Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans (Glee Faberry F/F futurefic)

[wannablessedbe]

New story! All the usual disclaimers. And of course, the title of this fic is taken from a great John Lennon song. Not a ton of sneezing in part 1, mainly set-up. Hope y'all enjoy!

--WBB

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Life Is What Happens When You're Busy Making Other Plans

A Faberry future!fic with Fababy

Part 1

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“Mommy, Mommy, wake up! It's today! It's today! Wake up!” Quinn was jostled abruptly out of a deep, dreamless sleep by her four-year-old's squeals of excitement, coupled with her small body bouncing energetically on the bed at high velocity.

“Uhhm,” the sleepy blonde mumbled, rubbing her eyes blearily with her knuckles. “It's always today, Zo.”

“I know that,” Zoe sighed, cocking her head to the side and rolling her eyes in a way that was pure Rachel; that slightly sarcastic, I-know-you-know-what-I-mean-so-don't-play-dumb look on her face. It made Quinn smile despite herself. “I mean, today is when Mama is coming home! I'm all ready!” The little girl bounced on the bed again, and something soft and fluttery hit Quinn in the face as she was slowly waking up. It felt early, so early, she just wanted a little more sleep.

“Oh, baby bug,” Quinn groaned when she looked up and realized what had hit her in the face. Her little girl had already dressed herself—somewhat haphazardly—in the brand new outfit they'd bought the week before especially for Rachel's homecoming: a beautiful aqua-green satin dress with a pale ivory sash (which Zoe of course could not tie on her own, so it flopped around and trailed from her back like some kind of adorable tentacles), along with her new patent-leather Mary Janes, which of course remained unbuckled, ready to trip her and send her sprawling face-first to the floor at any moment.

“Zoe, honey, I know you can't wait to see Mama, but you can't wear your fancy clothes right now. Mama's not gonna be here 'till tonight, and you know you'll get it dirty if you wear it all day. C'mon, let's take it off.” Quinn yawned and rubbed her eyes again, trying to de-fog her brain. She had to remind herself that this was her very last morning of waking up alone; this was her very last morning of living like a single parent.

When Zoe was younger, they'd always traveled everywhere with Rachel; but now she had preschool, and both Quinn and Rachel agreed it was important for their kid to have as normal a life as possible, and spend her days with kids her own age. It had been harder than she'd really expected, three months without Rachel, but she had done everything she could to put on a brave face. She had to be a good role model for her four-year-old, after all, and she really didn't want her wife to feel guilty about going on movie shoots and being a star. Especially since they had already agreed that this would be the last out-of-town job she'd be taking for a year or two. Because once Rachel got home, they were gonna start trying to make a little sister or brother for Zoe; and this time, Quinn wasn't the one who was getting pregnant. Not that the four-year-old knew any of this.

“I won't get dirty,” Zoe grumbled, but she nonetheless held up her arms and allowed Quinn to strip off the pristine dress, giggling when her mommy flipped her over onto the bed so she could grab the little shoes off the squirming four-year-old's feet. Satisfied that her daughter was no longer in immediate danger of tripping over herself, she smiled sleepily and ruffled the little girl's golden blonde curls, kissing her on both cheeks and her forehead.

“Okay, monkey baby. Go get some regular clothes on, and we'll do chocolate chip pancakes.”

“Yahhh!” Zoe squealed, bouncing out of the big bed and racing down the hall to her room without another word. Quinn yawned again, finally forcing herself to get out of her cozy, warm bed and face the day. She'd never been a morning person, but right now she wanted to punch the sun right in the face. She felt woozy and half-asleep, still; if Rachel were here right now, Quinn knew she'd be getting kissed and cuddled by her bright-eyed little early bird, and told, Don't worry baby, I'll make breakfast for the little monkey. You can sleep a little longer.

“Last morning, lazy bones. You can do it,” she grumbled to herself, stretching her back and stumbling into the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she finally dragged herself down the hall to the kitchen, she found her daughter sitting in her little booster seat at the table, busy with her crayons and glitter, happily singing along with the kids' station on satellite radio.

“Honey, I'm sorry, I have to turn the music off,” Quinn groaned, stabbing clumsily at the remote until the sound system went silent. “My head really hurts, Mommy just needs a little quiet right now, 'kay baby?”

“Okay,” Zoe frowned, looking up from her drawing with one eyebrow scrupulously raised at her mother. “Are you getting sick, Mommy? Sometimes my head hurts when I'm getting sick.”

“No, baby bug, Mommy's just fine. Don't you worry about anything. I just wanna have a quiet morning, okay love? Then we'll have all night to be loud and silly with Mama.” Quinn yawned again, and Zoe stood up in her chair and hugged her tightly.

“'Kay. Wanna see what I made for Mama?” The little girl held up her glitter drawing as delicately as she could with her four-year-old hands. “Careful! The glue's still all gooey.”

“Aww, Zo, this is beautiful,” Quinn beamed, admiring her daughter's messy loops and swirls of glitter across the page. “Mama's just gonna love it. Let's leave it here on the table to dry, okay? Then it'll be...*snfl*...all r-ready...” She turned away from her little girl, and cupped a hand absently to her face as her breath caught teasingly in her chest. “Hhet'chhew!! *Snfl.*”

“Bless you Mommy,” Zoe said officiously, as Quinn sniffled softly and wiped her nose on the back of her hand. “Are you sure you're not a little sick?”

“Honey, I told you, I'm fine,” Quinn sighed, resisting the urge to snap at her anxious child. “I'm just a little tired, that's all. Do you think it would be okay if we order out for our breakfast today, hmm monkey? I really don't feel like making pancakes right now. And Terrace Cafe has that extra-special cinnamon swirl french toast you love...”

“Okay, Mommy,” Zoe smiled sweetly, hopping down from her seat and the table and hugging Quinn's leg.

“Thanks, hon,” Quinn smiled sleepily, ruffling her little girl's hair absently. Then she took a deep, quavering breath, and turned her head away from her child before cupping a hand back to her face, pinching her nose urgently between her fingers. “Hh...hhtchxew!! *Snghf.*”

“Bless you Mommy,” Zoe repeated, running to the living room and coming back with the tissues from the coffee table. “Here,” the little girl said sweetly, holding the tissues out to her sniffling mom.

“Uhh, thadks baby,” Quinn sighed, taking a tissue and blowing her running nose thoroughly. “Ughh. What was I just doing?”

“Order breakfast from Terrace,” the little girl prompted, wrapping herself back around Quinn's leg and patting her hip reassuringly. “Then lazy Sunday. Then Mama's home.”

“Uh, yeah, breakfast. Cinnamon swirl french toast coming right up,” Quinn smiled weakly, giving her nose one final rub before tossing her tissue in the garbage under the sink. Her head still ached, and her nose felt stuffy when she sniffled, and she knew she was probably coming down with whatever was going around Zoe's preschool; but she was so tired, she could only think about one thing at a time, and right now that one thing was ordering breakfast. She sleepily flipped open her iPad and sent out their order, then climbed onto the couch and put her head down with a yawn.

“Wanna watch cartoons?” Zoe asked brightly, curling up beside her mom and playing with her hair.

“Sure, baby,” Quinn mumbled, rubbing her nose sleepily. “What...*snfl*...whatever you want...” Zoe handed her another tissue, and Quinn promptly pinched it to her stuffy nose as her tired eyes snapped dazedly shut. “Uhht'chxshh!! *Snfl.*”

“Bless you Mommy,” Zoe whispered, gently patting her on the cheek.

“Thadks,” Quinn yawned, rubbing and pinching her nose gently in the crumpled tissue. “I'mb just gonna...*snfl*...close my eyes for a couple minutes, okay Zo-Zo? Just...wake me when the food gets here, 'kay baby?”

“It's okay, Mommy. You can take a nap, and I'll be in charge for a little while.” Zoe got up and fetched the comfy old afghan from the end of the couch, draping it clumsily over her mom's limp body and kissing her gently on the forehead. Quinn made a soft mumbling sound in the back of her throat, and then began to snore very softly. Zoe giggled and patted the top of the blankets. “Don't worry Mommy, I'll take care of you 'till your cold feels better,” she said quietly. Then she turned and ran back to her bedroom, fetching her favorite stuffed animal and bringing him back to the living room, and tucking him under the blankets beside Quinn. “There, Appa will keep you company today. And then Mama comes home, and you'll feel all better.” With a confident smile, the little girl sat down to watch cartoons and wait for her breakfast delivery.

Edited July 28, 2013 by wannablessedbe

[Renny]

Awww, I love your fics with Zoe (and Charlotte, but that's later on~)!

It's so endearing and cute and you just write family so well. And sneezy Quinn's not so bad either.

[darkness-is-the-light]

Continue, this is so cute.

[Seniorstatus14]

Cute! Continue please! Can't wait to see what will happen when Rachel gets home.

[purpleninja]

SO cute and amazing as usual!!! Continue, please!!!

[sneezychick]

So sweet! More please!

[Bgrace27]

please update.

[BootyBurgers]

This is so cute.. Omg so cute. Please keep it going.

[wannablessedbe]

hey guys, thanks for the reviews! I wasn't sure anyone would really be reading at this point, since so many people are on vacation, at camp, or otherwise off the grid this time of year. glad to know I'm not just talking to myself here. enjoy part 2!

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Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans

Part 2

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Zoe was back to coloring at the kitchen table when Quinn's iPad lit up and began trilling with an incoming Skype call. The four-year-old picked it up eagerly and answered, already a videochat expert after the last several months of Rachel's absence from New York. “Hi, Mama! How many more hours 'till I see you?”

“Hi, monkey baby. I'm gonna see you at the airport in five more hours! What do you think about that?” Rachel beamed at her child across the little screen, more aware than ever of the 3,000 miles that separated her from her family, now that she was finally about to come home.

“Yahooo!!” Zoe yelled, gripping the iPad in both hands as she jumped up and down on the spot and squealed with excitement. “Wanna see what I made you?” She flipped the screen around so the camera was pointing at the table, covered with glitter collages and crayon drawings of airplanes, with a little stick-figure-Rachel smiling through the window.

“Aww, honey, look at all your beautiful artwork. I love it,” Rachel sighed, leaning forward with her head in her hand to gaze more closely at her preschooler's genius. “I can't wait to get home and see them all up close. But right now I need to talk to Mommy, okay bug? I only have a few more minutes 'till the plane starts boarding.”

“She's in the shower,” Zoe shrugged, shaking more purple glitter onto her latest drawing and spilling some across the iPad. “But I can go get her.”

“No, I'm here,” Quinn called as she popped her head into the kitchen, still towel-drying her damp hair. “Is that the fabulous and talented Miss Rachel Berry calling?”

“Come where I can see you!” Rachel called impatiently, and Quinn smiled goofily as she came around the table and sat beside her daughter, waving to her wife on the little screen.

“Hi starfish,” The blonde sighed happily, pulling Zoe into her lap so Rachel could see them both at the same time. “We can't wait to see you tonight.”

“Me neither,” Rachel agreed, returning the goofy grin with interest. “So, I just wanted to check in before I get on the plane. See you at JFK at eight?”

“Uhh, yeah,” Quinn nodded absently, shifting her daughter in her lap so she could rub her knuckles against her irritable little nose, sniffling softly.

“Quinnie?” Rachel asked uncertainly, raising an eyebrow suspiciously as she watched the blonde girl draw a crumpled tissue from her pocket, and press it to the bottom of her slightly pink-tinged nose, wiping away a wet dribble of snot from the underside of her nostrils.

“Uhh...*snfl*...uh-huh,” Quinn mumbled absently, cupping the tissue more firmly to her pink nose as her eyes fell shut, and turning her head slightly to the side to avoid sneezing on her four-year-old. “Hhihchu!! *Snfl*...aah'tchxiew!! *Snnfl.*” Her damp hair fell across her face as she sneezed dazedly into the crumpled tissue; desperate, stuffy sneezes that Rachel knew instantly were not her first of the day, nor would they be her last.

“Bless you Mommy,” Zoe said sweetly, reaching for the box of tissues on the table and pulling them closer so Quinn could grab one.

“Bless you, Quinnie-pie! Poor baby, you caught a little cold, huh? When were you gonna tell me?” Rachel fussed on the other side of the screen, hating the 3,000 miles that separated them even more than she had a moment ago.

“I'b fide,” Quinn grumbled, blowing her nose into a fresh tissue, then yanking out another and holding it ready, a slightly dazed expression still plaguing her face.

“Nuh-uh!” Zoe shook her head emphatically, raising an eyebrow at her mom accusingly before directing her attention to her other mother on the computer screen. “She's not fine, she doesn't feel good. She was sneezing all day, an' she fell asleep on the couch.”

“Tattletale,” Quinn chuckled weakly, giving her daughter a little half-smile to show she was mostly kidding. Zoe raised an eyebrow sternly, in a perfect imitation of Quinn herself when it was time to get ready for bed or brush her teeth.

“When I have a cold, I have to stay home an' rest 'till I'm all better, an' drink lots of tea and watch cartoons. So Mommy has to stay home, too, right Mama?”

“Yep, I think so,” Rachel nodded, raising an eyebrow teasingly at Quinn's disgruntled expression. “No reason for you guys to schlep all the way out to JFK when Mommy's got the sniffles. Just stay put, and I'll get a cab home from the airport, okay my little monkeys?”

“No, Rach, it's fine,” Quinn whined, wiping her runny nose again with a soft, congested sniffle. “We can come get you. We said we'd meet you at the...*snfl*...at the air...airport...” She pinched her pink nose firmly through the damp tissue as her eyes narrowed and her breath caught in her chest; the firm pressure felt good, but it still wasn't enough to hold back the sickly sneeze that was blossoming in the back of her head. “Hh, hhh...hheh'tchshih!! Uhhh...*snfl.* Sorry, Zo.”

“It's okay, you can't help it,” Zoe said sweetly, wrapping both arms around Quinn's neck and kissing her on the cheek. “You caught a bad cold, Mommy.”

“Ughh. Yeah, I...*snfl*...I guess I did,” Quinn relented, absently drawing a fresh tissue from the box and pressing it back to the quavering pink underside of her stuffy nose. “Aah...*snfl*...aahesheww!! Aht'chshh!!!” She sneezed breathlessly into the tissue, sniffling wetly and massaging her runny nose through the damp cotton. “Hhih...ehhshxiuh!! *Snnfl.*”

“Bless you,” Zoe and Rachel both said at the same time. Quinn wanted to say thank you, but instead she just grabbed another tissue, her breath catching jaggedly in her chest. “Poor little thing,” Rachel cooed, getting a brief glimpse of her baby's cold-ridden pink nose between sneezes, glistening with twin trails of snot as she drew the fresh tissue to her face. The dark-haired starlet had always hated being away from her wife when she was sick; and she felt a deep pang of sympathy and protectiveness well up inside her as she watched her baby sniffle and hitch in anticipation, eyes fighting to stay open, lip quivering, nose running.

“Hhih...hh...t'chihhew!!! *Snghf.* Ughh, 'scuse be,” Quinn groaned miserably, wiping her leaky nose on the tissue again, and sighing softly as the ticklish itch began to recede a bit, into the back of her head.

“Aww, poor angelfish! God bless you. You really did catch a bad cold, huh? No way are you allowed to come pick me up at the airport, got that missy? Go curl up on the couch and drink some tea, that's all you're allowed to do today. Zo-Zo, do you think you can be Mommy's big helper today, and make sure she's resting and taking it easy?”

“Yeah!” Zoe nodded enthusiastically, leaning her head back against Quinn's stomach and returning Rachel's conspiratorial grin. “Don't worry Mama, I'm taking real good care of Mommy. Appa's even helping too, so she doesn't get lonely on the couch.”

“Good girl,” Rachel beamed.

“I'mb sorry, you guys,” Quinn sighed, wiping her nose one more time before shoving her soggy tissues back in her pocket. “I didn't mean to mess up our special plans for tonight. I guess I'd better...*snfl*...go and cancel our reservations for dinner at the Waldorf.”

“It's okay Mommy, we don't mind,” Zoe assured her, reaching up and giving her another kiss on the cheek.

“As long as I get to cuddle my two favorite girls in the world, it'll be a perfect night no matter what,” Rachel agreed, beaming at her adorable blondies through the computer screen. “Even if we spend the whole night on the couch and order takeout.” She gave her miserable blonde angel a little wink, and Quinn smiled despite herself. Then the faint sound of a flight announcement over the loudspeaker made the little starlet turn her head away from the screen. “Okay my girls, they're calling my flight, I gotta go now. I'll see you soon, okay? I love you both so much!”

“We love you too Mama!” Zoe waved eagerly, excited for her mother to get on the plane and begin her flight back to New York as soon as possible. “Don't worry. I'll take extra-good care of Mommy 'till you get home.”

Edited August 3, 2013 by wannablessedbe

[darkness-is-the-light]

Continue please!!! This is so adorable!!!!

[BootyBurgers]

Dear god my heart just melted. This is so cute. Please please continue this!

[SpookyScarySkeleton]

Awwwwwwwwwwwe that is so so so cute >-< <3 I love the future part of this fic. So well written with that

[wannablessedbe]

hey guys! here's the final part of this story...hope you like it

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Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans

Part 3 (final)

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Rachel had barely opened the door to her apartment when a tiny blonde cannonball was launched into her arms, and she had to drop her bags on the floor to catch her four-year-old in midair, laughing and squealing in sheer delight.

“Mamaaaa!” Zoe yelled happily as she wrapped her little arms around Rachel's neck, giggling deliriously as she was spun around in a circle and hugged and kissed.

“Oh, my little monkey! Mama missed you so much, baby girl,” the little starlet cooed happily, leaving her bags where they lay in the entryway and carrying her overexcited child down the hall.

“I missed you too Mama. An' Mommy missed you, too. Sometimes when we both really missed you a lot, Mommy let me sleep in your bed, so we both wouldn't feel too lonely.”

“Aww, honey...I'm sorry I made you and Mommy feel lonely,” Rachel sighed, hugging her kid a little tighter and kissing the top of her blonde head. “But I'm home now, and I'm not going anywhere for a long, long time. Shall we go see Mommy, hmm baby bug? Where is she?”

“She fell asleep on the couch,” Zoe sighed, playing with a lock of Rachel's shiny dark hair. “We were waiting for you to come home. She tried to stay up, but the sniffles make her so sleepy. I took care of her all day, Mama. So she can rest an' feel better.”

“That was very sweet of you, honey. Thanks for being such a good helper to Mommy when I wasn't here to take care of her. I think you deserve a reward for being such a responsible, big kid.” Rachel grinned, and ruffled her little girl's wavy blonde hair. Zoe raised an eyebrow hopefully.

“Did you bring me a present?”

“Hmm...” Rachel made a show of stopping suddenly, and quirking her eyebrows in deep thought, as if the idea of bringing presents home from her trip were just now occurring to her for the first time. Zoe squealed indignantly, and Rachel laughed, setting the little girl on her feet and skipping back toward the discarded bags by the door.

“Would Mama ever forget you, Zo? I don't think so,” the dark-haired girl shook her head, grinning at her four-year-old's gleeful expression as she unzipped the largest suitcase and pulled out a large, wrapped box. “All the way from California, just for you, little monkey.”

“Yay!” Zoe squealed, pouncing on the package and ripping off the paper to reveal a large wooden marionette, carved in the shape of a monkey, with big ears and a sly, mischievous grin. “Cool,” the little girl said, raising the wooden handle out of the box so the monkey stretched out its limbs and stood upright.

“See, it's a puppet on strings, so you can make it move around,” Rachel explained, taking the wooden cross briefly from her daughter's hand to demonstrate, and making the monkey take a few steps across the hallway and then scratch its stomach.

“Wow! Thanks Mama!” Zoe grabbed her new toy, hugging her mom briefly around the waist before running off to the living room to play with it. Rachel followed after her daughter, looking for her other adorable blondie; and she didn't have to look very hard before she found Quinn fast asleep on the couch. It was obvious Quinn hadn't meant to fall asleep there; she was sort of half sitting up, with her feet on the floor, but her upper body was slumped sideways across the cushions. She was wearing an old pair of Rachel's pajamas, soft blue flannel with moons and stars, and she had a crumpled tissue still held loosely in her hand as she snored softly.

“Poor little angel,” Rachel murmured quietly as she slipped off her shoes and curled up on the couch beside her baby, stroking her loose blonde hair back from her face and lightly pressing a palm to Quinn's forehead. “You've got a fever, baby girl.”

The blonde girl shifted slightly in her sleep, and made a soft murmuring sound in the back of her throat; but she didn't wake up. With a soft smile, Rachel slipped off the couch and went to the master bathroom, where she grabbed the NyQuil off the top shelf and poured out a dose in the little plastic cup, bringing it back to the living room along with a fresh box of tissues. Then she went to the kitchen, and poured a tall glass of iced tea with fresh lemon, one of Quinn's favorite drinks. She put all her goodies on a little breakfast tray and brought them back to the couch, where she curled back up beside her sleeping angel, gently setting her tray down on the coffee table so she could devote her attention to rousing Quinn as gently as possible.

“Honey, I'm ho-ome,” Rachel sang softly, pressing her lips to Quinn's ear and running her fingers lightly through long blonde hair. “Wake up, Quinnie-pie...”

“Uhhm,” Quinn mumbled, twitching sleepily; and finally she stirred, sniffling softly as her hazel eyes blinked open and took in the beautiful sight in front of her. “Rach? Are you...*snfl*...really here?” Her eyes filled up suddenly with tears, and she buried her face in her little starlet's warm throat, shivering and sobbing with feverish emotion. “I d-dreamed we were back in high school...and I told you I loved you, and you d-didn't...*snfl!*...you didn't l-love me back...”

“Aww, Quinn. Of course I love you, sweet girl. I'm home, and I'm not going anywhere, and I love you...I'll always love you...so fucking much,” Rachel hummed soothingly, cuddling her woozy angel and stroking her hair as she sniffled and sobbed. “Ssh, Quinnie-pie, I'm here...” She pulled back a little and tilted the blonde girl's chin up, teary hazel eyes locking on warm, dark brown. Rachel grinned crookedly, and kissed her woozy blonde angel, undeterred by the slight smear of wetness across her lip from Quinn's runny nose.

“Rach, I'mb sick. You shouldn't kiss me...you're gonna catch my cooties,” Quinn whined softly, rubbing her eyes as she slowly woke up, and her sleep-dazed tears subsided. Rachel chuckled at the adorable sight, stroking a few stray tears from the sleepy girl's warm face and grabbing a tissue from the coffee table.

“Yeah, I don't care about that,” Rachel murmured, leaning in and gently wiping a dribble of snot from the underside of Quinn's damp nose. The light touch seemed to irritate the sensitive pink nostrils, and Rachel felt them quiver through the tissue, even as Quinn's eyes narrowed woozily and she made a soft, helplessly ticklish sound in the back of her throat. Rachel pinched her tissue a little more firmly to the damp pink nostrils.

“Hheh'tshii!! *Snfl*...ughh, sorry Rach,” Quinn groaned miserably, taking the tissue from her wife's hand as she sat up a little more against the couch cushions, sleepily blowing her nose. “This ised't...*snfl*...how I w-wanted to welcome you home...aahtchxsh!! *Snfl.*” She shivered a little as her eyes squeezed shut, both hands cupping the damp tissue dazedly to her face as she sneezed again.

“Aww, baby, I know,” Rachel cooed, curling up against Quinn's side and kissing her lightly on the cheek as she blew her nose. “It's not your fault, Quinnie. You know that.”

“Yeah. I doe. But I'mb...*snfl*...still sorry.”

“Well I'm sorry too, for you,” Rachel sighed, grabbing the little cup of NyQuil off the coffee table and holding it up with a sympathetic half-smile. “But I brought you something that will help a little. I know you don't like taking cold meds, babe, but you're really warm and you sound awfully congested. I want you to get a good night's sleep so you can fight this thing off.”

“'Kay,” Quinn sighed submissively, taking the little cup of red liquid and knocking it back like a shot of tequila.

“Good girl,” Rachel grinned, kissing her lightly on the lips. “Here, drink.” She handed Quinn the iced tea, complete with bendy straw, and the blonde girl took it with a a sleepy half-smile.

“Thadks, starfish. I'm really...*snghf*...really happy you're home.” Quinn took a few slow sips, then hastily put her drink down on the coffee table as a fresh tickle welled up in the back of her head. She sniffled softly and grabbed a tissue, holding it a few inches in front of her face in anticipation.

“Poor baby, you're so sniffly,” Rachel cooed, lightly rubbing Quinn's shivering back as the blonde girl's eyes fell shut, and her breath hitched weakly in her chest.

“Aah...hht'chshh!! *Snfl.*”

“Bless you Mommy,” said little Zoe, climbing up on the couch with her marionette on Rachel's other side. “Look what Mama brought me from California! Mr. Monkeybone will make you feel better.” She yanked up on the strings, making the puppet jump and dance haphazardly across the couch. Quinn giggled weakly, dropping her head down against Rachel's shoulder.

“Good job, baby,” she yawned, rubbing her nose absently on a crumpled tissue. “You were such a good helper today, my big girl...you'd have been so proud of her, Rach. She kept bringing me popsicles, and putting on shows with her stuffed animals to make me...*snfl*...m-make me feel b-better...aahchxshiew!! *Snfl.*” Quinn shivered weakly as she sneezed again, the damp, wadded tissue pressed to her stuffy pink nose.

“Bless you,” Rachel chuckled, pushing the tissues closer to the sniffling blonde girl so she could grab a fresh one.

“Th-thadks...*snfl*...'tchshh!!” Quinn sneezed desperately into the soft cotton tissue, pinching it firmly to her runny nose as her shoulders pitched forward weakly on the couch. Her eyes were already narrowing again as she straightened up, watery snot trickling from both nostrils. “Hhh...hhet'chiiew!!! *Snfl.*” The damp tissue was cupped back to her pink nose as another congested sneeze doubled her over.

“Bless you!” Zoe and Rachel both said at once. Zoe dropped her monkey puppet on the floor, and crawled across Rachel's lap to kiss Quinn on the cheek.

“Ughh. Thadks,” Quinn sighed, ruffling Zoe's hair with a sleepy smile. “I thidk you're...*snfl*...gonna make a great big sister, Zo.”

“I'm gonna be a big sister?” the little girl asked, her eyebrow going up inquisitively. “Right now?”

“No, honey, not right now,” Rachel jumped in hastily, pulling the preschooler down into her lap so she wouldn't bounce around on them any more. “But maybe some day soon, like after you start Kindergarten. Would you like that, little monkey? Another little monkey baby for you to play with?”

“Yah!” Zoe exclaimed happily, wriggling out of Rachel's arms and jumping up and down on the couch in excitement. “I'll be the best big sister ever! And when the baby gets big I can teach her how to play games an' tie her shoes. An' I can take care of her when she doesn't feel good, too. I'm extra-good at that.”

“We know you are, baby,” Quinn murmured, smiling drowsily with her head on Rachel's shoulder as she watched her little girl bounce excitedly. “You're the best little monkey in the whole wide world...*snfl*...hhuhtchxiew!!!” She cupped a hand dazedly to her face to cover the wet, breathless sneeze, sniffling softly to suck back the dribble of snot she could feel running teasingly down her lip.

“Bless you,” Rachel murmured, tugging a fresh tissue from the box in Quinn's lap and gently wiping her glistening pink nose, and the channel of her upper lip.

“Uhhh,” Quinn whimpered softly, pink nostrils quivering behind the damp tissue. Rachel pinched it a little harder, giving the snot-slicked underside of Quinn's nose a firm wipe as it trembled in anticipation. “Aht'chshiiew!!! Hhtshhx!! *Snfl.*”

“Bless you Mommy!” Zoe chirped sweetly, still jumping playfully on the couch.

“Bless you, my poor little snifflebug,” Rachel cooed softly, wiping Quinn's runny nose one more time on the soggy tissue before throwing it in the little plastic trash bin beside the couch.

“Thag you,” Quinn croaked weakly, her voice growing raspy from the force of so many congested sneezes. “Ughh, this blows. We were supposed to...” She broke off with a rattling cough, and Rachel hastily handed her the tall glass of iced tea, which Quinn gulped thirstily. “...Supposed to have a special night out tonight. Zoe's been looking forward to it all week. And now you're both stuck here on the couch with me and my dumb cold. *Snghf.*”

“Don't be sad Mommy. We can have fun at home, too,” Zoe smiled encouragingly, picking up the discarded monkey puppet and making him dance around on the coffee table. Quinn smiled weakly.

“Yeah, Zoe's right honey. We'll be happy right here on the couch, as long as we're all together. How about we order some Chinese, and watch a movie? Frankly, after six hours on a plane, I'm just as happy to eat dinner in my pajamas.”

“Yeah! Pajama party!” Zoe agreed eagerly, scampering off to her room to change into her favorite PJ's. Quinn chuckled weakly, followed by a raspy cough.

“I guess if my girls are happy, I...*snfl*...hhtishhew!!! *Snghf!* Uhh...I'mb happy, too,” She finished dazedly, rubbing her nose with a sleepy smile.

“Right back atcha, baby,” Rachel grinned, leaning in and stealing another kiss.

[purpleninja]

I'm not entirely sure how to spell the happy noise I made when I read that, but trust me, it was a very happy, very high-pitched noise.

That last part? Absolutely adorable!

[SpookyScarySkeleton]

Ah love it

[BootyBurgers]

I squealed... This was so cute! Thanks for writing it! I love everything you write

[ilovesneezing]

Completely and utterly adorable