Inspired by a quote app on my Droid. The first quote was a quote of the day and I just thought it was perfect for Rachel. Then I went looking at the other quotes by Marilyn Monroe and slowly a story came together.
The song in the middle is Gary Allan's "Man to Man" it's supposed to show up in another fic but it wanted in here for some reason.
Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I in any way making money from: Glee, Gary Allan's Man to Man, or Marilyn Monroe's quotes.
We Owe a Lot to Marilyn
"I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure." Rachel took a step forward her voice low and angry. Finn took a step back. "I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle." Her voice was rising slowly but it only got angrier sounding when Finn and others nodded agreeing with her. She took another step forward and Finn took a step back again just the slightest bit scared of his petite girlfriend. What was up with her? He was only trying to help her understand how annoying her diva could be. How could she expect to make any friends when she alienated everyone she came in contact with. "But if you can't handle me at my WORST," That last word was shouted and made the whole class even Mr. Schue jump a little and look at Rachel with somewhat fearful eyes especially Finn who this last step back had tripped back down into a chair and was now eye to eye with the angry Jewess. "Then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." This last statement was delivered coldly, emotionlessly even more so the one after it. "I told this was a mistake, a waste." Rachel turned slowly and picking up her bag moved to leave.
Puck stood in the doorway. Late to Glee because of Coach Bieste he'd come in during Finn tearing Rachel down, again, in front of their friends, with no one to defend her and the room to back him up. He'd been just about to walk up and deck the giant for picking on his hot little Jewish American Princess when Rachel had gotten that scary determined look on her face and quoted Marilyn Monroe (Shut it. His Nana was a big fan and she had been married to Joe DiMaggio besides being hot and a Jew). He didn't try to hide his grin and when he saw he pick up her bag he slipped his keys out of his pocket. When he turned aside to let her pass he palmed the keys to her. She stopped for a second to see what he'd given her then her breath caught like she was going to cry and she quickly left. She'd restore herself alone in the safety of his truck and he'd take care of her after Glee let out. He knew Rachel enough to know she needed to be alone right now.
When Finn got up to go after her Puck squared up and stopped him, "Let her alone dude. It's better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone. You've done enough to hurt her. It stops now."
"What do you know? Get the hell out of my way." Finn pushed at Puck's shoulders ineffectively before Puck gave him a mighty shove that sent him right back into his seat.
"I know Rachel a hell of a lot better than you."
"You're just trying to steal her from me! Again! That's all you know how to do is steal my girlfriends." Finn threw back.
Puck winced back then with a glance at Quinn and Santana his eyes spoke an apology before he looked back at Finn. "Ya know here's a new concept maybe it's you."
"What the hell? No you're the one.."
"Who Quinn called to bring her those strawberry wine coolers she likes so much and who let her cry on my shoulder about her cheating boyfriend."
"Uh…"
"Or how about Santana who after you said her taking your virginity didn't mean anything came to me the same night to cry about what douchebags boys could be until she fell asleep in my bed."
Finn winced and shrank back in his chair a bit not quite daring to turn and look at Santana but hearing Brittney comfort the Latino girl.
"Or how about every time you make Rachel mad, or sad, or cry it's my arms she runs to in private because the one person in this school who actually likes her and all her crazy, her boyfriend won't let her near in public."
Finn looked mad again and Puck knew that finding out that him and Rachel hung out on the sly had made everything else he said go in one ear and out the other. Puck knew of only one way that made anything stick with the people in this room.
"Hey Mr. Schue I got a song to sing. It's for that assignment last week about being truly honest with your friends. I know I said I wasn't prepared but I only said that cause I knew it'd cause a big time but right now I think Finn really needs to hear it."
"Uh sure." Mr. Schue left his spot on the piano to sit beside Finn. He wanted to be there in case this big time Puck predicted was Finn attacking his friend.
Puck slipped on his guitar and again glanced up at Quinn and Santana. Both girls gave him the slightest nods. He hadn't sung it last week because they as well as Rachel had asked him not to. Now he had permission. He was singing it for Rachel though he didn't know if she'd appreciate it or not.
Puck began to strum and he pinned his hazel eyes back on Finn's brown ones. Then he began to sing.
"You're throwing around a lot of serious accusations.
Ain't too hard to tell what you're insinuatin'."
He narrowed his eyes at Finn. Despite his near constant advances, which Rachel took with a grain of salt at this point, Rachel and he had never done anything more than hug with the occasional kiss on the cheek since their covert friendship started.
"You think I'm the one who stole her away.
If not for me she'd still be yours today."
Bullshit stealing implied that he got to keep those girls. All he got was their friendship. How'd he get to be the guy girls were friends with anyway?
"We're both men here so why play games
Why don't we call a spade a spade."
He might have growled that last part out. Mr. Schue would stop him but really he'd like to have a knock down drag out with Finn; one where he wouldn't have to hold back because of his guilt; because right now he felt anything but guilty.
"Man to man
Tell me the truth, tell me
Were you ever there when she needed you."
Easy answer there. Never. He was pretty much cemented as Rachel's go to guy when she needed something. After the first few times of asking Finn and watching him fail or forget she'd just taking to asking Puck for help. A repeat of what happened with Finn and Quinn only Quinn grew tired of Finn's incompetence even faster than Rachel had.
"Man to man
Look me in the eye, tell me
If you really loved her
Why'd you make her cry?"
Seriously he lived with two women who didn't cry as much as Finn's girlfriends did, and all those were on his shoulders.
"Man to man
Who cheated who
You're the one to blame
Tell me it ain't true
Man to man
Man to man"
Santana had been sobbing when she said she felt cheated after sleeping with Finn. Given how lacking Finn was in the boyfriend department it seemed all his girlfriends were cheated by being with him.
"Well you think all your anger is justified
Me, I think, it's just your wounded pride."
Was it even about Rachel anymore? Or Quinn? Or Santana? Or after Quinn was it about getting back at Puck. Santana and Rachel had been Puck's first. Santana clearly preferred the fairer sex but even a blind man could see how much Puck wanted Rachel back and he knew a lot of that was returned. At least the lust was and the friendship.
Finn shifted in his seat. Where did Puck get off with all this stuff? If Mr. Schue hadn't been seating next to him with a firm, almost painfully hard, hand on his shoulder he'd been across the room beating Puck's face in.
"What did you really think she was gonna do
She's a real woman, not a doormat for you."
That's what really pissed him off. That Quinn, Rachel they just took it. It pissed him off. Santana hadn't stood for a second of it. It's like they knew better but confronted with Finn's puppy dog face they crumbled.
"You want her back, but it's too late
Why don't we just cut to the chase"
Damn straight. He was taking Rachel home. He'd hold her and make her happy then calmly inform her that he wasn't leaving until she gave him another chance. Somewhere in there he might have to beat Finn unconscious but he'd make time; he was good like that.
"Man to man
Tell me the truth, tell me
Were you ever there when she needed you
Man to man
Look me in the eye, tell me
If you really loved her
Why'd you make her cry
Man to man
Who cheated who
You're the one to blame
Tell me it ain't true
Man to man"
The chorus was supposed to continue but Puck figured he'd gotten his point across. He'd slide guitar off his shoulders and back into its case. "Now if you'll excuse me Rachel's waiting on me."
Finn nearly leapt from his seat barely held in place by Mr. Schue. "What are you going to do with her?"
Puck raised one eyebrow and smirked and figured Marilyn had been right so far. "It's often just enough to be with someone. I don't need to touch her. Not even talk. A feeling passes between us both. We are not alone." Then he jerked his head at Mr. Schue in some pseudo permission asking way before he left the room.
He trotted out to his truck and climbed up to find his keys dangling in the ignition but not turned on. Rachel was laying across his bench seat with her ear buds in and his letterman jacket as a blanket. It kind of looked like she was only wearing that from his perspective her long brown curls fanned out on his driver seat, her long tan legs curled up against the passenger door. She stirred and sat up when she felt the driver door open.
"I sang the song from last week." He replied to her curious brown eyes that he was happy to see were tear free.
She nodded for once silent.
He slid his guitar into the passenger floor board on the other side of her and got in to start the truck up. She snuggled under his arm and adjusted the jacket her legs still curled under her. As they left the parking lot they both relaxed and sighed. A glance down revealed that Rachel's eyes were half-lidded. "So this is it? You over him? For good?"
She nodded again.
"Good, cause I wanna another chance with you." He held his breath as she shifted against him so that she could look up at him.
He glanced down into those big brown eyes and she whispered. "I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love. Is that okay?"
"Yeah babe." At the stop sign he grinned and stated. "Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." He grinned at her and she smiled back. They continued home.
"Noah I believe everything happens for a reason…" She trailed off looking at him expectantly.
"People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right…" He trailed off and waited for her to finish the quote.
"You believe lies so that eventually you learn to trust no one but yourself…" She trailed off sadly but Puck took up the last part.
"And sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." Puck pulled into the driveway at her house. He opened the door and reached up to help her down. He kissed her forehead once she was on her feet and smiled into her eyes. "Rachel we're not just going to be better. We're going to be the best." He hugged her to him and she looked up to see him staring off into a future with them together and she couldn't help the thrill that ran through her body.
"Beneath the makeup and behind the smile I am just a girl who wishes for the world." She said against his chest; warm and safe in his arms.
"I'll try my damnedest to give it to you Babe. First though we need to thank Marilyn. We owe her a lot." He grinned down at her and she smiled brightly before lifting her hands up behind his neck to pull him down into a kiss.
She laughed quietly at him and chuckled, "You know Noah, if you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything."
"Really?" He nearly purred and they kissed.