Quinn skipped out of the doctor's office light on her feet. She tucked the envelope safely into her purse, and went to meet her husband for lunch. She arrived at "Saffron" her favorite little quirky restaurant where he was already sitting on the outside veranda at her favorite table.

"You're late." He said, smiling at her, that kind of smile that made her heart beat wild and her stomach twist itself into a knot. "Hello to you too Puck."

Puck kissed her and smiled. He pointed at the Army fatigues he was wearing. "Excuse you that's Second Lieutenant Puckerman."

She peered over the menu, arching her eyebrow. "You're always going to be Puck to me."

Sure Puck had had his hard times here and there with the law, never doing very well with authority. However after school he had got his life in order, and decided to join the Army. Quinn had laughed until she was blue in the face; sure this was just one of his off the wall shenanigans. However Puck had stuck with it, and had just recently been promoted to Second Lieutenant and was in charge of a small platoon of men.

Puck smiled and waved the menu at her. "So why were you late? Seein' your other maahhhn?"

Quinn giggled. "You know you're the only one for me. But I do have some news."

Puck glanced up from his menu. "Me too."

Quinn smiled, ear to ear, her face beaming. "You go first."

Puck shook his head, "No you go."

Quinn giggled. "You. I insist."

Puck glanced at her, Quinn's determined streak showing. "How about we both go. Together?"

Quinn counted out loud. "1. . . 2 . . . . 3!"

"I'm pregnant!" Quinn blurted out.

Puck looked up at her his face a glow. "You mean. . . I . . . you. . . .we?"

Quinn placed her hand over her belly protectively. "We're finally going to be a family."

He leaned across the table, kissing her softly. She frowned as he pulled away. "You didn't tell me your news."

He ducked down studying his menu.

"!" she said swatting at his menu. "We already know you're going to order the Pesto Panini with extra Feta. So stop hiding in that menu!"

Puck slowly lowered the menu. "I. . . .I got my orders. I'm being deployed."

Quinn's face fell. She tried to hold back her emotions but her hormones were all over the place. Besides Puck could read her like an open book. She silently let a tear slip past, trying with all of her might to gain control of her emotions. Puck left his chair and soon had his arms wrapped around her. He rubbed her back softly. "It's ok. Hey! It's only going to be three months. I'll be back just in time to see what our baby bean is."

Quinn's emotions let loose, tears spilling from her eyes. "Are . . . Are you sure."

Puck nodded. "I'll make sure I'm back. For you. For her."

Quinn smiled, wiping away the tears. "Our son doesn't appreciate you calling him a girl."

XXX

Puck kissed her belly, still flat and smooth. "Hello wittle baby."

Quinn giggled, as his lips traveled, leaving a smooth, cool trail of kisses smothered in her skin. His hands held her hips gently, as if she were going to break. He started talking to her belly again. "You're going to be just like your mommy. Smart, and talented. Beautiful. Eyes that could stare right through you."

Quinn smiled at Puck's words, and ran her fingers absentmindedly through his short cropped hair. "What are you sucking up for?"

Puck looked up at her, a sly smile across his face. He then bent back down, whispering to the baby. "And if you don't get any of that and take after me, I still want you to take one thing after her. I want you to be strong like her. She's the strongest person I know. She's been through so much that would break anyone else, but she made it through. She's so strong."

Quinn lay back, closing her eyes. She had watched the small baby, no bigger than a size of a shrimp on the screen and imagined how different this pregnancy would be than her first. No more hiding, or secrets, no more lies. She pictured her and Puck shopping for baby clothes. Puck assembling a crib, or at least trying to. The vision that had stuck with her all day, was one in which Puck and her held a small wrapped bundle, a baby that was part him and part her, that no one could ever take away from her. She knew that Puck could get deployed, it went with the territory. However, with this small life inside her, it all seemed wrong, like she had been cheated out of her second chance at happiness. Puck's words echoed in her head. "She's so strong." Quinn smiled, not bothering to open her eyes. She was strong. If Puck believed in her, so could she. It was only three months. She could weather this storm, the months would fly by and by then, and she and Puck would be three months closer, to meeting their little miracle.