Well, I hadn't planned on doing this, but the majority of my reviews begged for more or at least a sequel. Who knows, there may even be more after this. I never know what my muse is up to. Also, this story skips time periods; it is not always in succession of days…keep that in mind. I don't own the characters, the show or even the song…sadly!
Talk to me softly
There's something in your eyes
Don't hang your head in sorrow
And please don't cry
Puck sauntered past Rachel as he did most nights after his concert ended, sweat pouring off him; swiping the bottle of water she always had waiting. This night was different. Just as Puck reached for the water, Rachel locked her arm in his, pulling him away from the side of the stage.
"What the fuck, Berry?" Puck yanked his arm from her grasp as they reached his dressing room.
"Please Noah, this is important." She held the door open, watching Puck stride in with a satisfied grin on his face.
"Well damn, all this time I thought you had the hots for Hudson." Puck wiggled his eyebrows at her, ignoring the obvious scowl on Rachel's face.
"Wha-me and Finn? That's crazy." Rachel shook her head. "I need you to be serious for just a second, Noah. Please."
Puck knew Rachel was the most determined and serious of all the people he surrounded himself with. He loved to joke with her mostly because he knew how uncomfortable it made her. Most of the time she would either humor him or simply ignore him; this time she was doing neither.
"Ok, I give up. What the hell's wrong with you?" Puck threw his hands up in the air. Rachel waited until he lowered his hands to reach out, placing her balled up fist into one of his hands, Quinn's wedding rings tumbling out. "What are these?"
"They're Quinn's." Rachel couldn't bear to look him in the eyes.
"Wha-wait, why do you have these?" Puck furrowed his brow, running his thumb over the rings, still warm from Rachel's hand.
"She was here earlier." Rachel lowered her voice before stepping towards the door, placing her hand on the door knob. "She wanted me to give those to you."
"What else did she say?" Puck asked, the rings pressing against his palm, his hand closed tight.
"You need to talk to her Noah." Rachel whispered. She tried to slip through the door, but wasn't quick enough to escape the loud clatter of the water bottle hitting the wall.
I know how you feel inside
I've been there before
Something is changing inside you
And don't you know?
Quinn picked up the shrilling cell phone, glancing quickly at the screen; she tossed it back down on the counter. Picking up a croissant, she daintily pulled a piece off, folding it in her mouth slowly.
"You're not going to answer that?" her sister asked, not bothering to look up from the newspaper she was reading, cup of coffee still in her hand.
"It's no one important." Quinn shrugged, polishing off the rest of her croissant.
"Why don't you turn the damn thing off then?" Her sister rolled her eyes. "Or better yet just answer it. He's going to keep calling until you do."
"I have nothing left to say to him Frannie." Her lip began to quiver ever so slightly.
"You owe him an explanation." Frannie glanced up from her paper.
"I don't owe him a damn thing." Quinn spat, her heels clicking against the kitchen floor as she stormed out.
Don't you cry tonight, I still love you, baby
Don't you cry tonight
Don't you cry tonight, there's a heaven above you, baby
And don't you cry tonight
Finn watched as Puck threw back his head, pouring another mixed drink down his throat. It was the sixth of the night. Finn knew him well enough to know that when he drank this much it was to escape something. He wasn't sure what. After the concert earlier, Finn had seen Rachel whisk Puck off to his dressing room. Whatever had happened in that room had changed Puck's entire demeanor. He was angry, lashing out at the crew one minute; solemn and sulky the next.
"Bartender!" Puck waved a hand in the air.
"Dude, I think you've had enough." Finn reached across the table, swatting Puck's hand in an attempt to get him to lower it.
"You." Puck slurred, pointing his finger at Finn. "You don't know nothing."
Finn rolled his eyes, ignoring the verbal slurs he knew were coming. Puck had a tendency to be a mean drunk; friends and family weren't off limits either.
"You're just a drummer." Puck smacked his hand on the table loudly. Leaning his chair back, he pointed at Finn once gain. "A lonely drummer. But you know what man, that's probably a smart move. Chicks are a bad idea."
This was about Quinn. Finn didn't need any further explanation. He knew Puck's wife must've seen the pictures in that tabloid magazine; the ones of him and Santana on the dance floor.
"I gotta piss." Puck stumbled out of his seat, looking around for the bathroom. Finn watched him stagger across the room. He knew he should probably go help him, but right now he was just plain irritated. The way Finn saw it, Puck had no one to blame but himself…and maybe that backup dancer who never seemed to take no for an answer.
"Where's he going?" Finn didn't even bother looking up when he heard Rachel's voice. Of course she would be here. She was another catalyst; always bailing Puck out it seemed.
"To take a leak." Finn swallowed a swig of beer. Peering out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rachel take the empty seat next to him. "You want a drink?"
"Um, no thanks." Rachel shook her head.
Finn didn't waste any time; he knew Puck would be back soon. "So, Quinn knows?" He raised an eyebrow at her. Rachel lowered her head.
"Yeah, she knows." Rachel spoke in a hushed tone. "She left him."
Finn laughed out loud. Rachel wrinkled her forehead, frowning at his choice of reaction.
"Why is that so funny to you Finn?" She asked, an incredulous look sweeping across her face.
"Noah Puckerman has all the money in the world and look at him. He's miserable because he thought that could get him anything he wanted." Finn shook his head in disbelief.
"Give him a break." Rachel ran her finger along an indention on top of the table. "I'm pretty sure he's hurting right now."
Finn pushed his chair away from the table loudly, almost knocking over his near-empty bottle of beer. He leaned down next to Rachel, his face right next to hers.
"He's a big boy. It's about time Puck learned to be responsible for his actions." Finn hissed in her ear; Rachel shuddering in response.
"I thought you were his friend." Rachel questioned, watching as Finn threw money on the table.
"I thought you were too." Finn arched his eyebrows. "You gotta stop mothering him Rachel. You keep making excuses for his behavior. When's it gonna stop?"
She watched him walk away, anger seething inside of her, before yelling across the bar. "You know nothing about me Finn Hudson!"
Give me a whisper
And give me a sigh
Give me a kiss before you
Tell me goodbye
The cell phone was pressed against her ear, fingers rubbing her temple as she listened to the message a third time. She wanted to slam the phone against the wall, hoping it would make his voice go away. Yet, somehow she had replayed his message once more.
"Please pick up Quinn. I keep trying to tell you nothing happened. That picture is a fake. You can't keep ignoring me."
She wanted to believe him. She didn't want to throw away five years of marriage. Glancing down at her empty ring finger, a familiar sadness crept over her. She dialed quickly, her mind temporarily numb.
"Hello?" a groggy female voice answered. Stunned, she listened as the voice again said hello. Fumbling with the phone, she quickly hung up.
Don't you take it so hard now
And please don't take it so bad
I'll still be thinkin' of you
And the times we had, baby
"Maybe it's best to just cancel the rest of the tour." Rachel suggested, tapping her pen nervously on her clipboard. She watched as Puck stretched his feet out, leaning his head back on the couch in his dressing room.
"Why? So the media can brand me a quitter?" Puck snorted, running his hand over his face.
"Have you talked to Quinn?" Rachel asked. It's the first time she's even broached the subject since the fateful night she handed him Quinn's wedding rings.
"She won't answer her phone. Her mom and sister won't talk to me." He sighed.
"Can you blame them?" Puck lifted his head, raising an eyebrow at Rachel. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, fumbling with the clipboard on her lap. She rarely openly defied Puck, her fear of biting the hand that feeds her always so prevalent in her mind. This time she wanted to say more. Finn was right; she had been enabling Puck's behavior by turning a blind eye to his infidelity, lying to Quinn and even lying to herself that it was all ok.
"Who's fucking side are you on?" Puck yelled, his voice booming through the room.
"There are no sides, Noah…only right and wrong." Cradling the clipboard in her hand, Rachel stood up, turning and walking away before she said something she may later regret.
And don't you cry tonight
Don't you cry tonight
Don't you cry tonight, there's a heaven above you baby
And don't you cry tonight
"So tell me about yourself?" The handsome blond inquired, cutting carefully into his steak while keeping his eyes fixed on Quinn.
"Wow, that's not cliché at all." Quinn laughed. She twirled her pasta on her plate mindlessly.
"I know." He laughed, a little more heartily than Quinn would have liked. "What do you do for fun?"
Quinn thought for a moment, unable to come up with anything that sounded spontaneous and exciting. Most of the last several years had been spent being a rock star's wife. Is that really what he wanted to hear about? She really liked this Sam guy, but she wondered if she came with too much baggage. Was she damaged goods? Had Puck ruined her expectation of men?
"Quinn." Sam interrupted her thoughts. "Is everything ok?" Quinn nodded, a polite smile sweeping across her mouth.
"I'm sorry, my mind was just elsewhere." She smiled again, this time it came across weak and forced.
"Rough day huh?" He asked. "Totally understand that. I had a three hour meeting with a perspective client today. It went way longer than I expected."
Quinn smiled once more, this time it was genuine. She wanted to hear about his advertising job, about his obnoxious clients and never-ending meetings. It seemed to pale in comparison to what was going on in her world and right now that's exactly what she needed…an escape from her own life.
And please remember
That I never lied
And please remember
How I felt inside now, honey
Puck tossed the piece of paper across the table, exhaling loudly as the paper landed in front of Finn.
"Can you believe this shit?" He watched Finn pick up the paper, Finn's eyes darting back and forth as he read the document. Puck kicked the chair, mumbling a few words under his breath.
"What are you gonna do?" Finn asked, ignoring the mini tantrum Puck seemed to be having and sliding the papers back over to the other side of the table.
"The bitch wants half of everything." Puck kicked the chair again.
"And she'll likely get it." Finn shrugged, leaning his chair back.
"Hey, I came over as soon as I could." Rachel rushed through the door to Puck's penthouse, her arms ladled with coffee and bags, kicking the door shut behind her. She gently sat the coffees on the table, letting the bags fall from her arms onto the floor. Her eyes darted back and forth between Finn and Puck, waiting for someone to tell her why she had been summoned.
"Quinn had me served with divorce papers today." Puck slumped into the chair he had been kicking moments earlier, nodding his head towards the papers sitting in front of him.
"So soon?" Rachel's eyes were wide as she picked up the paper, glancing quickly at Finn before returning her gaze back to the page in front of her.
"What the hell am I supposed to do?" Puck slammed the palm of his hand down on the table, Rachel flinching as she continued to read.
You gotta make it your own way
But you'll be alright now, sugar
You'll feel better tomorrow
Come the morning light now, baby
"What are you doing here Rachel?" Quinn leaned against the ajar door.
"I want to talk to you." Rachel averted her eyes to the lavish foyer behind Quinn, hoping the blonde would invite her in.
"About?" Quinn arched an eyebrow as Rachel politely squeezed through the small opening. "Well, why don't you come in?"
Rachel noted her snarky tone, choosing to ignore it. Her mouth hung open slightly as she eyed the exquisite home belonging to Quinn's mother. It was obvious Judy Fabray had a flair for decorating and a love of all things gold.
"Wow, your mother's home is beautiful." Rachel gasped.
"Did you come here to compliment my mother's taste or was there another reason?" Quinn slowly shut the door, leaning against it for support.
"Why did you file the papers?" Rachel finally snapped out of her stupor, turning to look at Quinn, wanting to gauge her reaction. She noticed the blond's body bristle ever so slightly.
"Did Puck send you here?" Quinn demanded, leaning against the front door as if she were blocking anyone else from entering.
"No." Rachel shook her head. "He has no idea I'm even here." She looked in shock as Quinn's body slid to the floor, her head crumpling into her lap.
"I'm done Rachel." Quinn cried. "I can't love him anymore."
Rachel looked around in horror; she didn't know what to do. She had not come prepared to comfort Quinn. She only wanted to talk to her; try to see if there was even a smidgen of chance Quinn would reconcile with Puck. Now here she stood, Quinn's body scrunched in front of her mother's front door, sobbing into her own lap.
And don't you cry tonight
And don't you cry tonight
And don't you cry tonight, there's a heaven above you baby
And don't you cry, don't you ever cry, don't you cry tonight
"You're an asshole, that's what you are." Rachel charged through Puck's dressing room door, her hands flying in a million directions. Two of the band members politely excused themselves. Only Finn hung back watching the explosion taking place in front of him.
"What the fuck are you talking about Berry?" Puck rolled his eyes, having grown accustom to Rachel's theatrics over the years.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Rachel stood in front of him, waving her finger directly in his face. Puck sighed loudly, pushing her finger away.
"I don't have time for this. I have a show starting in just a few minutes." Puck growled, slowly losing his patience with her. Finn watched Rachel back away from Puck, her body beginning to tremble.
"Stop the lying Noah." Tears were falling down Rachel's cheeks. "Just stop it. You did more than just hurt Quinn."
"What the hell is she talking about?" Puck looked to Finn, who shrugged innocently, then turned his attention back to Rachel. She was a sobbing mess, her face read and cheeks streaked with tears. He couldn't remember the last time he saw Rachel this physically upset.
"Everything's a mess." Rachel stammered.
"We'll deal with this after the show. Come on Finn." He stormed from the room, leaving a confused Finn and blubbering Rachel behind. Finn didn't want to leave Rachel in this state. He hated to see women cry. He wasn't sure what exactly pushed her to this point, but he knew leaving her like this was the wrong thing to do.
"You wanna tell me what's going on?" He stood in front of her, wrapping his arms around her back, pulling her weeping body into his chest. He could hear Puck screaming his name from down the hall.
Rachel didn't even try and fight him. She craved the comfort right now, the very same comfort she awkwardly tried to offer Quinn earlier.
"I went to see Quinn earlier." Rachel's crying had subsided, replaced by soft hiccups and sniffling.
"And?" Finn could smell her shampoo; it was almost making him dizzy. This was the closest her had ever been to Rachel. He knew he needed to be out with the band, getting ready for the show, but he couldn't leave her like this.
"She's more than just broken." Rachel looked up at Finn, her brown eyes wet with tears.
Baby, maybe someday
Don't you cry, don't you ever cry
Don't you cry tonight
Ok, ok…I'm sorry to end it like that. Obviously there will be another installment now (you can thank my muse). I wouldn't dare leave you all hanging. The song used is Don't Cry by Guns N Roses…what can I say, I have a slight affection for 80's hair bands! Please review…it's what keeps me going. Thanks so much for the support!