"You're not even my real mom." The teenager lashed out angrily. "You're only children are Athena and Teddy. You don't have the right to tell me what to do." Hazel eyes flashed furiously as she pulled her arm out of the brunette's grip.

She ran from the room, and missed the hurt look that crossed her mother's face. Never before had her daughter thrown in her face that they did not share any biological ties. A door slammed from upstairs.

Her knees shook and eventually she sunk to the floor in a hysterical heap. Since the day the girl was born, she was her mother. She cared for, bathed, fed, and most of all loved that girl. Maybe the distance had always been there, maybe she failed. The mother had never felt that sort of distance in her own relationship with her fathers. Her African-American father was obviously not her biological parent, but that had never stopped her from viewing him as a parental figure. He was and always would be her Daddy.

Two hours later she still had yet to move from her position on the floor. Her tears had dried upon her cheeks and her nose was runny. She stared unseeing at the wall before her. Her thoughts had ceased and for perhaps the second time in her entire life her mind was silent. It was difficult to process anything after those malicious words were spewed.

Avery was angry as of late, and often her ire was aimed directly at her mother. Rachel wondered what happened to the little girl that followed her around backstage and proclaimed to everyone how amazing her mom was.

"Mommy?" She heard. "There's something wrong with mama. She hasn't moved from the floor. I called her name lots of times, but she hasn't said anything." There were a few silences and some yes' and no's. "I'll see you when you get home mommy."

Rachel could only blink. Her mind fractured the moment her daughter told her she wasn't actually her mother. Nothing had ever hurt her worse than hearing those words yelled at her. Not all the jeering and teasing she experienced in high school were equivalent to her daughter's words spoken in the heat of the moment.

Some more time had passed and her ears caught the faint click of the front door. Yet, still she sat there. More tears had fallen, but she did nothing to wipe them away. They were evidence that this moment happened. The moment she dreaded from the day her daughter was born.

It never seemed like a problem before. Avery hadn't even been upset when they told her everything, or when they had another baby.

"Baby?" Her wife called out. Rachel wanted to say something, but her mouth failed her. For someone whose words came so easily to her, in this moment there were none to express what she felt. Quinn rushed to her wife's side. "Rach, sweetheart are you okay?

Melancholic brown eyes blinked owlishly at her. That was all she could do. "Come on honey, let me get you to the couch."

It was a bit of a struggle as Quinn had to do the heavy work. Rachel was useless. She had no control over any of her body functions. She wasn't sure if her legs worked or not. Quinn scooped her up into her arms with ease and carried her to the couch.

Soft padding of tiny feet reached their ears. Teddy and Athena appeared in the living room. Teddy was the youngest of the bunch. She was three years old. Teddy was short for Theodora. Her full name was Theodora Caroline Fabray. While her sister Athena heavily resembled Rachel, Teddy was a nice mixture of her biological father and her mother.

Her hair was several shades lighter than Athena's and Rachel's. Her complexion was lighter as well, and her eyes were grey. However just like Athena she had Rachel's nose. She inherited her flair for the dramatic. And was just as small as her older sister and mother. Quinn thought it must've been some genetic quirk. Both of Rachel's parents were taller than her, bur the brunette remained tiny compared to most people.

She was a welcomed addition to their family, and made them a complete family unit. There were some adjustments made after she was born as Athena did not enjoy no longer being the baby. She had regressed in the aftermath of the baby being born, but slowly over the first month she realized how great it was being an older sister. She was eight years old, and her little sister practically worshipped the ground she walked on.

Avery was a different story. She was an angst ridden teenager, and a complete pain in her mothers' backsides. She caused trouble at every turn with her younger siblings. There was a lot of in house fighting between the three girls. At fifteen years old, their daughter was no longer a little girl anymore. She was the source of much strife in their household.

"Hi mommy," Athena greeted with a hesitant smile. Her eyes were on her mama. Rachel had not reacted to anything in her surroundings, and it worried the young girl. "Is she okay?"

Quinn frowned thoughtfully before giving her daughter a false smile. She didn't want her to worry. "Mama is just fine. When was the last time you heard her talk?" Quinn had literally just gotten back into town earlier that morning. She had errands to run in the city before she could finally relax at home with her girls after two months of filming in New Zealand.

Athena tapped her chin as she thought back to earlier events of the day. "Mama picked us up from school early." Quinn narrowed her eyes in confusion. As far as she was aware, the girls did not have any appointments. "Avery got busted for skipping school. It was the second time this week. The school called mama when a teacher caught her walking out." The brunette was enjoying regaling her mother with her sister's misdeeds. "She picked her up from school, and then picked me up too. She didn't want to have to drive back out there again especially since she was going to be punishing Avery."

"Then her and Avery gave each other lots of angry looks in the car. And Avery kept talking under her breath and mama was getting really mad. Then when we got home, mama made Teddy and I go upstairs. There was a lot of yelling, and Avery said something about how mama wasn't really her mom." Her lip trembled slightly. "Does that mean you aren't actually my mom? Avery says you are only family if you come out of the same stomach or have the same dad." Her eyes were watery with unshed tears.

Quinn hated that her baby girl was thinking like this. She held the girl's hands in her own and knelt in front of her daughter so that they were eye to eye. She needed to be clear and direct with her words so that there would be no misunderstanding. "Pops and grandpa were mama's daddies. Grandpa is obviously the dad that is related biologically to her, but family isn't only people that share your DNA. Your Auntie Santana and Auntie Britt are my sisters, but we don't share a mommy or a daddy. Uncle Kurt is mama's brother. Like we always tell you and your sisters, love is what makes a family. Mama and I love you more than anything in the world. We would do anything for the three of you."

"While you did not grow under my heart, you grew in it. Do you understand?" Hazel eyes were bright and full of patience, and most of all love. Quinn didn't want there to be anything left unclear about the definition of family.

Athena nodded her head as her head swirled with thoughts of what family was. "Yes mommy, I love you." Quinn opened her arms for her girl and sighed in contentment when her baby wrapped her arms tightly around her neck. The blonde kissed her head and murmured that she loved her daughter.

"Now take Teddy," she tickled the toddler's belly. "And go upstairs. Mama and I will deal with your sister." She chuckled as her youngest fell into step behind her sister and mimicked the older girl's strut.

It sucked because Christmas was a few days away. She didn't want to deal with her daughter's bad behavior, but it obviously needed to be addressed. Clearly, the girl wasn't above hurting her mother. What was worse is that her words had a visceral effect on her wife. It was a worry of Rachel's that Avery would treat her like an outsider one day.

"Rach, I'm gong to talk to Avery. You just sit here and I'll be back. It wasn't true what she said either. You are her mother in all of the important ways. She's a teenager, and unfortunately they do not think before they react. They are guided by their hormones and angst." She pressed a kiss to her wife's head and still nothing. It only fueled her ire directed at her daughter.

Quinn wanted to scream at her daughter. None of her words had an effect on the fifteen year old. She refused to apologize for being right. "Now kindly get out of my room."

"You're grounded for a month. I want your phone, laptop, iPod, I'll be back for the TV, and this door will be coming off." Avery's mouth fell open. "I'm tired of the way you've treated your mother these last few months."

The younger blonde's scowl deepened. "She's not my real mother. She adopted me. She took me away from my father. If she wasn't in the picture, he would be here. He told me so."

Quinn wanted to strangle the child. But then her daughter's words hit her, and her face drained of color. "You've talked to your father? Since when?"

Avery's body shifted almost imperceptibly. Her eyes dropped to the floor, and her head lowered slightly. "It doesn't matter." She gritted through her teeth.

"Young lady, I think you are in enough trouble. Drop the attitude now. I'm sick of this behavior Avery. Now answer my question." Her eyebrow raised.

The teenager raised her head and stared her mother down defiantly. She wasn't going to answer anything. Quinn did not appreciate being trifled with. She grabbed her daughter's arm and dragged her over to her bed. She pulled back the blankets. "Get in." Avery had never heard that tone before and complied with her mother's orders. Fear had taken residence in her head.

"Since you want to act like a child, I will treat you like one. I want you to take a nap. You are not to leave your room for any reason unless the house is on fire. Don't get any ideas either." She warned. "I want you to think about how words can hurt especially the people you love. You may think they don't, but you can tell that to your mother who I found sitting on the family room floor with dried tears on her cheeks. She hasn't spoken a single word."

Avery had the decency to at least look contrite about what she said. She never meant for it to get as far as it did.

Quinn collected all of the girl's electronic items and paused at the door before leaving. "Next time you want to throw Noah in our faces, why don't you get your facts straight. Ask him how you came to be, and how he was going to let someone else continue to believe you were his daughter. Then think about the only other person who has been there since the day you were born. I've never been more disappointed in you." Her eyes turned solemn and she left her daughter with those parting words.

She locked her daughter's belongings away. Then she went to take care of her wife. She truly meant what she said to her daughter. Rachel was curled up in a ball, not saying anything. Sometimes when things became too much for her wife, she retreated to the recesses of her mind.

Most people didn't know that her wife battled with depression. Rachel started taking anti-depressants in seventh grade. She spent much of high school on them, and it gutted Quinn to think that she was responsible for much of how Rachel felt. She still regularly attended therapy just to have someone objective listen and talk her through things.

Her face softened and she took her wife into her arms. Big, gasping sobs sounded from her wife, and she tightened her arms around Rachel. She felt the tears on her shirt and she couldn't help but curse her daughter for her cruelty. If there was anything Rachel cared about more than Broadway it was her family.

"Shh… baby please don't cry. She's just trying to figure out who she is right now. She's like every other teenager that ever existed." She pressed tiny kisses to the crown of the brunette's head as she gently rocked her in her arms in her attempt to comfort.

Athena hated hearing her mama cry. It was all her stupid sister's fault too. She balled up her fists and entered her sister's room without permission. Normally she would ask, but today her sister crossed a line. Avery sat up quickly in her bed and scoffed at the sight of her younger sister. "You're a real jerk Avery. Mommy always said the one thing we weren't supposed to do was make mama cry." Before Avery knew it, her sister socked her in the face.

"You little runt," she screeched as she clutched her nose, whilst trying to make a grab for her sister. "I'm going to kill you."

Athena stuck out her tongue and ran quickly to hide from her sister's wrath.

Quinn promised her wife she would be back once she checked on their little monsters. The sight she found upstairs was a surprising one. Her daughter clutched her nose, which appeared to be broken. The blonde mother rubbed her face tiredly once she realized that this day was about to get even longer.

"Athena Charlotte Fabray, get in here right this instant." She knew well enough who the culprit was. Athena edged her way into the room with lowered eyes. Her face was one of innocence.

Quinn saw through her immediately. "Did you punch your sister?" She asked her eight year old.

The girl lifted her head defiantly. "Yes, I did." She answered proudly.

Quinn hid her smile at her daughter's words. "Why?" She already knew the answer.

"Because when you went away to make your movie, you told us to make sure mama was never sad. You said to make it easy on her. But Avery made her cry." Her daughters were quite protective of their mother. "She and mama were always fighting because Avery was bad. Mama said not to say anything to you when we talked on the phone. She said Avery was going through a phase." She shot a murderous glare at her sister.

Quinn snapped her fingers at the little girl. "Stop! None of that justifies you hitting your sister."

The girl crossed her arms angrily with a scowl. "I at least was doing something. You only put her in timeout. She deserves worse." She grumbled.

The mother knew that she would never get her daughter to see the error of her ways. Clearly a lot more had taken place in the house than she was aware of. "Go help Teddy put her shoes on and put yours on as well. Make sure you are bundled up. We have to go to the hospital to get your sister's nose checked out."

Athena pouted and stomped out of the room. She knew not to put up a fight because her mommy was already in a mood. That of course did not stop her from making a dramatic exit. She was her mama's daughter after all.

Quinn rolled her eyes and grabbed a tissue for her daughter's bloody nose. It wasn't the first time she dealt with a broken nose. At least she wouldn't have to worry about Avery wanting a nose job. "Here, hold this to your nose. Make sure you don't tilt your head too far back." She then grabbed her daughter around the shoulders and guided her down the stairs.

Rachel glanced warily at the two of them, but made no move to go over to their daughter. She stayed where she was. Quinn didn't blame her wife. She had no idea how she would feel if Athena or Teddy told her one day that she wasn't really their mother.

Athena and Teddy trampled down the stairs, both wrapped up in their winter attire. Teddy beamed jovially at her mommy. "Mommy?" She held her arms out for her mother to pick her up. Quinn complied and pretended to have a difficult time lifting her into her arms. Teddy giggled. "Silly mommy. I not big." Quinn blew a raspberry on her cheek.

"I know baby girl. Ready to go to the hospital?" At this, Rachel's eyes widened.

Teddy crinkled her little eyes. "Why go to da hospal?"

"Athena broke Avery's nose."

"Ave got a boo boo? I make it better with a kiss." She leaned over in Quinn's arms, and the mother had to hold her around the waist to keep her from falling over.

Athena crossed her arms and threw in an eye roll for added measure. "You two," the blonde snapped at her eldest children, "Go to the car. No fighting or you both will regret it. I will not hesitate to take back all of your Christmas presents." Both of them stormed out of the house. It honestly amazed Quinn how all three of her daughters seemed to inherit many of her wife's quirks.

"Rach? Honey?" Her wife turned her head with dull, lifeless eyes staring back at her. "I have to take Aves to the emergency room. Our little eight year old has an amazing right hook. It is probably broken. I'll keep you updated, okay?" She assumed it was a yes as her wife never verbally responded.

Her children were quiet the entire drive over. Even Teddy was more subdued than normal, sensing that no one was in the mood to have conversation. She stared out of the window.

Three hours later, they called Avery back for an x-ray. Quinn waited patiently with Athena and Teddy. Although, Teddy laid across a chair and a half with her head in her mother's lap. Her pigtails were everywhere. Athena read a book beside her.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Mama's birthday is in two days. Grandma was supposed to take us shopping a few days ago, but then she caught the flu. Nana won't be here in time. She was visiting Auntie Frannie. I don't want her to be sad on her birthday. Hanukkah isn't going that well. Avery always stays out so she's never home for the lighting. It makes mama sad."

Shit. Quinn had forgotten that it was Hanukkah. It wasn't often that both her wife's birthday and the Jewish Festival of Lights coincided. Rachel was typically more jovial in the years that they did. Rachel usually only gave their children small gifts like gift cards or dreidels, sometimes kosher chocolate. It was never anything lavish as they saved that for Christmas.

"I'll take you guys tomorrow to buy something for her. I don't like to see her sad either." She squeezed her daughter's hand.

"Avery Fabray?" A nurse called out. Quinn gathered Teddy in her arms, and held tightly to Athena's hand as they walked over. "I'll take you to her." They followed her to a room where Avery sat on an examination table. Her nose was badly bruised, but the bleeding finally stopped. "The doctor will be back in a bit to talk to you."

The mother thanked her with a smile and took a seat in a chair. "I remember having to go with someone to the doctor once before because they had a broken nose as well." Athena and Avery's interests were piqued with that information.

"Who was it mommy?"

"It was mama. We were rehearsing for Nationals our junior year. Finn was never the best dancer, and he swung his arm back and hit mama right in the face, knocking her to the ground." Both of her daughters growled. "It turned out her nose was broken. She then considered getting a nose job. Some friends of ours managed to talk her out of it fortunately."

"Why wasn't he paying attention? Wasn't he that giant freak, Aunt Santana is always talking about?" Avery asked with a scowl.

Quinn hummed in reply. It still made her blood boil to think about that day. She had never wanted to pummel Finn's face more and break his nose. "Yes, I don't know why he didn't stand in the back. She looked awful for days until the bruising went away. He's lucky that it healed by prom. I wasn't going to have her refuse to go because of his stupidity. He wasn't a bad guy, just a bit careless." She did not like speaking ill of the deceased. It left a bitter taste on her tongue.

"Did she cry?" Avery asked, her curiosity overriding her anger at her parents.

Quinn's lips thinned considerably. "Yes, several tears were shed. She wouldn't stop crying the entire car ride. It was actually rather funny how dramatic she was being about the entire situation. It reminds me of how the three of you act."

Both Avery and Athena clutched their hands to their chests and looked very much offended by their mother's words. "I have never been dramatic in my entire life."

"I don't know what you are talking about." They told her, and the blonde shook her head and let her daughters keep on believing that they didn't know what she was referring to. She lived in a house full of drama queens. They could be more melodramatic than Kurt in regards to fashion.

The doctor came in and showed them the x-ray. "It's a clean break. Luckily, she won't need any medical intervention. I recommend icing it to keep the swelling down. I'll write her a prescription for some pain meds. It will be tender for a couple of days. The bruising will also go away after a week or so. If you have any difficulty breathing or there's any discharge from your nose, please return." He gave them a prescription.

Within fifteen minutes they were leaving the hospital. Quinn adjusted Teddy a few times as the family made their way to Rachel's SUV. Quinn was gone for longer periods of the year, and rarely had the chance to drive her entire family around. Rachel was more in tune with their schedules, and was almost always home unless she had to go on location for a film. Normally that only happened during the summer, in which case the kids went with her.

They waited impatiently at the pharmacy. There were several groans and complaints issued by her daughters. Teddy sleepily clung to her mother's leg, and whined every time her mother refused to pick her up. Quinn knew the girl wouldn't go to sleep if she allowed her to nap any longer.

It was a little after nine when they finally made their way through the front door. Rachel was nowhere in sight, and Quinn suspected her wife had crawled into bed with the covers thrown over her head. It was something she always did when she wanted to avoid confrontation. There were certainly enough times throughout their relationship where it drove Quinn nuts.

She picked up McDonald's for the girls and made each of her daughters promise not to tell their mother. Rachel hated the fast food industry. She claimed that they lacked morals and that they were created through corporate greed. She said there was a reason why America was one of the most obese countries in the world. The blonde rolled her eyes, but appeased her wife by pretending to agree with her. She didn't because she still loved French fries and a Quarter Pounder with cheese from McDonald's. It was her guilty pleasure.

"All of you get ready for bed. I don't want to hear any protests. It's been a long day, and tomorrow we have things to do."

Quinn wanted her wife's birthday to be special. Last year, they didn't have an opportunity to celebrate because all three of their children contracted the flu, which they then passed onto Rachel. She spent her entire birthday laid up in bed with a stuffy nose and a fever of over a hundred degrees.

She didn't want her wife's birthday to be as miserable as her last one. While she knew the chances of Avery and Rachel reconciling before then were unlikely, she kept her fingers crossed. It was up to her daughter to apologize to her mother for the hurtful and spiteful things she had said. No one could force the girl to do anything.

The blonde learned over the years that it was better not to tell children not to do something. Children like anyone disliked being backed into a corner, and they almost always did the opposite of what they were supposed to. It was human nature.

~~~~~JaSW~~~~~JaSW~~~~~JaSW~~~~~JaSW~~~~~

A week had passed in the Fabray household, and tensions were still high. Every member treaded carefully. Avery and Athena barely exchanged more than five words, while Rachel was silent to everyone.

She moped around the house, or she went out with Kurt. The man took it upon himself to help her find the Christmas spirit again. She was the most excitable person in their family, and if she wasn't feeling it then no one in the family of five was.

Avery stayed in her room. Athena spent a lot of time visiting with her friends doing whatever it was eight year olds did. Quinn wasn't quite sure with these kids of the 2020s. They were a lot different compared to her generation. God, when did I start sounding like my mother? Theodora was the one who had looked forward to Christmas since the end of October, and she was more sedate than usual. It was like the family knew they were missing an integral piece, Rachel.

Her birthday passed, and while Quinn had fun, she was sure her wife didn't. Rachel excused herself early on during the party claiming to have a migraine. The blonde wasn't sure if it was true or not, but the birthday party failed. She apologized profusely to all of their friends that turned up to celebrate Rachel's 31st birthday.

None of them asked what the problem was. She was thankful for that. She didn't feel the need to provide them an explanation into her family's private affairs. It was bad enough without admitting it out loud. Never before had she experienced such an icy holiday season unless the time with Puck's family counted. His mother certainly despised her enough.

Her wife was out yet again with Kurt. She seriously wondered what the two of them were doing. Rachel was currently on vacation from her show, and her understudy was given the opportunity to step into some very big shoes.

~~~~~JaSW~~~~~JaSW~~~~~JaSW~~~~~JaSW~~~~~

"I don't know Kurt." She sighed for what seemed the millionth time that day.

Kurt was frustrated with her indecisiveness. "Come on Rachel, we've literally gone out every single day over the last week. Make up your mind already." The brunette ignored him as she considered her options once more. "I think we all know Avery didn't mean what she said. She's a teenager for god's sake. They don't know how to think before opening their mouths." While she knew he made a decent point, she couldn't help but feel hurt at her daughter's malicious words. "I'm sure you said some things to your fathers when you were her age that you didn't mean." He shot her a look.

She flushed hotly because of course she had. She had said plenty to them mostly in regards to them ruining her life especially during her childhood. Every time she was teased or bullied by the other kids, she would arrive home crying and immediately shift blame to her fathers for being gay. It wasn't that she was homophobic. She was just hyperaware of the fact that if she didn't have two dads, the kids wouldn't have verbally attacked her as often.

All she ever desired was to fit in, but in a small town like Lima, there was no room for diversity. It simply didn't exist.

"Well… yeah," she finally admitted with a slight shrug. "But I never told daddy he wasn't my dad. Even after the whole thing with my mom, I never once considered the notion that my father wasn't my father. It was his idea to start a family. He picked the name Rachel. He was involved in every aspect of my life since my dad's career was a bit more demanding. I never felt the need to distinguish between my biological and adopted parents." She tried to make it sound as coherent as possible.

Kurt pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I suppose I understand both sides. Carol is obviously not my real mother, but she's the only one I have left. At first I didn't want to let her in because I thought that it would tarnish the memory of my actual mother." He brushed away a stray tear. "Carol was kind and she never pushed. She let me come to her, and she listened to me go on several fashion rants. She never once judged me for being gay. I guess Avery is questioning who she is. Is she your daughter or is she Puck's?" They both frowned at the though. "I mean how did she react the first time she met him?"

2021

Quinn and Rachel were full of consternation for the inevitable meeting between their daughter and her biological father. They refrained from calling him a sperm donor around their daughter. Rachel's leg continued to bounce anxiously as they waited patiently for Noah to arrive. Sitting between the two mothers was Avery. They agreed to allow the girl to attend as the subject was about her, and they didn't want to keep anymore secrets. They wanted to be open and honest with their children.

Quinn was unable to fall asleep the night before. Her brain refused to shut off. This meeting would certainly affect their dealings with Puck going forth in the future. She spent the entire night thinking over what points she wanted to address with him. Her stomach shifted uneasily as she noticed him enter the coffee shop.

Her hand shot out to Rachel's. Their fingers automatically laced with one another's over their daughter's lap. Avery set hers upon her mothers in a display of unity amongst the Fabray women.

Puck took a seat across from the family and grimaced at the display of unity between them. His eyes lingered on his daughter. She was beautiful.

Avery's wild curls were tamed into a single French braid with a green ribbon tied at the end. She wore a dark green sweater and black jeans with green ankle boots. He had tried picturing her over the years, but he couldn't conjure up anything besides her baby photo. He had no idea who she would take after as she grew up. It seemed that much of her was comprised of Quinn.

"Hi Avery." He greeted her.

The girl glanced between her mothers who nodded their heads in encouragement. Puck's stomach clenched. "Hello Mr. Puckerman," she greeted her biological father formally.

"You can call me dad if you would like."

Her nose scrunched up distastefully. The act reminded him of Quinn. "I'm sorry sir, but that's a bit too comfortable and familiar for me." However, when she spoke she sounded exactly like Rachel.

"Puck, I have things I want to discuss with you." Quinn began. His palms were sweating because he didn't think this was going to go the way he wanted. All he ever desired was the woman in front him, but she rejected him time and time again. She never felt that way about him, and she told him she regretted giving him her virginity. That one hurt his heart. "First of all, I will allow you to have a correspondence with Avery. But you may only contact her on her birthday and during holidays. We've discussed this as a family unit. It could be too confusing for you to be present in her life otherwise."

"Mr. Puckerman, while I appreciate you wanting to be in my life, I have two amazing parents. I agree with my moms that it would be too confusing for you to come in now. You are a stranger to me." Her eyes were serious.

He turned his head and wiped his eyes. He didn't want them to see him crying. His own kid wanted nothing to do with him. "Did you brainwash her?" He remarked, his hazel eyes flashing angrily.

All of them gasped at the accusation. "No Puck, we didn't. She's almost twelve years old. She's old enough to decide what she wanted. We talked about this as a family last night. She will accept phone calls from you only on those days because she doesn't want you to be sad. That being said, she doesn't want you to get the wrong impression and think that she wants you as her dad."

"I'm not a baby." Rachel squeezed her leg. "I never wanted or needed a dad. My moms provided lots of love, and I have uncles and my grandpa as male role models in my life. I understand that it hurts you, but you're hurting me." She begged him to understand. "You undermined my mama's role as my parent. You willingly signed away your rights to me, and it isn't fair of you to come back now and want to be my dad."

Puck hated that she was right. From all that he could see, she had a better life. It was one he would've been unable to ever provide for her. She went to a great school, and she was raised in the Jewish faith. She had two parents and a younger sister. She didn't have to grow up like he did. He sighed as his hand rubbed his face tiredly as he considered their words.

"Noah," Rachel hated seeing him like that. They were once good friends until middle and high school separated them into the haves and the have nots. "I know it hurts for her to say that you, but think about how it must feel for you to say that I'm not her parent. Biology, a family does not make. I've loved her, her entire life." She kissed the girl's head. Avery melted into her mother's body, and for the first time he saw it.

The sight physically caused him pain. It felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. He didn't know what to say, and they sat there for some time before anyone spoke again.

"It was different then." Rachel sighed and folded her arms tightly. "She was a still a kid, and while she did understand the situation, it was still different. She's a teenager and that comes with new territory." It was killing her on the inside to be away from her family, but she needed time to decompress. She wasn't angry or as hurt anymore.

She felt hollow. It was strange to feel empty for someone who was usually a vibrant spirit. "I can sense that she wants to apologize, but then she cowers back into herself. She's terrified that I won't forgive her, but this is one of those times where I can't interfere."

Kurt gave her a surprised look. "What?" She asked defensively.

"It's just the idea of you not intervening at all is… astonishing. You don't know how not to do that." She had no retort because he was right, and she knew his exhibit A would be their days back in the Glee club.

"Whatever," she grumbled. It was then that she saw it. It was a sterling silver pendant engraved with the words "I may not have given you life. But God has given me you." There was an angel wings charm attached. It was the perfect gift to give her daughter. It was what her words had failed to say the week before.

"Isn't she already getting a pendant from Athena?" He quirked a brow.

Rachel rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, but that one is rose gold and is for sisters. She can switch which ones she wants to wear." She knew that as Teddy grew older she would feel excluded from her sisters. Unfortunately, Athena and Avery had a stronger bond because for five years it was just the two of them. They loved their little sister more than anything, but their relationship with her was different.

"Sometimes Rachel Berry, you surprise me."

She poked her tongue out. "It's Fabray. Berry is only my stage name." She sniffed pretentiously and the two friends dissolved into giggles like old times. "I wish we could hang out more often." She leaned her head down on his shoulder as they strolled down Fifth. Sometimes it surprised her how normal all of this was. The idea of Fifth Avenue was nothing but a dream fifteen years ago, and here she was actually able to afford the shops lined down the street. It was surreal.

"Life is quite busy. I miss sharing an apartment and throwing our annual Halloween party and then one at New Years." They both sighed reminiscently. While they wouldn't change their lives, they did miss the days where it was the two of them and things weren't so hectic. "Now I live with three other girls." She made a silly face at him.

"Oh dear me, why would you leave your wonderful, sensible, non-dramatic roommate to live with three other girls and all of the drama that encompasses."

She bit back a smile and slapped his chest playfully. "Stop." She laughed. "It was a lot easier when I just had a five year old. Now I've got a teenager, an eight year old, and a toddler. I'm only thirty-one." She jutted out her bottom lip pathetically.

"You'll survive Rach. Avery will come around. Miracles have been known to happen this time of year." She rolled her eyes at him as they continued their shopping. Neither of them purchased anything else, but it was nice spending time with her best friend.

~~~~~JaSW~~~~~JaSW~~~~~JaSW~~~~~JaSW~~~~~

Kurt was right.

Christmas day saw the return of her sweet and loving daughter. Avery slowly baby stepped her over to her mama before plopping her self down in Rachel's lap. Hesitantly the mother's arms wrapped around her daughter's waist.

"I love you mama. I didn't mean it." Rachel pressed a kiss to her daughter's hair. "Thank you for the necklace." She held it in her fingers reverently. "God gave me you too." Both were aware that serious talks were required in the near future, but it was the holidays and it could wait.

Quinn snapped a photo of her wife and firstborn. Maybe some wishes weren't so silly after all.