Take it or Leave it (A Glee Quinn Fabray Story)

Lord Tubbington and Love Songs

"Isn't that strange! You and Frannie are due around the same time!" My mother exclaims as she rinses off the last of the plates. "Shhh! Dad isn't deaf!" I hiss, checking over my shoulder to see if my dad is still in the other room. "Oh, he won't come in here! He's trying to sell a car online." I roll my eyes and shift in my seat. "It is kinda weird that we're both pregnant with girls, that are due the same month nonetheless." I murmur. I glance over at the stove clock, and I'm shocked to see that it's already 10pm. "I'm gonna go up to bed, Mom. See you in the morning." She turns and kisses my cheek. "Goodnight, love. Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite." I smile at the rhyme that she used to say every night before putting me to bed when I was little. I climb the stairs, dragging my feet, and close my bedroom door. I unzip my dress and slide it off, then slip into a pair of loose sweatpants and a T-shirt from the last concert I went to. My body is drooping from exhaustion, so I clamber into bed and instantly curl myself into the fetal position under the white duvet. I lightly ponder the fate of my family, from Frannie's baby to mine, how my father will react to my news and my mother knowing about it. Thoughts are zipping around my brain at the speed of light, but it's such a blur that I give up and try to block it out. After a few minutes, I manage to leave the worries behind and I immediately fall into a deep sleep.

-

You're a disgrace! How could you do this to our family? You've destroyed our honour. You are no longer a Fabray and you are no longer permitted in this house! My dad's voice booms through my dream, turning it into a nightmare, and I bolt up into a sitting position. I'm breathing heavily and my forehead is clammy with cold sweat. It's just a dream, Quinn. He doesn't know and hopefully he never finds out. One half of my mind reassures me. Are you a dingus? Of course he'll find out! He may need glasses, but he's not that blind, he'll see your stomach grow, and he probably reads his bills. What he gonna think about 600 dollars just vanishing? The other fraction of my brain just confirms my worst nightmares. Hopefully, it never comes to me being disowned, but it's kind of a given that it's not going to end well. The clock says that it's 4:30am, a little too early to get out of bed, so I roll over and attempt to drown the bad thoughts with good ones. Santana and I at the pool last year, cheerleading camp, sleeping over at Santana's and playing with her brand-new puppy, Stanley, the whole night, when Brittany smuggled her cat, Lord Tubbington, to school and brought it to every class. Reliving my favourite memories eases my worries a little, but they're still nagging the back of my mind. I toss and turn for a while, finally slipping into a light sleep around an hour later.

-

"Good morning, Quinn!" Brittany chirps as I join her and Santana walking down the hall. "Hey, Britt. How are you?" I politely ask, having absolutely no clue how she's going to answer. "Well, my parents found the bird I was keeping in my closet, and they made me release him. And my little sister,  got a pet snail and she named it Gary. I'm worried for it, because Lord Tubbington really likes eating snails." She answers, completely serious, as I try not to giggle. A small one escapes my attempts, earning a death glare from Santana. "Why is she laughing, San?" Britt whispers worriedly into Santana's ear. The Latina glances up at me, eyes boring into my soul, and rubs circles on the blonde's back. "She probably just thought about something funny, B. She's not laughing at you." Santana reassures the other girl. "I'm sorry, Brittany, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at a thing in my head, just like Santana said." I apologize, and reach to touch her arm. She instantly forgives me, her confused eyes melting into warm pools of blue. "It's fine, Q!" She replied perkily, and I could see her hand sneak from behind her back to her side, where it nudged Santana's. Their pinkies instantly interlocked, neither girl even acknowledging the movement. "Well, I've got to get to class. Are we still meeting at the mall after glee?"I asked, trying to distract my brain from noticing their acts of intimacy. "Definitely." The other cheerleaders say in unison and nod. They walk away from me, fingers still attached, and I breathe a sigh. I head to my locker, just a few steps away, but I barely have it open when Puck comes up beside me and puts his hand on my back. "Hey Fabray." He says flirtatiously, and I turn to face him, murderous glint in my eye. "What do you want, Puckerman?" My tone is threatening, which he obviously doesn't expect because he takes a step back. "Just trying to be friendly, Q. Sounds like you're gonna need friends, in the current situation that you're in." He's smirking, and my hand is twitching by my side, desperately wanting to slap that smug look off his face. "And what situation is that, Mr. Puckerman?" I avoid eye contact, looking over his shoulder instead. "Well, from what I've heard, you've got some trouble with a," He clears his throat, and winks. "Unplanned surprise, so to speak." I glance around the almost empty hallway, and slam him against the lockers on the other side of the hall. "Who the hell told you?" I have him pinned up against the wall by his shoulders, and he isn't even bothering to hide his shock. "Uh, Finn?" He answers meekly, and I let go of him, muttering curses under my breath. "But, I know something he doesn't" Puck smooths his shirt and grins evilly at me. "What do you mean?" I ask, pretty sure my face is already turning crimson. "I think you know exactly what I mean, Miss Fabray." He replies, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. I grab hold of his wrist and drag him behind me to the courtyard as he laughs. "Little embarrassed, now aren't we, Quinn?" I can't see his face, but the image of his smirk is burned into my brain. Once we get outside, I push him into a table and sit down across from him. "Noah, this is Finn's baby." I speak firmly, sounding like an adult chastising a child. "Oh, on the contrary, Miss Fabray. I know that you never had sex with Mr Hudson, and you told me you were a virgin." I shift in my seat, suddenly on defense, as he cocks his eyebrow. "Are you saying that you lied to me? Or that you did it with my boy?" He continues to press, and I can feel my will bending. "I was drunk, Puck, I don't even remember what I said. I'm with Finn, though. Nothing you say is going to change that." He chuckled a little and shook his head. "Does Finn really believe that it's his kid? Is he really that dumb?" Puck's look changes quickly, and he stares into my eyes. "We could do it together, Quinn. I meant what I said that night." I look down at the table and pick at my nail. That's one of the only things I remember from that night. I love you, Quinn. I love you and I would give the world for you to love me back. He had whispered it when he thought I was asleep.  I can feel my cheeks heating up again. "If you decide to keep the baby, tell Finn. Tell him the truth and he'll probably be relieved. I'll do it with you, a kid really needs their dad, I would know." He sounds desperate, which isn't like Puck. "First off, I'm happy with Finn, Puck. What he doesn't know doesn't hurt him. But if you tell him, I swear to God, I will behead you and wave it around on a stick." My hands are shaking under the table, so I clasp them together, in an attempt to stop it. "Little harsh, but I won't tell him. I respect you." He assures me, but it sounds fake. I rise to my feet, and stare down at him. "If you do, even by accident, I'll send your girlfriend after you." I threaten, sounding a little more convincing than last time. "Haha, very funny. We aren't even dating anymore." Puck laughs a little and stands up. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans and spins. "See you later, Miss Fabray. Or should I say Fabrays." He sings, strutting towards the doors on the other side. "Not a word, Noah!" I shout after him, as the bell rings. He raises his arm as he passes through the doorframe. People begin flooding into the paved area, but I feel desperately alone. I stand by the same table for about 10 minutes, tears gathering in the corners of my eyes, threatening to spill down my cheeks.