Challenge 26 - Prompt Table
SpinningStarDiamondSpringSilenceRealityNeverAirYears
Nine assorted Puck/Quinn/Beth fics!
SPINNING (Poem)
A timer buzzes,
piercing the still quiet of the room.
She swallows hard,
anxiety mounting as she glances at the thin, white stick.
Positive
Her world is spinning,
nothing will ever be the same again.
STAR (One Sentence fic)
She sees a shooting star and wishes it would all just slip away.
DIAMOND (Fic)
She’s curled up on Puck’s bed one evening in late March, wearing a pair of too tight pajama pants that barely tie beneath the bulge of her belly and wishing she was just about anywhere else in the world. She pulls up her shirt and begins counting stretchmarks out of morbid curiosity, her fingertips tracing the angry red streaks marring the milky-white skin of her stomach, when she feels him staring at her from across the room.
She shoots a warning glare in his direction, just daring him to comment on the state of her appearance. It’s his fault she looks like such a disgusting cow, anyway. “What?”
“I think we should get married.”
Her fingers still against her bare skin. “Excuse me?”
Puck can’t help but smirk when he sees the shocked expression on her face. “You heard me,” he replies, walking over to his bed and kneeling in front of her. “Marry me, Quinn Fabray.”
“Puck…”she starts, struggling to sit up under the added weight of her belly.
“I got you a ring,” he interrupts, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a simple silver ring with a single heart etched into the top. “I know it’s not a diamond or any of that fancy shit you chicks like, but I figured if we save up…”
Quinn shakes her head and closes her eyes. “Just…stop, okay?”
“Q, we can be a family together. You, me, and the kid.”
He’s trying really hard, she knows he is, and it is so sweet of him that it’s almost enough to make her want to say yes.
“Would you still be asking me to marry you if it wasn’t for her?” She absently moves her hand to rub the side of her belly where she feels the baby kicking.
Puck follows her hand with his gaze, watching intently as her skin moves with every little kick. “What? ‘Course not, we’re only sixteen.”
“Right,” Quinn says, her lips spreading into a sad smile, “there’s your answer. We can’t fix this mistake by making another one. I really wish we could, but we can’t.”
He nods slowly, “We really fucked things up, didn’t we?”
“Yeah, we really did.”
SPRING (One Sentence fic)
It’s spring when she finally pushes her way into the world, a time for rebirth and new life, but for Quinn it feels very much like the end of everything.
SILENCE (Drabble)
Neither of them says a word as Puck throws his truck into drive and pulls out of the hospital parking lot towards home. There is no car seat strapped in the back, no tiny pink baby nestled safely inside it for her first trip home. Just a stack of signed adoption papers tucked neatly into the folder resting on Quinn’s lap.
“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Quinn whispers, her voice breaking the uncomfortable silence hanging between them.
Puck clears his throat. “Yeah, I do.”
She looks out the window so that she doesn’t have to look at him. “Do you think we’ll be okay?”
“I don’t know, Q.”
REALITY (Ficlet)
It’s been one year, six months, and nineteen days since the last time Quinn saw her. Not that she’s been counting or anything.
She had imagined the moment in her head thousands of times, carefully constructing each and every detail of it until everything was perfect. She'd imagined the way Beth’s face would light up in recognition when she saw her, the way she’d reach her chubby little arms out to her, aching to be held by her mother. Then Quinn would scoop her up, hold her close, and whisper ‘I love you’ into her ear and everything would feel right again.
This is what she wants to happen, needs to happen.
Beth doesn’t remember her, though, and the minute that Quinn reaches for her she clings to her mother in fear.
“It’s okay,” Shelby soothes, running her hand up and down Beth’s back. “This is Quinn, she’s very nice and she’d really like to meet you.”
Beth burrows her head into Shelby’s neck, “No, mama!”
Quinn feels her heart shatter with that one little word. She may have carried her, kept her safe within for nine long months, but she will never be her mommy.
NEVER (6 word fic)
Never doubt my love for you.
AIR (One Sentence fic)
It takes a very long time, but Quinn finally feels like she can breathe again.
YEARS (Fic)
“Alright, Quinn,” Dr. Rose tells her, “give me a few more really strong pushes like that one and you’ll have the baby out in no time.”
“You’re doing so good, babe.” Puck encourages, pressing a kiss to her sweat dampened temple. “Almost there.”
Quinn leans back against the pillow in exhaustion as she tries hard to steady her breathing. “This is taking forever. The baby must have gotten your damn big head.”
He chuckles and brushes a damp cloth across her forehead. “I bet you never thought you’d be doing this with me again, did you?”
She manages a quick smile for him. “Not in a million years.”
“Quinn,” her nurse instructs from the other side of the bed, “I see a big one coming up on the monitor. Get ready to use it to help push this baby out.”
“Ugh,” she groans, tightening her grip on Puck’s hand as the pain builds in her back, “I feel it.”
“Big push,” the nurse urges her, so she curls forward, tucks her chin to her chest and gives it everything that she’s got.
“Excellent,” Dr. Rose smiles, “stop pushing now and take a breather. Baby’s crowning and I need to gown up."
She sinks back into the pillow and Puck grins at her. “She’s right there, Q, I can see her head!”
“I know,” Quinn frowns, “I can feel that, too. Epidural’s wearing off.”
He winces, lifting her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. “You’re amazing, I’m so fucking proud of you right now.”
She doesn’t have time to answer him before the awful pressure starts to build again. “I have to push,” Quinn moans urgently.
“Go ahead,” Dr. Rose tells her once she’s positioned herself at the end of the bed. “Let’s have this baby.”
It’s all sort of a blur of pain and tears after that, but before too long Quinn feels the baby’s body slip from her own.
“She’s here!” Dr. Rose announces happily, holding the screaming baby up for them both to see before immediately placing her on Quinn’s chest.
“Hello, gorgeous.” Quinn cries, happy tears streaming down her cheeks as she pulls the baby closer. “I’m your mommy.”
Puck reaches a shaky finger out and runs it over the top of their daughter’s soft little head. “And I’m your dad. We are going to love you up so much. Get ready for it, kid.”
Nine assorted Puck/Quinn/Beth fics!
SPINNING (Poem)
A timer buzzes,
piercing the still quiet of the room.
She swallows hard,
anxiety mounting as she glances at the thin, white stick.
Positive
Her world is spinning,
nothing will ever be the same again.
STAR (One Sentence fic)
She sees a shooting star and wishes it would all just slip away.
DIAMOND (Fic)
She’s curled up on Puck’s bed one evening in late March, wearing a pair of too tight pajama pants that barely tie beneath the bulge of her belly and wishing she was just about anywhere else in the world. She pulls up her shirt and begins counting stretchmarks out of morbid curiosity, her fingertips tracing the angry red streaks marring the milky-white skin of her stomach, when she feels him staring at her from across the room.
She shoots a warning glare in his direction, just daring him to comment on the state of her appearance. It’s his fault she looks like such a disgusting cow, anyway. “What?”
“I think we should get married.”
Her fingers still against her bare skin. “Excuse me?”
Puck can’t help but smirk when he sees the shocked expression on her face. “You heard me,” he replies, walking over to his bed and kneeling in front of her. “Marry me, Quinn Fabray.”
“Puck…”she starts, struggling to sit up under the added weight of her belly.
“I got you a ring,” he interrupts, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a simple silver ring with a single heart etched into the top. “I know it’s not a diamond or any of that fancy shit you chicks like, but I figured if we save up…”
Quinn shakes her head and closes her eyes. “Just…stop, okay?”
“Q, we can be a family together. You, me, and the kid.”
He’s trying really hard, she knows he is, and it is so sweet of him that it’s almost enough to make her want to say yes.
“Would you still be asking me to marry you if it wasn’t for her?” She absently moves her hand to rub the side of her belly where she feels the baby kicking.
Puck follows her hand with his gaze, watching intently as her skin moves with every little kick. “What? ‘Course not, we’re only sixteen.”
“Right,” Quinn says, her lips spreading into a sad smile, “there’s your answer. We can’t fix this mistake by making another one. I really wish we could, but we can’t.”
He nods slowly, “We really fucked things up, didn’t we?”
“Yeah, we really did.”
SPRING (One Sentence fic)
It’s spring when she finally pushes her way into the world, a time for rebirth and new life, but for Quinn it feels very much like the end of everything.
SILENCE (Drabble)
Neither of them says a word as Puck throws his truck into drive and pulls out of the hospital parking lot towards home. There is no car seat strapped in the back, no tiny pink baby nestled safely inside it for her first trip home. Just a stack of signed adoption papers tucked neatly into the folder resting on Quinn’s lap.
“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Quinn whispers, her voice breaking the uncomfortable silence hanging between them.
Puck clears his throat. “Yeah, I do.”
She looks out the window so that she doesn’t have to look at him. “Do you think we’ll be okay?”
“I don’t know, Q.”
REALITY (Ficlet)
It’s been one year, six months, and nineteen days since the last time Quinn saw her. Not that she’s been counting or anything.
She had imagined the moment in her head thousands of times, carefully constructing each and every detail of it until everything was perfect. She'd imagined the way Beth’s face would light up in recognition when she saw her, the way she’d reach her chubby little arms out to her, aching to be held by her mother. Then Quinn would scoop her up, hold her close, and whisper ‘I love you’ into her ear and everything would feel right again.
This is what she wants to happen, needs to happen.
Beth doesn’t remember her, though, and the minute that Quinn reaches for her she clings to her mother in fear.
“It’s okay,” Shelby soothes, running her hand up and down Beth’s back. “This is Quinn, she’s very nice and she’d really like to meet you.”
Beth burrows her head into Shelby’s neck, “No, mama!”
Quinn feels her heart shatter with that one little word. She may have carried her, kept her safe within for nine long months, but she will never be her mommy.
NEVER (6 word fic)
Never doubt my love for you.
AIR (One Sentence fic)
It takes a very long time, but Quinn finally feels like she can breathe again.
YEARS (Fic)
“Alright, Quinn,” Dr. Rose tells her, “give me a few more really strong pushes like that one and you’ll have the baby out in no time.”
“You’re doing so good, babe.” Puck encourages, pressing a kiss to her sweat dampened temple. “Almost there.”
Quinn leans back against the pillow in exhaustion as she tries hard to steady her breathing. “This is taking forever. The baby must have gotten your damn big head.”
He chuckles and brushes a damp cloth across her forehead. “I bet you never thought you’d be doing this with me again, did you?”
She manages a quick smile for him. “Not in a million years.”
“Quinn,” her nurse instructs from the other side of the bed, “I see a big one coming up on the monitor. Get ready to use it to help push this baby out.”
“Ugh,” she groans, tightening her grip on Puck’s hand as the pain builds in her back, “I feel it.”
“Big push,” the nurse urges her, so she curls forward, tucks her chin to her chest and gives it everything that she’s got.
“Excellent,” Dr. Rose smiles, “stop pushing now and take a breather. Baby’s crowning and I need to gown up."
She sinks back into the pillow and Puck grins at her. “She’s right there, Q, I can see her head!”
“I know,” Quinn frowns, “I can feel that, too. Epidural’s wearing off.”
He winces, lifting her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. “You’re amazing, I’m so fucking proud of you right now.”
She doesn’t have time to answer him before the awful pressure starts to build again. “I have to push,” Quinn moans urgently.
“Go ahead,” Dr. Rose tells her once she’s positioned herself at the end of the bed. “Let’s have this baby.”
It’s all sort of a blur of pain and tears after that, but before too long Quinn feels the baby’s body slip from her own.
“She’s here!” Dr. Rose announces happily, holding the screaming baby up for them both to see before immediately placing her on Quinn’s chest.
“Hello, gorgeous.” Quinn cries, happy tears streaming down her cheeks as she pulls the baby closer. “I’m your mommy.”
Puck reaches a shaky finger out and runs it over the top of their daughter’s soft little head. “And I’m your dad. We are going to love you up so much. Get ready for it, kid.”