heard as the anticipation grows.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," Santana's muttering can be heard off screen, and Brittany lets out a barely contained squeal when Quinn lifts the tiny phlegm covered baby out of the water, and holds her closely to her chest. She turns so her back is to the edge of the tub and collapses against it. Rachel immediately breaks down in sobs and furiously wipes away at the never ending tears to try and get her first look at her baby girl.

"Quinn, you did it," Rachel says, her voice shaky as she tries to get her crying under control. The blonde glances over at her, her eyes half lidded and shining brightly. "God, look at her. She's so perfect." The blonde's smile grows at her wife's words. She closes her eyes, and lets out a long hum when Rachel places a soft, lingering kiss on her forehead.

"I thought she would be bigger," Quinn says, her voice thick and raspy. "It felt like I was pushing a bowling ball out of me." Santana and Brittany's laughter can be heard, and it draws Quinn's attention to them for the first time since she got in the birthing tub. A small smile pulls at her lips, and her nods her head.

"Come take a closer look at your new niece, guys." Santana rushes forward quickly and drops to her knees next to Rachel. Brittany, on the other hand, slowly walks forward, making sure everyone stays in frame. A small gasp can be heard when she gets close enough to fully see the little bundle being cradled in her best friend's arms. As soon as she stops walking, she zooms in on the tiny girl who seems perfectly content right where she is.

"Here, Pumpkin," Santana's voice can be heard, and a second later one of her hands comes into view with a towel clutched softly in her fist, and she begins to gently clean the baby off. "Your slacker moms can't think straight right now. I think you already got them wrapped around those tiny little fingers." The baby squirms and fusses and both of her mothers coo and make shushing sounds in an attempt to calm her down. As Santana finishes, her little niece gives an indignant squawk that causes everyone to laugh.

"Don't talk to your Auntie 'Tana that way. You don't know it yet, but I'm the cool one of this group," she says, and pulls the towel away. Next she uses a suction blub to clean out the little girl's nose and throat. She immediately starts squirming, trying to turn her head away from the assault, and crying at the top of her lungs, her whole body shaking. Brittany zooms out, and the camera focuses on Quinn softly shushing her daughter as she continues to cry.

The blonde sniffles loudly as she begins to very softly trace her baby's features with her fingertips. She has a look of pure astonishment on her face, and a large smile slowly tugs at the corners of her mouth, and grows larger when she finally calms down. Rachel reaches out a shaky hand and gently holds up a little wrinkled foot with her fingertips and carefully runs the pad of her thumb over the tips of her baby's toes. Startled, the baby quickly curls both of her legs up closer to her body, and lets out another displeased cry.

"What are you going to name her?" Brittany asks, slowly zooming the camera out a little more to include Rachel in the shot. Hazel eyes meet brown, and another large smile breaks out on both of their faces. They look back down at their baby, Quinn's fingertips still moving over every inch of skin, counting every finger and toe, examining every last wrinkle and red mark.

"I don't know," she says, a teasing quality to her tone of voice. She looks up at her wife with a very playful smile to match the voice. "Rachel, I think she looks more like you." Rachel quickly looks up at Quinn, her body tenses slightly as an equally lighthearted smile slowly embellishes her face.

"Nuh-uh," she says with a light shake of her head. She looks back down at the peaceful baby, her eyes inspecting the little girl's face. "Look at that little nose; it's all button-y and Irish looking."

"But look, her hair is really dark like yours, not blonde," Quinn argues, and gently runs her fingertips over the top of the soft head.

Rachel giggles quietly and leans forward for a closer look. "Quinn, you dye your hair, remember?" she asks, her voice practically bounces with the laughter that wants to come out.

"Yeah, but look at these high cheek bones, and this sharp jaw line. She's clearly a Berry-baby."

Rachel reaches out, her hand sure and steady now that she's calmer than before. She gently runs the tip of her middle finger down a squishy cheek and across the jaw in question. Neither of them can help but smirk at the scowl that immediately shows up on her baby's face.

"See that look, that's totally your HBIC look," Rachel says with another giggle. "I would know what with being on the receiving end of it almost our entire high school careers."

Quinn gently shakes her head."No, that's the look you get on your face when something doesn't go your way and you're about to storm out of the room," she says, her taunting smirk once again popping up on her face. "I would know since we've been living together for eight years, and were in glee club together for three."

"Oh lord, will you two just pick a name before I pick one for you?" Santana says, her tone playful, but slightly irritated. "And nothing weird. I will not let you name my niece something like Apple, or Coco, or Moxie." Quinn rolls her eyes, and Rachel lets out a little chuckle as they continue to soak in the enchanting sight before them.

"What about Alice?" Quinn says, and looks up at Rachel. When the two lock eyes, the brunette tilts her head to one side, her eyebrows furrow a little as she silently lips the name over and over for a few seconds. Then a huge grin takes over her face once again.

"I like it," she says, and looks back down at her baby, softly tracing a tiny fist with the pad of her thumb. "Are you an Alice, baby? I think you look like one."

Santana snorts out a laugh, and covers her smirk up with her hand. Her eyes are lit up with mischief as she watches the scene play out in front of her.

"What was that laugh for, honey?" Brittany's voice can be heard, and Santana's shoulders start to shake with her repressed laughter.

"Nothing," she says, her voice strained. "I just want to make a joke about a rabbit hole, but it's too soon."

Quinn's head snaps up, and she gives her friend a playful glare. "You're not wrong," she says, and raises a challenging eyebrow. She glances back down at the new life in her arms, and that enthralled smile works its way back onto her face. After a few more seconds of gazing, she carefully leans over and places a soft, lingering kiss on Rachel's lips. When it ends, the brunette starts to massage the back of Quinn's neck.

"I really hate to break up the love-fest, but I need to do the exam now," Christina's voice can be heard somewhere off camera. Rachel subconsciously moves closer to her two girls, and places a protective hand on Quinn's arm.

"We'll be fine, sweetheart," Quinn says with a small laugh. She softly pecks Rachel on the cheek, and gives her a reassuring smile. "You don't have to go all 'protective lioness.'" A tiny blush blooms on the brunette's cheeks, and she kisses Quinn one more time before standing up and stretching her stiff and sore muscles. She glances over at Brittany and rubs her tired eyes.

"Why don't we turn off the camera until after the exam?" she asks, and rolls her head from side to side. "I need to call my dads and let them know." She walks off across the room as she speaks. "Quinn do you want me to call your mom or do you want to talk to her?" While Rachel speaks and Santana moves out of the way and Christina kneels down to begin the exam, Brittany zooms in on the baby, and focuses on her face that looks very sleepy and content.

"Hi baby Alice," she whispers, her voice swelling with enthusiasm and joy. "Say 'hello world, I am in you.'" There's the sound of soft laughter from a couple different sides of the room and then the screen cuts to black.


	8. Look At What We Did

5:23 PM

"Hello, Alice," Rachel says as soon as the camera is turned on. She has huge dark circles under her eyes, and her voice is very rough and grating. Her hair is back in a sloppy bun, and she's in another set of sleepwear. The lights in the apartment are dimmed, and there's music playing softly in the background. "Right now it's the twenty-fourth of May, and it's five twenty-something at night. So, you won't have any memory of this, but you were born last night, and it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life." The sound of crying can be heard from across the room, and Rachel looks off camera.

"You're starting to get a little fussy, as you can hear," she says, and a huge smile breaks out on her face. "So far you've been a very easy baby. Your mom actually had to wake you up twice – once last night and once this morning – so she could feed you. So, fingers crossed that you keep up those sleeping habits." Quinn's voice can be heard, but she's talking too quietly for the camera to pick up. "What was that, sweetheart?" A second later Rachel starts laughing and shakes her head a little. "I hope I didn't just jinx it."

She keeps the camera aimed at her face as she walks across the room. She stops in front of the couch, and her smile gets softer as she looks down at her two favorite girls. She turns the camera until Quinn and Alice come into view. The blonde's grey _Hello Kitty_ hoodie is unzipped and open to one side as the baby latches onto her nipple.

"There you are, little Alice. Can you believe you used to be this tiny? You're only five pounds, seven ounces, and nineteen inches long." They both go quiet, the only sound the soft suckling noises coming from the baby, and the sound of the _Pisces Iscariot_ album playing in the background. "God, she's so perfect, isn't she?" She sits down on the couch and scoots in close until they're all in frame. She wraps her arm around Quinn's shoulders and places a gentle kiss on the side of her head. They both gaze down at their hungry newborn; Rachel with a look of awe, and Quinn with an expression of discomfort.

"Christina told me this was going to hurt at first. I just didn't think it would hurt this bad," she says with a tiny wince. Rachel softly massages the back of Quinn's neck, and the tension in her face does relax a little. The brunette places a few more kisses on the side of Quinn's head before gently nuzzling her neck.

"I know, sweetie. When you start using the breast pump it won't be so bad, right? At least I'll be able to feed her, and you can get some more sleep," she says in what she hopes is a reassuring tone. Quinn chuckles a little, which causes Alice to scowl and shift around. She can't move much, however, since she's wrapped snuggly in a lavender blanket; a gift from Quinn's mom.

"I tried using it earlier. I didn't like it," she says and looks over at Rachel with a small smile on her face. "It makes me feel like a dairy cow or something."

Rachel laughs softly, and gives Quinn a little peck on the cheek. She's very careful in her movements, and extremely tender with her touches, almost as if she's afraid she will break the blonde if she moves too quickly or uses too much pressure. "You'd be the cutest dairy cow in the world. I'm sure of it," she tells her, and Quinn smiles at that before she goes back to gazing at the bundle in her arms. Rachel lets out a small sigh, the huge smile never once leaving her face, and it looks like her cheeks are starting to hurt. She looks up into the camera, making sure to keep Quinn and Alice in the shot as well.

"So, the reason I'm making this new entry in your video diary, even though you've already been born, is that any minute now your grandparents should be here to meet you," she says, and Quinn lets out a little gasp and gets a surprised look on her face as she continues to look down at the baby. Rachel chuckles, and lightly rubs the baby's feet through the blanket for a second before looking back into the camera.

"Both of my dads cried when I called them last night and told them you were born, and your grandmother got very choked up, but she wasn't openly sobbing like your silly granddaddies. They all really like your name, and Papa Leroy – that's what he wants you to call him – started crying again." The baby makes a small, startled cry and Rachel's head snaps to the left, a worried expression on her face as her eyes quickly move back and forth between Alice and Quinn. "What happened?" Quinn lets out a small laugh at Rachel's anxious tone.

"She was starting to fall asleep so I tickled her foot," Quinn says with a smile and looks up at her wife. Rachel gets a small frown on her face and Quinn just rolls her eyes. "Don't look at me like that. She needs to eat more and be burped. Christina said to mess with her feet if she starts to nod off while she's being fed." Rachel continues to frown and softly rubs her daughter's head in comfort and sympathy. Alice's eyebrows furrow at the touch, but she continues to suckle.

"Well Christina doesn't know how upset that made her," she says with annoyance in her tone. Quinn shakes her head a little, and looks back down at their baby. Now that she's more awake, she's looking up at Quinn with big blue eyes, and the blonde couldn't make herself look away now if she wanted to.

"She's fine, Rach. If she wasn't hungry anymore she would let go. Christina's been a licensed midwife for five years, and was an OB for ten years before that. She knows what she's talking about," she says and gently pats Alice's bottom. She gets a big smile on her face and leans her head down a little closer to the baby. "Your mom is just being a worrywart, huh? Tell her Alice, say 'I'm just a sleepy, laze-bucket, Mommy.'"

The baby's eyebrows furrow slightly, and Rachel laughs quietly. "She doesn't like being called names," she says, smiling softly at her frowning daughter. "Is Mommy being mean to the baby, Alice?" She gently rubs the back of her index finger along Alice's cheek. The baby lets out a little grunt of exasperation and wiggles around as if trying to snuggle closer to Quinn. The blonde gets a huge smile, and her eyebrows rise up high, a look of amusement on her face. Rachel only laughs and pulls her finger away.

"Ooooh, she does not like being messed with when she's eating," Quinn says, her voice slightly strained with the laughter she's trying to hold back. "That look totally meant 'ef off, lady, or lose the finger.'"

Rachel laughs again, and rests her head against Quinn's shoulder, allowing her a better view of the nursing baby. "She definitely has your HBIC look down pat already. I probably shouldn't be this surprised that the look is genetic, especially after how your mother kept glaring at me when we told her we were dating," she says, and her smile gets bigger when Alice takes her attention off of Quinn and looks at Rachel instead.

"I think that had less to do with what we told her and more to do with how you spoke," Quinn says with laughter in her voice.

"What are you talking about?" she asks, feigning innocence but with a playful gleam in her eyes. "I was polite and honest with her. She was just blindsided that her previously, and successful I might add, hetero daughter came home with a Jewish girl, and announced that we were together, and had been for a few months."

"That's one possibility," Quinn says, with a challenging smile on her face. "But I think she started glaring at you, specifically, after she asked if I was serious, and you said, 'Mrs. Fabray, if I may, though it may seem unlikely that the two of us would be together romantically given both of our histories of only dating boys, I can assure you that Quinn and I are very serious about our feelings for one another, and I promise you that we are taking care of and supporting each other emotional, spiritually, and physically.' So you basically promised my mom that you're good in bed."

Rachel shakes her head and bites her cheeks to try and stop herself from smiling. "These are all lies, baby girl, don't believe her for a second," Rachel says, looking down at Alice, and she tries to sound serious, but she can barely hold her laughter back. Before she can continue, there's a quiet knock at the front door. Rachel gets an excited look on her face and kisses Quinn on the cheek. "That must be them. Are you ready to meet your grandparents, Alice?"

Quinn quietly laughs and pats the little girl on the bottom again when she grunts at the movement. "As long as they don't try to take her away from my boobs I think she'll be fine," she says, and they both laugh quietly.

Rachel leaves one last kiss on her cheek before setting the camera down on the end table, flipping the viewfinder and adjusting the camera until most of the room is in frame with Quinn and the baby in the center. Then she gets up and goes to answer the door, disappearing off screen.

Quinn smiles and lets out a little sigh of relief when Alice finally finishes her meal. She uses the blanket to wipe up the bit of colostrum and drool that dribbled down the baby's neck, and very carefully rests her across her thighs while she zips up the hoodie. She gets a big smile on her face when she hears the door open, and the excitement in everyone's voice while they say their hellos. She puts first the blanket, then Alice over her shoulder, and begins firmly patting her on the back.

"Hi, Quinnie," Judy whispers as she walks up to her, her voice full of excitement. Quinn looks up and smiles at her mother and father in laws, who look like they can barely contain all of their excitement despite the jet lag. Quinn continues to pat the baby on the back, and Alice is making small grunting noises and moving her legs as if trying to crawl away from the blonde.

"Hey everyone," Quinn whispers back. The men take turns carefully hugging her, and leaving kisses on her cheeks. They step back afterwards, close enough that their shoulders touch, and watch with big smiles on their faces as Judy sits next to her daughter and wraps her up in a big hug. Quinn immediately starts sniffling, the whites of her eyes turn red, and big tears swell up before quickly sliding down her cheeks.

"Oh honey, what's the matter?" Judy asks, her tone is light, as if she already knows the answer and is simply placating the younger woman.

Quinn wipes away her tears, and lets out a shaky breath. She leans her body against her mother's, trying to get as close to her as she possibly can. Her breathing becomes really shallow and strained as she fights back the tears. "Nothing," she says around a tiny hiccup. "I'm just really glad you're here," she manages to get out between her uneven breaths.

Rachel leans back against her dads and they each wrap an arm around her, giving her the comfort she's seeking as they watch the breakdown. It's clear by the look on the brunette's face that simply standing back and allowing mother and daughter to have this moment is killing her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be such a drama queen."

"It's just the hormones, sweetie," Judy says, and kisses Quinn on the side of her head. "I was the same way after you and your sister were born."

Quinn sniffles again, and starts to firmly pat Alice on the back again. The baby lets out another annoyed grunt, and tries to wiggle around. "Really?" she asks, her voice still a little shaky. Her breathing is more controlled, however, and she's beginning to calm down.

Judy lets out a little chuckle and softly rubs Quinn's back. The action calms her down further, and the tears finally stop flowing. Alice, meanwhile, finally lets out a little belch, and Quinn stops patting her back, but doesn't take her off her shoulder.

"Yes, I was a horrible mess for the first few weeks. Once I even broke down into tears because we only had one roll of toilet paper left, and I couldn't calm down until your father left the house at nine o' clock at night to get some more," she says and lets out a quiet laugh.

Quinn tenses slightly at the mention of her father, and Rachel chews on her bottom lip and watches her wife's face very carefully.

"Has she been like this a lot?" Hiram whispers into Rachel's ear. Even though he tries to be quiet, his voice carries. If Quinn hears him, though, she doesn't let on. Rachel tilts her head back to look up at her dad and whispers a response. She's too quiet for the microphone on the camera to pick up, but both of her dads smile at her words.

"Ok, I'm better now," Quinn says with one final sniffle and wipes the remaining tears from her face. "Who wants to hold her first?" A little bit of tension builds in the room as grandmother and grandfathers stare each other down. Both Quinn and Rachel get very amused looks on their faces as they watch their parents silently duke it out.

"Ladies first," Judy says and raises a challenging eyebrow.

Rachel's smile gets a little bigger, and she looks into Quinn's eyes. She silently mouths 'HBIC,' and Quinn nods her head with a quiet laugh. The Berry-men reluctantly nod their heads in agreement, and Judy scoots away from Quinn, her eyes glued to the baby still on her daughter's shoulder. Quinn very carefully lifts Alice up, and gently passes her to her mother's waiting arms.

Judy lets out a tiny gasp, tears spring to her eyes and a look of pure joy and pride falls over her face. Rachel's dads quickly step forward to get their first look at their granddaughter. Hiram covers his mouth with a hand, tears also swell in his eyes, and he does his best to wipe them away before they have a chance to fall. Leroy gets a huge smile on his face and pulls Rachel into a tight hug.

"Oh, Quinnie, she's beautiful," Judy says, breaking the spell everyone seems to be under. She sounds astonished and can barely speak above a whisper.

Quinn gets a playful smile on her face, and leans over a little, looking carefully at her baby's face, and tiny wrinkled body. "I don't know, I think she looks kind of like an alien," she says with a light, teasing tone of voice. Rachel laughs and shakes her head a little.

Leroy gives her a light smack on her butt, and a small frown appears on his face. "Hush, you two. She looks perfect, just like her mothers," he says, his tone is very stern, but he smiles and gives Quinn a little wink.

She quickly sticks her tongue out at him, and leans back against the couch. They all continue to watch as Judy begins to softly trace her fingers over Alice's tiny fists. She leans her head down and places soft, quick kisses over the baby's cheeks, and forehead.

Alice's face scrunches up in a deep frown; she wiggles around a bit, and lets out a very unhappy squawk.

"I will kiss you if I want to, young lady, and there's nothing you can say to make me stop," she says in a mock-serious tone. The baby simply stares up at her, her little eyebrows furrowed, and a serious expression on her face. Quinn and Rachel both laugh and shake their heads.

"She looks like she's sizing you up, Judy," Rachel says around her laughter and leans her tired body against her dad.

Judy kisses the baby one more time, and Alice lets out another agitated squawk.

Hiram begins to rock back and forth on his heels as the tension in his body grows. It only lasts for a few seconds before he takes a step towards Judy. "Ok, time to share," he says, holding out his hands towards the baby. He keeps his tone light, but his face has a serious expression. Judy gives a reluctant nod of her head and stands. She carefully hands Hiram the baby who makes little whiny noises and stretches her arms above her head. Rachel and Quinn both tense up while they watch, and neither of them breathes until Alice is safely cradled in Hiram's arms.

He walks over to the recliner and sits down with Leroy hot on his heels. He sits on the arm of the chair, with his hand on the back of it supporting his weight so he can lean over and get a closer look as Hiram whispers quietly to their granddaughter, his voice too soft for the camera to pick up. He holds the baby close to his chest, and gets a small smile on his face and tears well up in his eyes again. He looks up at Leroy with awe written all over his face.

"She takes after Rachel. Remember when she would get really fussy and the sound of my heartbeat would always put her to sleep?" he asks, his voice trembling. Leroy simply nods, too choked up to respond verbally.

Rachel walks off screen for a moment and returns a second later with her camera in hand. She starts taking pictures of her fathers and daughter, tears running down her own face.

"Don't you think she looks more like Quinn, though?" she asks, and sniffles as she takes another picture. Quinn lets out a small chuckle, and shakes her head.

"Will you let it go? She is clearly a little Berry-baby. Deal with it," the blonde says around a laugh.

Rachel looks over at her with a little glare. "No, I won't deal with it because I'm not wrong. You're the one that's wrong."

Quinn shakes her head. "Nope. Face it, babe, your egg is the one that took," Quinn says, with a big smirk on her face.

"What in the world are you two arguing about now?" Judy asks, sounding tired, but a little amused. She looks between the two girls with a small smile on her face.

"We made a bet that if she's biologically Quinn's then I get to name her, but if she's mine then I have to handle all the nighttime feedings and diaper changes," Rachel says, and everyone shakes their heads. "We agreed on her name, but I'm still not wrong."

"You are so wrong. You're so wrong, that if being right were a place you would be light-years away from it."

"That's probably the corniest thing you've ever said to me."

Quinn sticks her tongue out at her wife, and Rachel takes a picture, cheeky grin spread across her face. Quinn glares at her, hard, and Rachel takes another picture. Quinn rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

"Don't pay any attention to your moms, sweetie-pie," Hiram says, and gently rocks the baby, lulling her to sleep. "That's just how they flirt. They've always been weird like that." The two men, and the older blonde all laugh at that, but Rachel and Quinn just roll their eyes. "They're going to deny it, I can tell you that right now, but when they were kids they would fight like cats and dogs." Alice makes a small gurgling sound and wiggles around, snuggling closer to Hiram's body. "Yes, they would. I think they were just in denial about how much they liked each other."

"Ok, that's enough sharing for one day," Rachel says and sets the camera down on the entertainment center behind her. She walks towards the camcorder, and has a small smile on her face. "I'm going to order something for dinner. Do you want Chinese or pizza? And don't worry, Daddy, the pizza place has vegan options. Quinn hasn't completely corrupted your baby girl." The screen cuts to black.


	9. Midnight Snack

**A/N: Ok, so, here's the deal. I've been trying to come up with a sequel for this fic since I posted the last chapter, but I haven't been able to come up with a concept that didn't have me bored to tears. So instead of writing a sequel, I'm going to continue this story. There will probably only be three or four more chapters, but I never liked the way it ended since it doesn't feel like an ending at all. Please review, they are food for the muse, and the more people review the faster I update; that's just the way my brain works.**

* * *

2:30 AM

When the camera turns on again, the picture is very dark. Only Rachel can be seen, the light of the camera illuminating her face, and a little of the bed. She's lying down on her pillow, holding the camera above her. She looks exhausted; large bags under her eyes, and her hair is barely contained in the ponytail she put it in a couple hours ago. That doesn't stop the small smile from forming on her face as she looked into the camera.

"Hello, baby girl," she whispers, and her smile gets a little bigger. "I'm sorry for the crappy picture, but I can't turn on the lamp or overhead light because you're sleeping and I don't want to wake you up. It's two-thirty in the morning on May twenty-fifth. I'm recording this message because I can't get to sleep. I can't get to sleep because there's a baby in my bed." The camera slowly pans over to the sleeping newborn. She's swaddled in the lavender blanket, and the sounds of her slightly erratic breathing can be heard. Rachel's free hand comes into view, and she gently rubs the top of Alice's head.

"Can you believe you used to be so little? I can't get to sleep because I'm afraid I'm going to roll over and squish you." The camera then pans over to Quinn who's lying on her side facing the baby and Rachel, one hand tucked under her chin, the other arm is under her pillow, and she's fast sleep. "Clearly your mother doesn't have the same concern. Although, she did give birth to you, like, a day ago, and it looked exhausting. You'll be able to see exactly how tough it was when you're old enough to watch your birthing video. I'm sure your mother is going to use it against you at some point in the future. Probably guilt trip you into buying her better Mother's Day presents."

The camera pans back to Rachel. She's still smiling only now she's looking off camera at the sleeping baby lying next to her. Suddenly the camera starts to shake, and the pictures becomes blurry as Rachel rearranges herself on the bed. The sound of the covers rustling can be heard for a few seconds, and then the room is once again quiet. When the picture becomes clear again, the image is of Rachel lying right next to Alice. Her nose is softly touching the baby's cheek, but she isn't moving, simply breathing in her addictive scent.

She puckers her lips, and kisses the soft, squishy cheek. Alice makes a small grunting noise, and moves around a little. Rachel has to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing. Once the baby settles down again, Rachel kisses her again, this time on the side of the head. Alice grunts again, and moves around a little more. Only instead of settling down, her eyes slowly blink open. Her faces scrunches up, and she lets out a quiet whining noise. When the bright light hits her eyes, her eyebrows furrow and she lets out a cry.

"Oh no. No, no, no. I'm sorry, sweetie. Shhh, go back to sleep," Rachel says, panic taking over her face and voice. The baby continues to squirm, and she starts crying, the noise echoes off the bedroom walls. Rachel quickly sets the camera down on the nightstand and sits up. She very carefully picks Alice up off the bed, and holds her close to her chest. "Shhh, baby, Mommy didn't mean it. I didn't think you would wake. I'm sorry." She gently rocks her, and pats her on the butt, but her indigent crying doesn't stop.

"What's wrong, baby? Do you need a new diaper?" She very carefully unwraps the blanket until Alice legs can be seen. She kicks a couple of times before pulling her legs closer to her body. Her cries get louder when her skin is exposed to the cold. Rachel pinches the diaper in a couple of different spots, but lets out a little sigh. "It's still clean, sweetie. Are you hungry? Do you need a midnight snack?" She looks over at Quinn who is still passed out. She hasn't moved at all, and Rachel's eyebrows furrow at the sight.

"So much for natural instinct taking over," she says, and looks back at Alice. "Do you think we can feed you without waking Mommy up? Lets try to be super sneaky ok? She's so tired right now." She uses one hand to pull the blankets down until Quinn's torso is exposed. She bites her bottom lip with anxiety as she very carefully pulls down the zipper of Quinn's Hello Kitty hoodie. The blonde shuffles around at the feel, but doesn't wake up.

"Shhh, baby, shhh," she coos, as she carefully pulls back one side of the material, exposing Quinn's swollen breast to the cool night air. She shuffles around again, and her eyebrows furrow. Rachel freezes, her body becomes tense as she waits with anticipation. She lets out a little sigh of frustration when Quinn's eyes slowly open.

"Rach, what the hell?" she asks, and pulls the blankets up to her chin. She becomes a little more awake when the sound of the baby crying finally registers in her brain.

"I'm sorry, but Alice woke up, and I was trying to feed her without waking you," she says with a small smile when Quinn yawns, and very slowly sits up. The blankets pool in her lap, and the hoodie falls open. Quinn still looks disoriented and confused, and Rachel can't help but smile at how adorable the sight is.

"It's ok," she says, and arranges her pillow so she can sit comfortably against the headboard. Once she is settled, she yawns really wide and holds open the sweatshirt a little wider. She still looks a little out of it, her eyes were barely open, and her head keeps lulling back. She reaches over to her bedside table and turns on the lamp. She winces at the intrusion of light, and blinks rapidly as her eyes struggle to adjust. "Here, hand her to me." She holds out her arms and waits.

Rachel bit her lip, only this time with anxiety and indecision. Quinn looked so tired, she wasn't fully awake even if she was moving around, what if she accidentally dropped the baby? It was her fault Alice was awake, she felt like she should take care of her, but Quinn still hadn't used the breast pump so it was impossible. She let out a little sigh, and kissed Alice on the forehead.

"Can I help you, sweetheart?" she asked, her voice strained with the tension in her body. She didn't want Quinn to know what was going through her mind. With how sensitive she was feeling since giving birth, she was worried the blonde would break down into tears. "Christina said it would help me bond with Alice, and I didn't think it was a big deal, but I want to try it."

Quinn just nods her head, and Rachel can't help but smile again. She waits for Quinn to get rearranged, she scoots forward on the bed, and waits for Rachel. The brunette carefully hands Alice over, and Quinn smiles as soon as her eyes meet the red, and angry face of her squalling infant. Rachel slowly moves in behind Quinn, and rests her chin on her shoulder. She picks the baby up, and carefully brings her to Quinn's left breast.

"Ok, I don't know what to do now," she whispers, and Quinn can't help but chuckle. She guides Rachel's hands until Alice is in a better position, and as soon as the baby's lip touch her nipple, her crying stops and she latches on. She slowly takes in a big breath and closes her eyes. Rachel's face scrunches up in sympathy, and she gazes down at her baby, completely in awe of the tiny creature in her arms. "Does it still hurt really bad?"

"No. Christina showed me the right way to do it. It just feels like a weird pressure," she says, and tilts her head back just enough to place a gentle kiss on Rachel's cheek. She nuzzles against the soft skin, and slowly inhales a big, deep breath. "You don't have to stay awake, sweetheart. You should get some sleep. There's no point for both of us to be exhausted all day." A twinge of guilt shows up on Rachel's face but she forces it to go away, and it's replaced with a gentle smile when Alice grunts and squirms around, trying to get closer to Quinn's chest.

"I'm bonding with our baby, Quinn," she says with a gentle smile. She kisses the side of the blonde's head, her lips linger for a few moments, and Quinn closes her eyes as a soft hum rumbles through her throat at the feeling. "That's a pretty big point." They go quiet, and both look down at their little girl. One little blue eye is watching them very closely. Her eyebrows are furrowed as she stares up at them, and Rachel can't help but chuckle. "She looks so suspicious. Like she's worried we're going to take the food away or something."

"You're right, that's exactly what she looks like," she says, and gently runs the back of her index finger along a little cheek. "You don't have to glare at us, baby. We're not going to take you away until you're done. But it would be nice if you would hurry up because Mommy and Momma really need to get back to sleep. Your grandma, and grandpa and poppa are still here, and we need to be up to spend time with them." Rachel's eyebrows furrow a little, as a small frown pulls at her face.

"Momma? Since when is one of us Momma?" she asks, and the word sounds weird coming out of her mouth. She doesn't like the feel of it on her tongue, and she isn't shy about showing it.

"I don't know. I thought it would make things less confusing," she says, and yawns a very large yawn. Rachel can't help but chuckle at the annoyed look on Alice's face when the force of the yawn pushes Quinn's chest out a little, and then slowly pulls back in when she exhales. Alice is rocked almost like the wave of the ocean, and it's obvious she's not too happy about it. "The baby books said she's going to pick her own names for us when she's older, but I think it would make things easier for other people if we pick our own names."

"And by 'other people' do you mean your mother?" she asks with a very large smile pulling at her face. Quinn just groans, and nods her head. "Aw, baby, don't worry about it. I get that your mom still isn't used to us being together. If you think this will help her then I'm all for it. But you're being called Momma. I do not look like a momma. Right, Alice? No, I look more like a mommy, huh, baby?"

Quinn laughs a little, and yawns again as she rests the back of her head against Rachel's shoulder. She yawns again, and this time when she opens her eyes something catches her attention. She turns her head, barely lifting it from her wife's shoulder, and she lets out a little sigh as her gaze fixes on the camera.

"Rachel," she says, her tone taking on a stern quality that causes the brunette to tense up.

"Yes, Quinn?" she asks, sounding as innocent as possible. She glaces at the blonde out of the corner of her eye, and she tenses up even more when she notices the direction of her wife's gaze. She focuses her attention back on the baby who is beginning to nod off.

"Are you recording another entry for the video diary?" Quinn asks, her tone still stern, and it doesn't really sound like a question. Instead it sounds like she knows exactly what happened, but is only asking for the sake of confirmation.

"Yes, Quinn," Rachel says, and she sounds a little worried. Her eyes never leave Alice, though, and she softly plays with her little feet to keep her awake. She startles, her body twitching, but she doesn't cry out like Rachel expected. A loud exhale of breath can be heard before the suckling noises begin again.

"Let me guess, you were talking and it woke the baby up," she says and Rachel gently shakes her head no.

"Of course not, sweetheart. I was being really quiet," she says, and places and very gentle kiss on Quinn's neck. "I gave Alice a kiss and it accidentally woke her up. I didn't think she would be so sensitive. I barely touched her, and did I mention that I'm sorry?" Quinn just rolls her eyes, and leans her whole body weight against her wife. Rachel smiles, and kisses her on the side of the head.

"You're burping her and changing her when she's finished," she says, and closes her tired eyes. She turns her head, and buries her face as best she can against Rachel's neck, trying to block out as much of the light as possible.

"Ok, sweetheart," Rachel says with a little chuckle, and softly rubs Quinn's arm for a few minutes, apologizing as best she can with a feeding infant in one arm. "I love you, Quinn." She whispers so softly the camera can barely pick it up. Quinn mumbles a reply as she slowly drift off into a light sleep.


	10. Without Forgiveness, Nothing Is Settled

**A/N: So, I think I should warn everyone now that there is a tiny little bit of angst in this chapter. It's really not much, and it will be resolved very soon. I'm going to keep this story relatively upbeat and light since so many of my other stories go very dark eventually, but that won't be happening with this.**

* * *

3:45 PM

When the camera turns on again, the image is of Rachel sitting at the foot of her bed with a small smile on her face. She looks tired, but has managed to get a shower, and her wet hair is pulled back in a tight bun. She's in her pajamas still, and the curtains are closed. There's only enough light for the camera to pick up the dim bedroom, and Alice can be seen off to the left sleeping in her bassinet next to the bed.

"Hi, Alice. I just wanted to give you a little update as to what's been going on. Your mother has been so exhausted. You've been waking up every two and a half hours to eat, and you need to be changed just as often. She finally gave in and called Christina - she's the midwife who helped us through the pregnancy and your birth - and she helped your mom learn how to use the breast pump properly. That means I've been feeding you by myself so your mom can get a little more sleep."

She yawns so wide that her tonsils can be seen, and when she finally exhales, a big dopey smile shows up on her face. "Everyone always says that the first year is the hardest but I honestly didn't think it was going to be this rough. I thought working on Broadway would prepare me a little since the hours are long and crazy and it's a huge adjustment, but that was nothing compared to this. If your grandparents weren't here I wouldn't even have been able to take a shower, which would have been gross because you spit up all over my neck. Thank you for that, by the way. I'm sure I'll think of some way to get back at your for that when you're older. Maybe I'll embarrass you by showing your first significant other this video diary."

There's a loud shout from the other room, and Rachel looks off camera. Her expression is alert, and her body is tense like she's prepared to jump up at any moment. A few seconds later there's another loud voice, and her eyebrows furrow at the sound. She messes with something on the camera, obviously trying to hit the off button, but it keeps rolling as she sets it down on the bed and walks out of frame.

The bedroom door cracks open a little, and Quinn's voice can be heard coming from the kitchen. "Mom, this isn't up for discussion. I don't want to talk to him, and he's certainly not going to be around my family." Quinn's voice rings out and clear as it rolls down the hall and through the crack in the door.

"Sweetie, you're not being fair. He's changed so much over the years, and he really wants to make amends with you, and meet his granddaughter," Judy says, and she sounds surprisingly calm, especially since Quinn sounds like she's already on the verge of having a breakdown.

"Fair?" she asks and her tone sounds nothing but bitter. "Are you kidding right now? Was he being fair when he threw me out when I was only sixteen years old? Was he being fair when I tried to let him back in my life, but he disowned me the second he found out Rachel and I are together? Was he being fair when he came to my wedding drunk, and said that I'm filth and a mockery to the Christian faith? I stopped caring about what's fair a long time ago, Mom. I love my life now, and I'm not going to let him poison it."

"Quinnie, I know your father has made a lot of mistakes, and I'm not saying he shouldn't be held accountable for what he's done. But he's been working really hard these last three years to be a better man. He quit drinking, he's been making up for all the hurt he's caused," Judy says and her voice sounds desperate, and strained with tears. "He's just been too afraid to reach out to you, sweetie. He's afraid you're going to reject him, and want nothing to do with him. Please don't prove him right. Just give him one more chance, Quinn."

"No, Mom!" Quinn screams, her voice echoes throughout the apartment. "He's out of chances. He ruined my childhood, and he ruined my wedding. I'm not going to let him ruin the memory of bringing my daughter into this world." Quinn starts crying, her loud sobs can be heard clearly. The door opens halfway, and Rachel quickly leaves the room.

"Sweetie, calm down," her voice can barely be heard partly because she's talking softly, and partly because the sound of Quinn's sobs drown her out a little. "You're going to make yourself sick."

"No, I'm not going to calm down," she says, and the anger is obvious in her tone. "He isn't going to poison her, Rachel, I won't let him." Quinn is crying so hard her words can barely be made out, and it's obvious even on camera she can hardly breathe.

"Quinn, no one is going to let that happen, ok?" Rachel's voice can be heard over Quinn's sobs, but only just. "Why don't you come lay down? You just had a baby, you're tired, you're not thinking clearly. No one expects you to right now, but please, just calm down, sweetheart." The sound of glass slamming against the wall and shattering can be heard, and the noise startles Alice awake. She instantly starts crying, the sound of it echoes loudly in the small bedroom.

"Stop patronizing me. This isn't hormones or exhaustion. This is how I really feel about this. My dad is not coming anywhere near her, and I don't want to hear another word about it," she yells, and the sounds of harsh footsteps can be heard walking down the hallway.

A few seconds later, the door opens and Quinn walks inside. She quietly closes the door, wiping the tears off her face as she tries to calm herself down. She walks over to the bassinet, and very gently cradles the screaming infant in arms. She rocks the baby, and pats her bottom, softly humming as she holds her close to her chest. Alice soon quiets but doesn't stop crying completely. Quinn lets out an exhausted sigh, and sits down on the bed.

A moment later, Rachel walks into the room, but Quinn doesn't look up. She ignores the other woman as she sits down next to her, and softly rubs her back. Rachel doesn't say anything, just continues to rub her back, and gently squeeze her shoulders, and run her fingernails along her scalp. Quinn begins to calm down, and when she calms down Alice stops crying, and stares up at her with watery eyes. Rachel smiles at her little girl, and gently rests one hand on the top of her head.

"I wasn't trying to be patronizing, and I'm sorry I sounded that way," she says and gives Quinn a little kiss on the cheek. The blonde sniffles, and continues to rock the baby. "But, just look at her Quinn. She's so perfect in every way, and don't you think your dad should get the chance to at least meet her once? If he's really changed as much as your mother has said." Quinn sniffles again, and shakes her head.

"It's too much of a risk, Rachel," she says, and wipes away the tears that are starting to dry on Alice's face. "What if he's still hateful? What if he's rude to you, or just ignores you? I won't let him act like that around her. It isn't right." There's a tremble in her voice, and her eyes swell with tears again.

Rachel lets out a little sigh, and rests her chin on Quinn's shoulder. She wraps her arms around her wife, and squeezes her gently. "I'm not saying we would put up with that if he's still bigoted. But don't you think you should at least call and talk to him? Your mother behaved that way at first, Quinn. I know she wasn't as harsh as your father growing up, and she was never as outspoken about her beliefs, but the fact is she didn't accept me as a positive part of your life for years. She finally came around, and she's loving, and everything a mother-in-law should be, but why did she get all those chances, and you're not even going to call your father?"

"Rachel, please, just stop," Quinn says, and her voice is rough, and strained with the tears she's trying to hold back. "I don't want to talk to him. This is just what he does. He worms his way back in, he makes you think that he's changed, and when you finally start to trust him he says something fucked up, or he drinks himself half to death. Do you have any idea how many times he quit drinking when I was a kid? Nine. Nine times he said he wasn't going to drink anymore because he didn't like the way it changed him, but he always started again. I'm not going to have that kind of negativity around our baby. She's too innocent. She doesn't deserve it."

"Ok, sweetheart, ok," Rachel says, and continues to softly rub Quinn's back. "If you really feel that way, we won't have anything to do with him." She leaves a kiss on the side of Quinn's head, and it lingers for a whole minute while the two sit in the comfortable silence. "Why don't you lay down, and I'll make you something to eat?" She watches as Quinn nods her head, and scoots back on the bed. She gently lays Alice down in the middle, and rests next to her, careful not to squish her tiny body. As Rachel stands to leave, the camera's battery dies, and the image cuts to black.

* * *

**A/N: I cannot for the life of me remember the man's name or find the article he wrote, but last Mother's Day (I believe, maybe it was Father's Day) he wrote an article stating how after he came out to his family, his mother struggled for years to accept him, and never acknowledged his partner as an important part of his life. Until, with the help of a surrogate, they had a daughter, and all of his mother's baggage faded very quickly. So this subplot is my little homage to a real life story that brought tears to my eyes when I read it.**


	11. Crying Over the Water Under the Bridge

**A/N: Hey guys, I just wanted to thank all of you for being so patient with me. I'd also like to give a special shout out to Nightlancer600, harleysantana23, happyashy, and Stepheyy for letting me know that a chapter of this story had been plagiarized. I know this is going to sound incredibly sappy, but it makes me feel good knowing that people out there care about this story, and feel protective of it. So thank you for alerting me about that. The person who stole the chapter had taken it down before I could send her any type of message, so somehow it was all taken care of, but I am going to keep an eye on her account just in case.**

**Alright, moving on; I'd like to apologize to everyone for taking so damn long updating this story. Life has been kicking me in the teeth, and it's left me with no desire whatsoever to write. I churned this chapter out in about an hour and a half (focusing my mind has been a huge problem lately and many many songs were listened to, and a couple snacks consumed, which did nothing but make it a little more difficult to get this out), and it hasn't been carefully proofread so sorry for any errors you may find. I'm going to try my best to get the next chapter up as quickly as possible, but like almost every single story I've ever written, the second I come up with an outline or some type of plan for future chapters, my mind immediately rebels and writing the damn thing becomes impossible. Turns out I'm a discovery writer and not a planner so I'm going to just have to relearn to work with my brain instead of fighting it every step of the way. I hope you enjoy, and I'll talk to you guys later.**

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6:15 PM

When the camera turns on again, the image is of Quinn sitting on the edge of her bed with a little black remote in her hand. Judy is sitting next to her and they both look a little uncomfortable. Quinn's smile is nervous and tight, and Judy keeps shifting on the bed, and refuses to look at the camera. Quinn takes in a deep breath, and lets it out slowly, and when she smiles again it looks less forced than the one before it.

"Hey, Alice; right now it's six-fifteen on May twenty- fifth, and I'm going to try and keep this intro part as brief as possible. Your mom said that she isn't going to edit out the argument I had yesterday with your grandmother. She said that sometimes life is messy and you need to see that side of it too, but I don't want that to be all that you see so I want to show you that just because you disagree with someone, it doesn't mean you can't apologize and move on."

She puts the remote down on the bed and turns until she's facing her mother. Judy doesn't look as nervous as she did a few seconds ago, but it's obvious by the tense way she's holding her shoulders that she's still not completely comfortable in front of the camera. When Quinn gets settled again, she reaches out and gently moves some of the hair out of her daughter's face and tucks it behind her ear, and a small smile appears on both of their faces.

"I'm really sorry for yelling at you yesterday. I should have stayed calm and explained why I was feeling the way I was feeling, and I shouldn't have let the situation get so out of control," she says, and tears immediately swell up in her eyes. A water laugh bubbles at the back of her throat and she wipes away her tears with the back of her thumbs. "God, I'm sorry. Rachel was right, I'm so freaking tired and hormonal that I can't control anything right now."

Judy scoots forward enough so she is able to wrap an arm around Quinn, and gently but firmly rub her back. Her smile gets a little bigger when Quinn rests her head against her shoulder, and takes in a deep, shaky breath. The two sit there like that for a few moments, the only sounds in the room are Quinn's soft sniffling, and the rustling of Quinn's shirt as her mother continues to sooth her.

"It's ok, baby," Judy says, her voice low and soft as Quinn continues to hide her face. "This is all completely normal. And I'm sorry for bringing up your dad like that. I know it's always been a touchy subject with us, but when he called it took me a little off guard, and I wasn't thinking clearly. I should have known you wouldn't want to talk about him so soon after giving birth. Your body and mind are still healing, and I'm sorry, sweetie, for handling that so badly."

Quinn pulls back, away from her mother, and wipes away the last of her tears. Her bottom lip is quivering, and more tears are building up in her eyes but she manages to hold them back. "I just hate that even though I haven't talked to him in years he still has this power over me. I hate that I care so freaking much." When her mother wraps her up in a hug, she doesn't fight it even though that's her first instinct. Growing up, her mother was never a source of comfort, and trying to get used to that now is harder than she would be willing to admit.

"I hate it say it, sweetie, but you're always going to care about him in one way or another. Even if you can move passed it as best you can, some small part of you deep down is going to wish he would accept you, and love you for who you are. I know you don't think I understand you and your life now because it's so different from mine at your age, but I do know a thing or two about being rejected by a parent, and sometimes it never stops no matter how responsible you are, or how old you get. So when your mind slips off to that place, and you find yourself wishing that things were different, just remember that I love you and I'm so, so proud of you, Quinnie."

That last sentence is the straw that finally breaks Quinn's emotional back. She clings to her mother, her fingers dig into the older woman's shoulder blades, and harsh sobs pour out of her throat, making her whole body quiver. She's able to take in a deep breath when she feels her mother's arms wrap around her, a sense of warmth and comfort wash over her like they haven't in years unless it was Rachel or one of her close friends offering the support.

Judy begins to gently rock back and forth with Quinn still wrapped securely in her arms, and she begins to softly hum. The sound can't be heard well over the sound of Quinn's sobbing, but the song has an immediate effect on Quinn, and her sobs quiet down almost right away. She coughs a few times, her back shaking harshly with the sound. Her arms relaxed, loosening the tight grip, and her loud sniffles can vaguely be heard; her mother's shoulder muffles the sound as Quinn continues to keep her face buried against the older woman's body.

After Quinn calms down completely, Judy keeps humming for a few minutes, rocking slowly back and forth and gently rubbing Quinn's back. Her blues eyes are brimming with tears, but that small smile never leaves her face. She quickly wipes her tears away when Quinn slowly sits up, and the younger blonde wipes her own face clean; her skin is stained red from her tears and her eyes are puffy but she doesn't seem to care.

"What was that?" she asks as she uses the back of her sleeve to wipe her nose, and the look on Judy's face goes from soft to commanding in a second flat. She looks as though she's about to reprimand Quinn as she would a young child, but instead she takes a breath and relaxes again.

"My mother used to sing me that song whenever there was a thunder storm. I was terrified of them when I was young. Once when you were three you had a really bad ear infection in both of your ears. You screamed and cried for hours, the medicine the doctor gave me didn't seem to help with the pain, and that song was the only thing that calmed you down."

"Maybe you could teach it to me sometime?" she asks with a small smile tugging at her lips. "I know Rachel is going to make it a huge priority to teach Alice the classics, and every show tune she thinks is important, but I think having a song that's just ours would be nice." She looks down at her lap, the expression on her face is bashful, and her eyebrows are knit together, her insecurity clearly getting the better of her.

"I'll be here for another three days so I think that will be perfect," she says, and can barely contain the watery smile pulling at her lips. After a couple moments of silence, the two start laughing very tired shaky sounding laughs. They continue to wipe at their eyes, banishing the last of their tears as the rest of their anxiety drains from their bodies.

"We should go get something to eat. I'm sure Rachel is pacing the floor waiting for us to come out," Quinn says, with one last quiet sniffle. She ignores her mother's eye roll, not wanting to get into another one of _those_ arguments again; the arguments about Rachel's feelings not being more important than her own, and how Rachel needs to learn patience since the Fabrays tend to take a little longer to process their emotions. With one last smile at the camera, Quinn picks up the remote and the screen cuts to black.


	12. Secrets and Brunch

**A/N: Hey guys, first I'd like to thank everyone for being so patient. I must have rewritten this chapter four maybe even five times, but it is about twice as long as most of the chapters I've written so far so I hope that makes up for the long wait. There are probably only going to be one or two more chapters to this, three at the most, and I can't guarantee fast updates, but I will try to make them longer and a little more fleshed out. Anyway, enjoy and please review, they are a huge help for the muse.**

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10:45 AM

When the camera turns on again all that can be seen is the front of Rachel's hoodie. The camera shakes a little as she sets it down on top of the microwave, and twists the viewfinder around so she can make sure everything she wants fits into the frame. She takes a step back and the kitchen table comes into view. Quinn is sitting down along with Rachel's father Leroy, and Judy. The grandparents are nursing steaming cups of coffee, and Quinn is sipping at a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

"God, Rachel, do you always have to have that thing on? Can't we do one thing without it being recorded?" Quinn's voice can be heard, and she makes a face at the camera; scrunching her nose up and sticking her tongue out. Her mother gives her a reprimanding look, and she just rolls her large hazel eyes, and looks down at the tablet sitting in front of her, the newest issue of the New York Times taking up the screen.

"This is her first brunch, Quinn, and it's an important tradition. Besides, she's probably going to be cranky as hell after her doctor's appointment, and I want to get something that isn't her screaming her head off for putting her through that torture." All three adults at the table roll their eyes, but Rachel ignores it.

"It isn't torture, sweetie," Hiram's voice can be heard from somewhere off screen. Rachel walks over and sits down at the table. "You're taking her in to make sure she's healthy. She may not see it that way, but it's for the best." Rachel pouts from her spot at the table and leans over to leave a small kiss on the top of Alice's head.

She's sleeping soundly in the sling that was given to them from Santana at the baby shower. At first Quinn had been a little hesitant to accept it. None of her older cousins or any of her sister's friends whom had babies while she was still in Lima had used one, and she couldn't wrap her mind around the idea of keeping the baby attached to her almost every waking moment. Now that Alice is here, and crying almost every two hours for food or to be changed, or just needing comfort, Quinn is glad Rachel convinced her not to donate it to the Red Cross.

"I just don't like the idea of someone jabbing her with needles. She's just so small and precious. I don't want to take her out of the apartment at all," she says, and rests her head against Quinn's shoulder. She doesn't see the small smile appear on Quinn's lips, or the way Judy and Leroy shake their heads as they exchange a glance. She knows she's being over protective, but knowing it doesn't change the way she's feeling.

"No one does, Rachel. Your father had to leave the room when the doctor put you on the scale to measure you. As soon as he tried to stretch out your legs you started screaming your head off, acting like it was the biggest deal in the world. I think your father would have punched him if he stayed in that room a moment longer," he says, and Rachel lifts her head off Quinn's shoulder and looks at her dad with a big smile.

"I'm not the only one who's been over protective," Leroy says and takes a sip of his coffee. He doesn't miss the look of longing Quinn gives the mug before her eyes flick back to the tablet. "Remember Karen Perry? Her daughter was in all of the same dance and singing competitions that Rachel was in? I thought you were going to slap her when she accidentally bumped into Rae, and told her to watch where she was going in that snotty tone she always had."

"I remember her. She was awful," Rachel says, and steals a sip of Quinn's juice. "She acted like I was some scourge on the earth just because I always came in first. It wasn't my fault I was more talented than Connie."

Quinn looks up from the tablet, her eyebrows raised, and what is clearly an amused expression on her face. "Hey Rach, what happens if Alice wants to be a dancer or a singer?" Rachel looks over at her with her eyebrows furrowed a bit.

"It isn't a matter of 'if', Quinn, it will happen eventually," she says, and just smirks when Quinn gives her an annoyed look. The conversation of expectations came up early in the pregnancy. Quinn doesn't want their daughter to feel pressured into being anything other than herself, while she had no doubt Rachel was already planning their daughter's acceptance speech for the Tony awards. Rachel, however, agreed to not push too much when it came to their daughter getting involved in any particular activity, but Quinn could tell she was holding out hope.

"Anyway, if she wants to be a dancer or a singer than we'll put her in the best classes that we can afford. Maybe we'll let her enter some competitions if she wants to, but I don't want to force her into it," she says, and her jaw drops a little when Quinn gives her the look that can only mean 'you are so full of it'. "I mean it, Quinn. I loved competing, but there were some kids that didn't want to be there, but their parents were those awful stage moms. Those kids were miserable all the time, and they resented their moms and dads. I don't want our girl to grow up feeling that." She gently lays her hand down on top of Alice's head, and the baby squirms inside the sling.

"But what do you think you'll do if Alice does want to compete and every time she does some other little kid always wins, and she comes home and cries herself to sleep because she feels like all of her hard work is for nothing, and she'll always be a loser?" Quinn asks, and Rachel's eyebrows furrow.

"Ok, I see your point," she says and smiles at her dad when he sets a plate on the plate in front of her and Quinn. There's enough fruit, toast, and homemade granola for two people, plus a small bowl of cinnamon oatmeal made with almond milk. She takes the two forks and spoon from him, and sets one down in front of Quinn, on top of her tablet. "Thank you, Daddy." She looks back at Quinn, and the blonde is already stabbing a cube of mango.

"Anyway, just because she was upset about her daughter not winning doesn't give her the excuse to take all of that frustration out on me. I was only six, she was the adult she should have had the emotional maturity to take the higher ground," she says, and takes a large bite of her oatmeal. Quinn smiles, and uses her thumb to gently wipe the little bit of goo left behind on the corner of Rachel's mouth.

"I know that, dear, and I'm not saying she was in the right. Just trying to give you a little bit of insight into the mind of someone who projects their feelings onto other people," she says, and takes another bite of fruit, a pineapple this time. She ignores the small sad smile that Rachel gets on her face because she knows the diva is thinking of the time they spent in high school when Quinn did exactly that.

"I don't think Alice is going to be a dancer or a singer," Leroy says and takes another sip of his coffee. He gets a small smirk on his face when Rachel gives him a death glare. It didn't faze him at all since it was something he saw almost every day while raising her.

"What do you think she's going to be?"Quinn asks, and leans her head down just enough to plant a soft kiss against the top of Alice's head. The baby squirms again, but doesn't wake. She watches her for a moment, almost unable to tear her gaze away. A small smile pulls at her lips as she studies the little life in her arms. She holds Alice's little fist in her hand, and gently runs her thumb along the impossibly small knuckles. She completely understands how Rachel was unable to control herself that morning and accidentally wake the baby up in the process. It's almost impossible not to touch, or kiss the soft wrinkly skin.

"I think she's going to rebel against growing up in an artistic household and become something sensible like an accountant, or a lawyer, or a surgeon," Leroy's voice seems to break the spell Quinn was under. She looks up at him with another small smile on her face, and he catches her eye for a moment. They share a smirk and look sideways at Rachel who just rolls her eyes and goes back to munching on her brunch.

She looks back down at the sleeping baby and whispers softly, "Oh, do you wanna be a surgeon, Alice? You can support your mommies' when we retire and move somewhere warm and tropical." She pops a strawberry in her mouth and almost chokes trying not to laugh when Rachel smacks her in the arm.

"Please, Quinn, I would like to not be a burden on our children when we get older. As long as we remain sensible about our finances we should be able to support ourselves," she says and takes another bite of her oatmeal.

"You do realize you're probably going to end up taking care of us, right?" Hiram asks as he walks back over to the table again. He's holding two more plates, and a jar of grape jelly is tucked in the crook of his elbow. He puts down one plate in front of Leroy, and finally sits at the table and joins the others, his back to the camera.

"Daddy, we're not going to need to take care of you. You're big and strong," she says with a cheeky grin. He picks up a strawberry off of Quinn's plate, and throws it at Rachel. She fights back a shriek when it lands in her shirt, and she immediately starts fishing for it.

"Nice shot, Zeydeh," Quinn says with a chuckle, using the nickname that Rachel taught her for the first time. The vibration of her chest makes Alice squirm, and she looks down at her resting newborn. "Tell him, Alice, say, 'that was a great shot, Zeydeh'." She laughs again when she feels the sharp smack of Rachel's hand against her upper arm. She looks up just in time for an agitated looking Rachel hold the strawberry up to her lips. Quinn smiles and carefully takes the berry into her mouth.

When she looks down at the baby again, she sees one little blue eye partially open, and a little eyebrow furrowed in a very agitated manner. "Rach, look," she whispers, and reaches out for Rachel's hand. "Looks like someone decided to join us for brunch." She watches completely hypnotized as Alice looks up at her with a frown on her face. "You woke her up, and she is not happy about it, are you baby?" She begins to lightly pat her on her diapered bottom, and Rachel gives her a very offended look.

"I didn't wake her up, that was all you," she says, and looks back down at her little girl. Her frown immediately disappears, and she can't help but smile. Her smiles get a little wider when Quinn leans over, pressing her lips softly to her cheek. Rachel rests her head against Quinn's shoulder, nuzzling her neck a little, and leaving a quick kiss on the warm skin. "I still can't believe she's really here."

"I know. It still feels like a weird fever dream or something," Quinn says, and Rachel can't help the small chuckle that reverberates in the back of her throat.

"You did not just call our baby a 'fever dream'," she says with laughter in her voice and she bites her bottom lip to stop her smiling from growing too wide when she hears Quinn laugh. Alice's eyebrows furrow when Quinn's chest rumbles, and she squirms a little more. Rachel reaches over, and gently rubs her back through the sling, and she quickly settles down again.

"I'm just saying that it feels really strange. It does feel like being stuck in a fever dream, and any minute I'm going to wake up and she's going to be gone," she says, her throat suddenly tight and her voice slightly strained.

"Oh, sweetheart," Rachel says, and plants a soft, comforting kiss on her jaw line, then the middle of her cheek, then her cheekbone, and a lingering one on her temple. Quinn closes her eyes and hums when a tingly warm feeling settles throughout her entire body at Rachel's gentle kisses. She always seems to know how to calm her down when she's feeling anxious or worried about something, even if it's the most arbitrary thing.

"Quinn," Hiram says after a few moments of silence. "Are you sure you don't want some bacon? I made a couple extra pieces just in case." The blonde has to cover her mouth to stop the laughter from escaping, but her whole body trembles a bit with the effort. Alice lets out a grunt, and squirms around again, and Quinn can feel her little legs pushing against the sling.

"Dad," Rachel says, sounding nothing but annoyed as she rolls her eyes and gives her father a look of irritation. "Quinn isn't going to eat meat while she's breast feeding. She already told you that."

"Are you afraid it's going to make the milk bacon flavored and Alice will grow up to be a carnivore? Because I don't think that's how it works," he says, and puts one slice of the crispy strip on Quinn's plate. "Here," he stage whispers, "It'll be our secret." Rachel rolls her eyes again, but doesn't say anything. She just picks up her spoon and goes back to her oatmeal.

Quinn bites her bottom lip, and looks down at the plate. The room goes quiet as everyone continues to eat their brunch, and they don't notice the tears welling up in Quinn's eyes. They don't see the way her bottom lip quivers even as she tries to hide it. No one notices a thing until she sniffles as thick tears slowly trail down her face as her nose turns red, and her breathing gets a little shallow.

Rachel looks up at the sound, and her brows immediately furrow at the sight. She puts down her spoon, and gently touches Quinn on the shoulder, trying to get the blonde to look at her. She doesn't look up, and Rachel can't help but feel a little frustrated.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" she asks, concern lacing her voice. She gently wipes away Quinn's tears with the backs of her fingers, and leaves another kiss on her temple. The gentle caress just seems to make it worse, and her whole body starts to tremble.

"Nothing," she says, the word quivers with unsteady breath, and she sniffles loudly, looking as if she's trying to hold back a flood. Judy goes to stand up, worry written all over her face. Rachel looks over at the movement, and softly shakes her head, telling the woman to stay where she is. She sits back against the chair with a frown on her face as she watches her baby's pain feeling completely helpless.

"Baby, you can tell us, it's ok," Rachel says, and gently rubs Quinn's back. The comforting gesture calms her down a little; her body isn't shaking anymore, and her breathing is almost back to normal, but the tears continue to fall.

"It's just," she says, and sniffles. "When I was a little girl, like four or five, my dad would take me and my sister out to breakfast after church on Sundays." She hiccups a little, her breathing getting shallow again, and she seems almost frustrated with herself as she tries to get the words out.

"And-and before we sat down at the booth, he would always reach into his pocket and give us a quarter, and tell us that we could get a piece of candy from the little machine, and we could eat it before breakfast." She takes in a deep breath, very slowly, and holds it in an attempt to calm down. "He always told us not to tell mom, that it was just our little secret." She continues to breathe deeply, and as she does so the tears slowly disappear.

"What are you really trying to say, Quinnie?" Judy asks, her voice soft, and gentle. Quinn glances up at her, but can't take the looks that everyone is giving her. She feels crazy, out of her mind with hormones and sleep deprivation, and she's embarrassed for losing it like that. Instead of looking at her mother, or dealing with the looks that Hiram and Leroy are giving her, she looks down at Alice. She wraps her arms around the sling, supporting the tiny body inside, and she gently rocks her, more to sooth herself than the baby.

"Quinn," Rachel says, and gently kisses her on the temple. She rests her head against Quinn's shoulder, and looks down at the sleeping baby. She knows it's easier for the blonde to open up when she isn't being stared at. She says it makes her feel like there's less pressure to be completely honest. "Sweetheart, are you thinking about changing your mind about your dad? It would be ok if you do."

A few tense seconds go by, and both Leroy and Hiram get up from the table. They place their dishes in the sink, and take their turns giving their daughter a kiss on the side of her head. "Hey Judy, why don't we walk down to that corner market and pick up something special for dinner? I'm sure these two are going to need a break tonight," Leroy says with a small smile on his face.

Judy reluctantly stands, but shakes her head no. She bites her bottom lip as she looks at her daughter, worry clearly etched in her expression. "If you don't mind I think I'll lay down for a bit in the guest room." Quinn looks up, her red rimmed eyes look into her mother's and she looks a little skeptical. "Quinnie, why don't you pump after you're done with brunch, and I'll take the night shift tonight so you girls can get some rest?"

"Ok, Mom," she says with another little sniffle. The three of them clear out of the kitchen, leaving their children alone. The room is completely silent except for the little sounds coming from the sling. Every sigh, every little groan, and every time Alice twitches in her sleep and rubs against the sling can be heard.

Rachel lets out a little sigh, and lifts her head just enough to place a gentle kiss on Quinn's cheek. She softly nuzzles her blonde's neck with her nose before settling back down. She yawns, her mouth opening wide, and her eyes water up from the pressure of it.

"How tired are you right now?" she asks halfway through, her voice sounding higher pitched and strange.

"I feel like I'm about to drop, and my boobs hurt so bad they feel like they're about to fall off," she says with a light chuckle that carries the weight of just how exhausted and sore she is.

"What are we going to do when our parents leave?" Rachel asks, her voice a little shaky as she gently rubs her forehead against Quinn's shoulder. The blonde smiles a little and kisses the top of the brunette's head.

"Call Santana and Brittany," she says, and Rachel can't help but laugh a little.

The conversation peters out and the room once again falls into a comfortable silence. Rachel lifts her head away from Quinn and watches the blonde with a thoughtful look on her face, as her wife stares down at their sleeping baby with a small smile on her face. Rachel sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, and chewed on it as she continued to watch Quinn. Her eyebrows furrowed a little more causing a wrinkle to show up between them.

"Just say it, Rachel," Quinn says softly, but she doesn't look up. Rachel lets out a little sigh, and runs her fingers through her long hair.

"Have you been thinking about your dad more?" she asks, her voice a little timid, and she eyes Quinn's face very closely, looking for any signs that she's about to have another breakdown. This wasn't the easiest subject for Quinn to talk about, even when she wasn't sleep deprived or flooded with extra hormones.

"Yeah," she says solemnly, and her eyes dart up to Rachel's face for a few seconds before quickly looking back down at the baby.

"Do you want to get in touch with him? I mean, is that what you've been thinking about or are you just thinking about things you used to do together?" she asks, her voice still timid and hesitant. Quinn lets out a little sigh and rolls her head along her shoulders, popping her neck before picking up her fork and poking at the fruit still left on the plate.

"A little bit of both," she says. "Mom said he's doing better, that he's been to rehab and he's in AA, and hasn't had a drop to drink in three years. Apparently he even does volunteer work at the homeless shelter the church runs and he fosters sick dogs until they're healthy enough to find a home." Rachel's face scrunches in confusion.

"When did she say all of this?" she asks, and pulls her legs up onto the chair. She rests her chin on her knees.

"Last night when I was feeding Alice," she says and looks over at her wife with a small smile on her face. "She was still a little fussy after I burped her and I didn't want her to wake you so we sat in the living room. Mom came out for a glass of water, and we talked for a while. It sounds almost too good to be true, but I trust her. I know she wouldn't lie about this or exaggerate."

"Do you think you would be able to handle talking with him on the phone? I can take care of Alice for a while so you can sleep for a bit first, if you'd like. Maybe it won't feel so overwhelming after a nap," she says and Quinn looks up at her, her expression sharp as her eyes search Rachel's expression.

"Why are you so quick to forgive everything he's done to us? Done to you and your dads? He was an awful person to you guys in Lima even when you were just a little kid. Don't you care about any of that?" she asks, her voice higher than normal, a hint of distress laced in her words. Rachel gently rubs her back in an effort to calm her down, but it doesn't seem to work.

"I'm not so quick to forgive, ok?" she says, and takes a drink of juice. "I just remember what it was like growing up when every year for Hanukah we'd go out of town to visit my grandparents, and for Christmas we would visit my other grandparents. It was the only time of year I got to see them since they didn't handle traveling well. By the time I was fourteen all of them had passed away, and getting to spend that time with them means so much to me.

"If your dad really has changed, and he wants to prove that he's ready to at least be a good grandfather then I don't want Alice to miss out because we're holding a grudge. I know he wasn't a good father to you and your sister, and there's no excuse for that, but maybe he's ready to start making up for it."

By the time she's finished talking, Quinn has big tears slowly sliding down her face. She sniffles and wipes at her eyes with her knuckles as her bottom lip trembles. She holds her breath in an attempt to get herself under control, but it doesn't work very well. She doesn't hesitate at all to rest her head against Rachel's shoulder when her love leans forward and carefully wraps her up in a hug, taking great care not to squish Alice.

"I want to call him," her quiet whisper can barely be heard; muffled by her face being buried against Rachel's neck.

"Ok, sweetie," she responds, and kisses the top of Quinn's head. "Do you wanna take a nap first?" Quinn nods and sits up straight, wiping away the last of her tears, and takes in a few deep, calming breaths. "Why don't you go ahead and lay down? I'll be in a minute, alright?" Quinn just nods again, and gives Rachel a soft lingering kiss on the lips. When it breaks apart, the brunette has a small smile on her face, but Quinn just looks exhausted. They both get up from the table, and Quinn makes her way out of the room as Rachel walks over to the microwave, and the screen cuts to black.


	13. Why You'd Want To Live Here

**A/N: Hey guys, so I just finished this chapter a couple minutes ago. It's 4:30 in the morning where I live which means this is probably going to be riddled with errors, both spelling and grammatical, but I promise to go over it tomorrow, and fix what I can. I know it's been forever since I've updated, but life has been pretty hectic the last little while, and it hasn't left much time or energy for writing. But I hammered most of this out in a couple of hours, mostly on my phone of all things, and I'm going to try as hard as I can to have the next one up as soon as possible. And for those of you who read my other stories, Kiss Kiss, Love Love is also in the process of being updated, as well as Nocturnal, and I started an original piece. It's only a chapter so far, but I feel pretty excited about it, and I might post little snippets of it up on my tumblr if any of you would be interested in something like that. Let me know, and I'll talk to you guys later. And I know that this chapter is pretty random, but with all of the shit going on in my personal life, I needed a little break from the potential angst-fest this story could have turned into. Their will be some heavier stuff in the next couple chapters, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it tonight. I hope you enjoy, and I'll talk to you later.**

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1:15 PM

When the camera turns on again, the camera is at an upward angle. All that can be seen is Rachel's face against a backdrop of red material from the outdoor umbrella used to block the heat and light on the little patio area of the cafe. The background is full of sounds of the city: the afternoon traffic, people talking and some using their computers, and the clinking sounds of silver wear on ceramic plates.

Rachel's face is makeup free, which she isn't as concerned about as she once would have been. Pre-baby she refused to leave the house without at least some concealer to smooth out her face. Post-baby, however, she's just glad she had the time to get a shower before she left. Her hair was put up in a bun, and she was wearing a knitted cap that Brittany had given to her for Christmas last year to cover up the fact that she didn't dry it before she left the house. There were also large bags under her eyes, but she was too tired to care.

"Hi, Alice," her voice rings out above the typical hustle and bustle of a cafe around lunch time in the city. It's one of her favorite places to go when she needs time to herself. "It's one in the afternoon on May twenty-ninth. You are now a whopping six days old, and you're growing like crazy. I've also never seen as much dirty laundry in my entire life. I really don't understand how someone so small can produce a mountain of dirty clothes." A small laugh escapes her throat, and to calm herself down she takes a long pull from her glass of iced tea.

"But that isn't the important thing. The important thing is that this is your very first trip into the world outside of the apartment. See?" She picks up the camera and moves it around. The auto focus kicks in, and the other customers at the cafe can be seen, eating their lunches and talking with the people they're sitting with. A friendly waitress notices the camera being pointed in her direction and gives a big smile and small wave. Rachel's laughter can be heard off screen.

Then the camera quickly rotates and the car seat comes into view. The baby can barely be seen. She's stilled strapped into the seat, a large fluffy lavender blanket is wrapped tightly around her, and her head is covered with a white cap that is too big for her head. A little cartoon teddy bear is located towards the top. The only part of Alice that can be seen is her face. The red marks are beginning to fade, but are still noticeable, and her lips are making a sucking motion while she sleeps.

"Now technically you've left the apartment already. You had your very first doctor's appointment a couple days ago, but since the majority of the time you were inside - either a car or a building - I really don't think that counts." The camera turns, and Rachel lets it go, letting it hang from the strap, and it moves back to the sharp upward angle.

"The reason why we're on this adventure is because your mom needed a break. For the last six days she's been pretty much nothing but a milk factory. She loves you, sweetie, and we are both so glad that we decided to have you, but she needs a break. I know that if you decide to have a baby when you're thirty you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. So she left you all alone with me for the first time since you've been born, and she's having lunch with your Aunt Brittany, and some of her friends from work."

She takes another small pull of her iced tea, and a somewhat small bite of her lunch; a wrap consisting of sundries tomatoes, avocado, and broccoli sprouts. Since Alice was born she had barely any time to eat, and when she did manage to finds a few precious moments that weren't spent sleeping, or sitting with Quinn and rubbing her back while she used the breast pump, or showering, all she managed to get down was a protein shake, and popcorn because she was too exhausted to actually make anything. Luckily her parents, and Quinn's mom was still in town, and since they weren't as exhausted as the two new moms, they were able to run to the market yesterday and pick up some fresh fruit and healthy finger foods for Rachel and Quinn to munch on when they weren't too tired to eat.

When she finishes chewing and swallowing, she turns looks back to the camera, a little bit of hummus stuck to the corner of her mouth. "I used to really love just walking around the city. I'm from a really, really small town in Ohio. I'm sure when you're a little older we'll take a trip there so you can visit your grandparents. Walking there just wasn't the same. Everything so was spread out that it took forever to get anywhere worthwhile. And there was nothing to really look at since it was mostly farmland. But walking in New York is so amazing. As soon as you step outside you just feel this energy, and it's invigorating, and sometimes a little overwhelming, like it's going to suck you in, and never let you go." She takes another sip of her drink, and a big smile pulls at her lips.

"But walking around this city with you has completely changed my perspective. I used to think that people who moved out of the city to smaller suburban areas to have kids were crazy; like they were giving up on life, and wanted a quiet place to do in private, where they could hang their heads in shame, and pretend to be happy, when really they were dying inside, probably addicted to prescription pills, or alcohol just so they could get through their day. I thought that all they do is work, and take care of their kids, and never leave to do anything fun, or interesting just to experience something new and learn something they didn't know before – wow, that makes me sound like a total ass. Anyway, who would willingly move out of this mecca of culture, and art, and amazing food, and where everyday can be a completely different adventure?

"But now that we have you, I realize that they're not crazy. This city is really a death trap in disguise, and not just the city, but the whole world in general." Someone within earshot laughs, and Rachel can't help but look over and smile at them. It only lasts a few seconds before she looks back into the camera lens. "But I'm only going to talk about the things that I've seen today otherwise this video will never end. First of all, there's the sun. The sun is a bright star that is one of the things that makes life possible, but it also beams down these rays that will give you cancer if you're exposed for them for too long, which is why you're wrapped up like an Eskimo on a pleasant May afternoon." There's another laugh, but this time Rachel ignores it.

"There's also an overwhelming amount of smells, and pollution from all of the cars, and street venders, and the humidity makes everything smell wet and strange. Now I'm not a doctor, and I've never played one on stage but all of that gunk in the air cannot be good for your developing lungs. I'm going to have to convince your mother to buy some filters for your nursery, or every room in the apartment, so your little body will at least have a chance of growing strong and healthy." She pauses to take another bite of her wrap, and her eyes close as a look of pure pleasure passes over her face. A little moan reverberates in the back of her throat as she swallows, and licks her lips to try and clean up anything that may have been left.

"But the worst part about this city, the part that makes me want to hold you against my chest, and scream at everyone who comes within three feet of you until they go away, are all of the people. I've always considered myself a people person. I love being around my friends and family, and I love sitting in a busy place like this and just people watching, and right now everyone is fine. But walking down the sidewalk with you in the stroller almost gave me an anxiety attack. We were stopped six times, I'm not exaggerating, it was six freaking times, by people who wanted to get a closer look at you, and they put their germ infested faces right next to yours to talk to you, and I wanted to pull them back by their hair.

"What was even worse than that, sweetie, were the people with dogs, especially small dogs. I love animals, and your mom and I used to have a small little mix breed we got from a shelter, but he was old, and we only had him for four years before he passed away. So I get that people want their animals to feel free in a city that is so crowded, but letting your dog drag the retractable leash until it's putting its face up to your stroller is taking it too far. I almost had a diva moment when this little Shih Tzu tried to jump in the stroller with you."

She takes the last bite of her wrap, and wipes her mouth with her napkin. She places that and the fork down on the plate and sits back in the chair. She lets out a deep breath as she takes a look around the small patio area. After a minute or two of simply observing, she inhales a deep, relaxing breath through her nose, and holds it for a few seconds before slowly releasing it.

Despite how tired she is, she also looks at ease. That only intensifies when she looks over at the car seat on the table in front of her. An easy smile appears on her face, and for a moment she seems to be completely enraptured by the sight of the tiny baby, wrapped securely in a blanket, and sleeping soundly despite the loud atmosphere. Her honey colored eyes seem to shine the longer she stares at the tiny sleeping creature; a person who she is starting to believe is biologically hers even though she refuses to get a DNA test done.

"But, all of that aside, we're not moving out of this city," she says as she looks back into the camera. "We're not moving to some boring little suburb that may be quieter, and safer, and have better statistics when it comes to standardized testing in public schools because I love this city. This place has a life of its own, and you can feel it. As soon as you walk out the door you can feel its heart beating, and when you walk down the street there are so many different types of people from all walks of life. Who are you going to meet in a suburb? I'm from a suburb and they're filled mostly with uptight, white, heterosexual couples. There's nothing wrong with those particular people, but I want you to meet people from all different backgrounds.

"I want to walk you to school every morning, and give you some pocket change to place in the tin can of a homeless man or woman who's had it worse than you. I want you to meet the upper West side kids who have no idea what kind of real pain and heartache is out there because maybe you'll be able to enlighten them. I want you to see people who are statues for a living, or musicians playing on the street corner, or struggling actors praying for a break and running lines on the subway. And hopefully you won't point out who your famous mother is because that will only make them more nervous, and torturing someone like that isn't nice, sweetie.

"But I also want you to grow up around all of this culture, and art, and amazing things. I want to take you to Chinatown for dinner so you can be around people who don't speak English in their everyday life. I want you to try new and different and sometimes really weird food because food is such an important part of culture, sweetie, and I never knew that until I moved here. I don't want you growing up sheltered in this little bubble of upper middle class ignorance and pseudo bliss. I had that, baby, and I love my dads almost as much as I love you and your mother, but I do feel like I missed out on so much because they raised me in a tiny town full of ignorant people who just couldn't understand me." She stops and takes a breath, wondering when her heart started beating so quickly behind her ribs.

She looks away from the camera, her eyes wandering back to the sleeping baby on the table. Immediately her lips pull in that easy, infectious smile that she seems to get whenever she looks at Alice when she isn't screaming her head off. She doesn't realize she does that every time she looks at her girl, but even if she did she wouldn't care. This little girl has completely changed her life, and even though it's hard, and stressful, and the baby only views her and Quinn as a source of milk and comfort, and isn't old enough to give any sort of feedback whatsoever, and Santana says she's more like a demanding robot than a baby, Rachel wouldn't change any of it for a second.

"You are being such a good baby right now," she says with a quiet laugh and a big smile. "I'm really surprised. I thought that as soon as we left the house, and you were surrounded by all of the noise you would wake up, and start screaming your little head off. But you've slept through everything, even Momma yelling at that lady to teach her dog some manners. We're going to have to do this more often, baby girl. I'm just going to have to remember to get a travel sized bottle of Purell in case those nasty doggies do manage to get to you." She picks up the camera and turns it again until Alice comes into view. She isn't making the suckling motion anymore, but she's still asleep, and very much dead to the rest of the world.

A gentle breeze passes through, and it ruffles the blanket, and the cap that were so carefully placed on Alice's head. The sound of Rachel sucking in a tense breath can be heard off camera. This is the first time Alice has experience wind, and she just prays it doesn't wake her up. She's pulled away from her thoughts, however, when a chiming noise interrupts the moment. The camera wobbles and struggles to autofocus when Rachel has to hold it with one hand in order to dig through her purse. It takes a long moment for her to find her phone, but once she does the camera steadies, and focuses on Alice's sleeping form. A couple in the background notice the camera pointing in their direction; the woman blushes and holds her hand up in front of her face to avoid being filmed, but her husband simply smiles, and tilts his head upwards for a second in acknowledgement before going back to his lunch.

"I wonder what your Auntie 'Tana wants. She's normally busy working really hard in the afternoon, especially on Fridays so she can leave early," she says as she opens the text messages. A little gasp can be heard, followed closely by an annoyed huff. There's more wobbling, and a few seconds of the camera being out of focus while Rachel puts her phone back. As soon as it's safely tucked away in her purse, the camera swings around until it's pointed at Rachel's face again. She holds onto the camera this time so the angle is a little higher. Her entire demeanor has changed from what it was just seconds before. Her shoulders are tense, her face tight, her lips pursed as she tries as hard as she can to hold in her irritation and rage.

"Apparently you're making your worldwide debut a lot sooner than your mom and I wanted, sweetie," she says and begins looking around the crowded area, eyes pulled tight in a glare, and her gaze focused intensely as she tries to pick something in particular out of the organized chaos. "Your Auntie 'Tana just texted to inform me that someone has been taking pictures of you, and sent them in to some gossip rag. How they sold them so freaking quickly, I'll never know. I don't get it, I haven't even won a Tony or made my television or film debut, why would people care so much?" She lets out a big sigh, and scratches her forehead. She's furrowing her eyebrows, which cause a couple of wrinkles to form, but she doesn't have the energy to care at that moment.

"Well, it was good while it lasted, baby. I think we're going to have to start eating inside or find a more celebrity friendly place to eat because this was more relaxing than I expected it to be, and I think going out once a week to a nice place to eat could turn into a tradition for us. Some Momma-daughter bonding time," she says, and flags down a waitress. The one across the patio holds up a finger in the "one minute" sign, and Rachel just lets out a sigh, her face scrunching up with a confused look. "I get that I'm a pretty big deal in the theatre community, but why would a gossip website care that we're enjoying a nice Spring day outside?

"Maybe being with your mom has taught me too much humility, and I'm a bigger deal than I think I am? I never thought I would ever think that way, but it's possible. If former Celibacy Club President, and captain of the Cheerios Quinn Fabray can marry me and have my baby then anything is possible. Well, I better get you home before it gets worse. I love you, Alice, and I'm sorry if the attention from random strangers stresses you out when you're older. I promise we're trying to keep them at bay, sweetie, I swear it." When the waitress finally walks towards her with a smile and her ticket pad out, Rachel finally hits the power button and the screen cuts to black.


End file.
